Last summer, nine teachers from the New City School and I gathered in the library, challenging ourselves to make changes in our practice. The library was in hibernation—no students to be seen or heard, boxes of books stacked by the door. But there we were, all holding our copies of Teaching Children to Care by Ruth Charney and passionately discussing how students should begin each school day.
"If we believe in this, we have to model what we teach," argued Chris. "We need to begin each day with a morning meeting and build in a greeting, an interaction, and an activity."
"Where will we find the time?" replied Missy. "There's already too much going on each day in my classroom." The nods and facial expressions of the other teachers indicated that they shared her hesitation.
After a pause, Charlotte responded, "If we're serious, this will require a change in our schedules." Everyone turned to look to Pat, the administrator responsible for creating our school schedule. Pat said, "I can do that," and we began talking about what we needed to do to get the rest of the faculty enthusiastic about these changes.
Put simply, we agreed not just to change our schedules but also to begin each learning day in a different manner, to put into practice ideas that we had learned about together over the summer. The decision was simple, but the path that led us there was complex.
This conversation took place as part of one of the faculty book groups that many of our teachers participate in each year. Each year, approximately a third of my faculty members voluntarily cut short their summer hiatus to discuss a book we all agree to read. Discussions are lively and intense; they push teachers to think in new ways and affect our practice when school resumes.
As a result of last summer's discussions, our whole faculty discussed Charney's approach to building a school community during our August inservice meeting and subsequent faculty meetings. By the start of school, we had altered our schedules to make time for a regular morning meeting in each classroom and created a committee to help us follow the tenets in Charney's book.
Carving Out a Corner for Growth
I've led schools for many years. I've learned that teachers solve problems best when they themselves identify areas where change is needed—and when they develop the solutions. Even if I have what I consider a great insight, the whole faculty must embrace the idea if it's going to go anywhere.
But getting the whole faculty interested in any idea is difficult. The clock works against us. The school year begins with a sprint and then the pace quickens. It can seem inefficient to gather just to discuss deeper issues.
Yet teachers and administrators need opportunities to share perceptions, consider possibilities, and forge solutions. Faculty book groups are a powerful tool to create organic solutions with wide ownership. And they are great for spurring true professional development.
Teachers at New City School have met voluntarily in book groups for 20 years. We began in 1988 after I read Howard Gardner's seminal work on multiple intelligences,Frames of Mind. I believed that our school should look at student potential more broadly and recognize all students' strengths. But I knew that rethinking assumptions about student growth would have significant implications for teachers. Teachers who teach using multiple intelligence theory need to plan different instructional strategies and assessment techniques. I knew our teachers would need to stretch their perceptions and alter comfortable practices.
When I asked whether any faculty members would like to meet throughout the summer to read Frames of Mind together, a dozen teachers responded. We met every three weeks, reading a selected chunk of the book before each meeting and rotating leadership. Because we were reading a book about multiple intelligences, we tried to use the different intelligences as we studied them. We incorporated drawings and maps when we studied spatial intelligence, role-played physical actions when we talked about bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, and so on. By September, group members were excited about drawing on multiple intelligences in their classes.
Because the majority of New City's teachers were not familiar with Gardner's theory, the Frames of Mind group strategized about how to inform other teachers. We all made a point of talking to teammates, sharing our efforts at each faculty meeting, and creating faculty committees that would pursue aspects of implementing multiple intelligence pedagogy. Our assessment practices changed as a result. Today, New City is considered a multiple intelligences school.
What Makes for Good Groups?
The success of the first book group led to similar groups over the next few years. We have tackled many different topics (see "Titles for Faculty Book Groups"). Groups always generate both learning and active change in school practice. For example, discussions stemming from Mel Levine's A Mind at a Timeled teachers to form a differentiation committee that pursued ways of designing instructional approaches to meet student needs.
New City teachers have even used the book group process to improve how we work together as a faculty. One group studied Roland Barth's Improving Schools from Within, which defines faculty collegiality and the role it plays in student growth. Mining a book for insights about how teachers relate to one another and learn together was a different experience for our teachers, who were more used to reading books focused on student learning. But consciously talking about faculty collegiality made it easier for all of us to look to one another for ideas.
- Book groups should be voluntary. This not only increases the likelihood that participants will be receptive but also reminds everyone that the meetings should be enjoyable.
- Teachers need to play a role in choosing books. Often, I offer several titles to the faculty and let them choose which book to study, and sometimes I ask faculty members to nominate titles.
- Teachers should facilitate the discussion. The administrator should provide the food and facilities, but the faculty should own the process. As principal, my job is to elicit teachers' participation, not to direct or dominate, whether the group meets during the school year or over the summer. It's a time for me to work on my listening skills.
When a book group works well, everyone learns.
