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Collaborative Inquiry for Educators
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Collaborative Inquiry for Educators
A Facilitator's Guide to School Improvement



May 2013 | 144 pages | Corwin

Your step-by-step guide to making collaborative inquiry work

Collaborating for improved student outcomes makes sense. But beyond theory, do you know where to begin? How does a team gather, analyze, and then implement and evaluate learning objectives while engaging students and meeting school agendas? Without directed guidance, it’s easier said than done.

Aligned to current Learning Forward standards and based on the latest professional development research, Collaborative Inquiry for Educators deconstructs the collaborative inquiry process. This step-by-step guide gives facilitators tools to move teams toward purposeful, productive, and impactful collaborative work, including

  • A clear and concise four-stage model that provides a structure for facilitating successful collaborative inquiry
  • Real-world examples from collaborative teams that model components of each stage
  • Clear, direct, and practitioner-focused tone with an emphasis on action over theory

Unlock your team’s ability to work together to improve instruction and increase student achievement today!

"Jenni Donohoo's immensely thoughtful and deeply practical discussion of collaborative inquiry helps teachers to live up to, and also be enlivened by, the high standards of evidence-informed judgment that define all true professions."
—Andy Hargreaves, Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education
Boston College

“In clear and unpretentious language, Donohoo guides the reader through a challenging but practical four-step learning sequence so that teachers learn and, subsequently, students achieve—a goal to which we all subscribe and endorse.”
—Shirley M. Hord, Scholar Laureate
Learning Forward


 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
1. Why Collaborative Inquiry?
A Four-Stage Model

 
Getting Started

 
 
2. Stage 1: Framing the Problem
Determining a Meaningful Focus

 
Determining a Shared Vision

 
Developing an Inquiry Question

 
Formulating a Theory of Action

 
Reflection for Facilitators

 
 
3. Stage 2: Collecting Evidence
Developing Knowledge, Competencies, and Shared Understandings

 
Implementing Changes in Practice

 
Developing the Data Collection Plan

 
Reflection for Facilitators

 
 
4. Stage 3: Analyzing Evidence
Considering Implementation

 
Data Analysis

 
Examining Assumptions

 
Reflection for Facilitators

 
 
5. Stage 4: Documenting, Celebrating and Sharing
Documenting and Sharing

 
Celebrating

 
Debriefing the Process

 
Reflection for Facilitators

 
 
Resources
Resource A. Identifying Student Learning Needs

 
Resource B. Sphere of Concern Versus Realm of Control

 
Resource C. Examples of Purpose Statements

 
Resource D. Inquiry Questions--Examples--Strong and Weak

 
Resource E. Theory of Action T-Chart

 
Resource F. Innovation Configuration Map Template

 
Resource G. Data Collection Plan Template

 
Resource H. Levels of Implementation Templates

 
Resource I. Collaborative Inquiry Teams--Small Group Sharing

 
Resource J. Characteristics of Collaborative Inquiry Continuum

 
Resource K. Characteristics of Collaborative Inquiry--Start--Stop--Continue

 
 
References
 
Index

"This book provides a practical, easy-to-follow overview of collaborative inquiry for teams of classroom teachers. No longer do you need to force a match between your school and someone else's research, now your teachers can conduct their own authentic research."

Charre Todd, Science Teacher
Crossett Middle School, AR

"Oftentimes a reader will pick up a book and think the ideas are fantastic, but where most books fall short is in providing strategies for implementation. Not so with Collaborative Inquiry for Educators. The steps are clearly laid out, and the author has taken much of the guesswork of how to share or implement the ideas. If you are looking for the full package, including research, strategies, and implementation, then this is a book well worth your time."

Christina M. Smith, Social Studies Chair
Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough, MA

"This book is an excellent hands-on manual that will guide administrators, teachers and potential administrators through the process of collaborative inquiry. This is a very practical guide to the process, with numerous vignettes making the process very easy to understand. If you have a desire to begin the process of collaborative inquiry in your school, I would definitely recommend this book."

Stephen Armstrong, President-Elect
National Council for the Social Studies
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Key features
(1) A clear and concise, step-by-step guide to facilitating collaborative inquiry teams aimed at instructional improvement and increased student achievement.

(2) Chapters covering each step of the collaborative inquiry process include scaffolded activities that facilitators can choose from as they engage school teams in framing a problem, gathering evidence, examining evidence, reflecting, and determining next steps.

(3) Provides real-world examples and sample artifacts from actual teams for modeling various components of each step.

(4) Grounded in the latest research on professional development and school improvement.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Preface

Chapter 1: Why Collaborative Inquiry?


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