National School Reform Faculty

Help/Quick Protocol
Date: December 8, 2006
Listserv: Coaches

Friday, December 8, 2006 10:22 AM
Next week I will be doing staff development with 30 3rd grade teachers. They have requested over and over again some time to just “talk among themselves” I would like to have some type of protocol during this time so we are positive, productive, and focused. Has anyone ever done a “quick” type of protocol that might have these characteristics?

Any suggestions are welcome!
Thanks,
Amy, GA

Friday, December 8, 2006 10:43 AM
You can do appreciated consultancies in triads.
Susan, CA

Friday, December 8, 2006 10:56 AM
Diana Watson and I just facilitated a workshop that included participants whose constituencies ranged from preschool to college, general ed, special ed (including OTs and SLPs), psychologists, social workers, private schools and public schools. Their questions and needs were so varied! At Diana's suggestion, we used an "Open Space" protocol and invited the participants to identify their own "burning issues". We then had them divide into discussion groups by topic, and we could barely shut them up when the time allotted was up. I had never done this protocol before, and I loved it both as a facilitator and as a participant (I joined one of the groups).
Donna, VT

Friday, December 8, 2006 11:05 AM
Hi Amy,
You can't attach stuff through the listserv, so I'm pasting the text of a doc into this email. This is a doc we use here in Indiana to give people choices in how they approach a triad. It offers support for doing protocols in 30 minutes. Perhaps some blend of the two approaches might be useful to you. It really works well for folks who have a lot of practice using protocols. If participants in your meeting are not used to protocols, though, this might not be the best thing to use.

Daniel Baron created this text a couple (or three) years ago and we continue to modify it for use in many contexts:

Thirty-Minute Protocols
Generic Protocol (think Consultancy)
1. Presentation includes context and framing question 5 min
2. Clarifying Questions with short answers 5 min
3. Paired conversation (can include probing questions) 10 min
4. Presenter's reflection/conversation 5 min
5. Debrief What worked, what didn't and why? 5 min

Tuning Protocol
1. Presentation of context and framing question 5 min
2. Clarifying questions with short answers 5 min
3. Participants review work and give warm and cool feedback 10 min
4. Presenter's reflection/conversation 5 min
5. Debrief What worked, what didn't and why? 5 min

Success Analysis Protocol
1. Presentation of a successful professional experience 5 min
2. Clarifying questions with short answers 5 min
3. Paired conversation analyzing what contributed to the success 10 min
4. Presenter's reflection/conversation 5 min
5. Debrief What worked, what didn't and why? 5 min

Best of luck next week!
Ross, IN

Friday, December 8, 2006 12:00 PM
When I was a new teacher at a professional development, we did a Success Analysis Protocol that I loved. I got to hear what other teachers in my subject area were doing that was working. Very positive experience.
Good Luck,
Nicole, PA

Friday, December 8, 2006 12:16 PM
I agree! I have used the Success Analysis Protocol and all have really enjoyed it and benefited from it. When I read your original message,
Amy, this was the first protocol I thought of also.
Terry, NJ

Friday, December 8, 2006 12:21 PM
Sometimes using Microlabs, with "just the right" questions helps people to feel like they've actually had time to just talk together, but there has been some focus or meaningful direction that makes sense for the work.

I guess that's where I'd start, and try to design the questions that help people to go incrementally deeper that kind of reach in there and unlock some of what colleagues might like the platform to say. Maybe something like:
1. What’s most pressing as you reflect upon this day (week?)?
2. What are the aspects or components of this issue that resonate/ get your attention to this extent? - (What’s the sticking point?)
3. What is one thing you can do, learn, or follow up on that might help you to better deploy your energy /anxiety around this concern?

I'm not sure these are exactly the right questions, but they might work if folks just generally need to process/decompress, but you know that doing so in a productive, structured way might be better than sacrificing a whole CFG meeting (or other) to just sitting around talking.
Teri, MA

Friday, December 8, 2006 3:29 PM
A consultancy in triads is Perfect.

Let me know if you need to know more.
Peace
Kathy, CO

Friday, December 8, 2006 11:38 PM
Hi Everyone,
I like the direction of Terri's questions. As a rule of thumb, I usually think about the questions as rounds where the first is one in which participants share their definition or baseline understanding, the second is personalizing/connecting it to themselves, and the third is extending or thinking ahead about implications for changes in practice. (I think I learned this approach from Classroom Meetings and found that it applied to Microlabs as well.)

As an alternative, I also liked Nicole's idea about the Success Analysis. I worked with a very troubled staff in June and this approach worked like a charm. The staff was able to end the year proactively and has gotten off to a much better start this term.
Finally, I applaud your instinct to structure the conversation...simply venting can be exhausting.
Debbie, PA