Here is my pecha kucha on "Schools Learn in Teams" for the TeachMeet (City), September 2011

1. Classroom isolation leads teachers to fall back on the ‘apprenticeship of observation’ that they undertook as school students.

2. “Teachers continue to work alone in cell-like classrooms, separated from other teachers, in physical structures that resemble prisons and mental hospitals.” Vivian Troen & Kitty Boles

3. Spray and pray Schools persist in practices that do not work.

4. “Schools learn collectively in teamsand teachers get better by working in teams on teaching issues.” Professor Richard Elmore

5. “Watching most teams operate in schools is like watching Astroturf grow. “ Professor Richard Elmore

6. Think of a group that you are (or were) part of that learned really well . . . what made it function so well?

7. “When a group is working well, we learn to listen to and respect diverse points of view, to share and exchange knowledge, and to clarify, modify, and extend our own thinking.” Project Zero

8. Training group members to function as such prior to group engagement can improve interactions and increase productivity.

9. How do claims of knowing vary across teams? 70% Conditional Claims 50% Assertive Claims 30% Low Team Performance High

11. “we” Team talk “let’s”

12. Conflict is normal, inherent, and essential to community practice and organisational learning.

13. Risk-taking

14. Distributed leadership

15. Common purpose

16. A development culture, not a compliance-oriented culture.

17. “The job of a leader is to follow the work, not to dictate the work.” Professor Richard Elmore

18. 80% of professional knowledge is built informally.

19. Networks rather than hierarchies

20. “Our future is not a future of fixed practices. Our future is a future of dramatic transformations. The more I know about learning, the more problematic I find this institution called school.” Professor Richard Elmore