Inquiry & Disccourse
Inquiry and discourse takes place when the staff conducts conversations about
students and teaching and learning, identifying related issues and problems.
Griffin (cited by Sergiovanni, 1994a, p. 154) referred to these activities as
inquiry and
"believes that as principals and
teachers inquire together they create community. Inquiry helps them to
overcome chasms caused by various specializations of grade level and subject
matter. Inquiry forces debate among teachers about what is important.
Inquiry promotes understanding and appreciation for the work of others. . .
. And inquiry helps principals and teachers create the ties that bind them
together as a special group and that bind them to a shared set of ideas.
Inquiry, in other words, helps principals and teachers become a community of
learners."
Participants in such conversations learn
to apply new ideas and information to problem solving. Key tools in this process
are shared vision; supportive physical, temporal, and social conditions; and a
shared personal practice.
Inquiry and Discourse Articles:
Teacher Conversation Characteristics (Julius West Middle School)
Professional
Learning Communities: Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement
(Southwest Educational Development Laboratory)
Professional Communities and Learning Communities: What School Leaders Need To
Know (Orbit Magazine)
Shared Decision-Making Plan Rubric (in Word format) (League of Professional
Schools)
Technology:
Technology in American Schools: Seven Dimensions for Gauging Progress (1998)
Intended for policymakers, educators, and technology directors, The Seven
Dimensions for Gauging Progress is designed for use as a road map when
attempting to bring up the learning levels of students through technology. It
describes the conditions that should be in place for technology to be used to
its greatest educational advantage in any classroom. (*Note: downloading this
article requires a formal agreement of "limited download and usage" for
non-commercial purposes only.)
STaR Chart
The CEO Forum on Education & Technology has developed two School Technology &
Readiness (STaR) Charts, one for the K-12 community and the other for colleges
of education. Both contain a series of questions that, once answered, enable you
to get instantaneous feedback on your institution's level of readiness in using
technology.
Technology Counts
2001 report on the capacity and access to technology of Oklahoma schools.
Sample Action
Plan for Practice 6:
WORD
PDF