Part of the work I do supporting schools in their teaching and assessment growth is in Learning Labs. This is not uncommon in the professional development field of work, getting into classrooms and modelling or co-teaching a lesson, showing strategies and routines in action. Talking about and planning learning only takes us so far in our growth as teachers. It is when we put things into practice, and even better, when we do so together, that the conditions for rich reflection, collaborative inquiry, and broader growth can occur. Some features of Learning Labs that I facilitate are:
Pre-Meeting: Before I arrive at the school we schedule a video call to do some preliminary planning and discussion of objectives. I want teachers to feel excited, safe to take risks, and playful in our collaborative work together. Spending some time together, especially if our collaboration is new, helps set the stage for powerful next steps. These calls occur the week prior to the labs to ensure we are timely in our planning.
Coordinator / Coach Planning: The coordinator / coach is provided a series of planning resources to help select colleagues for the labs, engage in some pre-planning conversations around anticipated student responses and behaviours with the teacher, and some goal setting for the lesson. These resources create the conditions for me to arrive and hit the ground running with the team. They provide me with helpful information to leverage in our planning and teaching.
Connecting with Students: I send a slide deck that teachers show students in the days leading up to my arrival. The slide deck introduces students to who I am, what I do, and the intention of the Learning Labs. By the time I walk into the classroom for the lab, students know me by name and are excited to spend time together. Just as I want teachers to feel safe, I want students to be comfortable with me working with them as a guest in their room.
Planning Time: I appreciate a dedicated dose of time for the planning phase of Learning Labs, typically spending time with a team of teachers as we all plan a lesson together. This can be the day before the Learning Labs or the morning of, giving us time and space to identify our lesson objectives, lesson sequence, and lesson routines. During this time we prepare resources to be used in the lesson to best support the scholars in the classroom.
Lesson Recording: As often as possible the Learning Labs are recorded and in the weeks after, edited into short 10 to 25 minute lesson resources. Similar to a documentary format, the lab videos highlight the key facets of the lesson sequence as well pivotal teacher moves made by myself or my co-teacher. These videos are used with other teams in the school in the months after the Learning Labs occur, helping other teachers implement the same strategies and further develop the vision for teaching and learning at the site.
Post Lab Reflection: At the end of the day, everyone who engaged in the Learning Labs, whether in co-teaching or observing, spend time reflecting on the labs. Provided with a lab observation tool, teachers watching the labs document their real time noticings, giving them the chance to use this note catcher in the Post Lab Reflection. Sometimes this reflection is facilitated with just the group who participated in the labs. Sometimes this reflection is facilitated with the broader staff at a staff meeting or closing to the day, allowing everyone a glimpse into our learning, insights, and lightbulb moments.
Ripple Cycle: A key component of Learning Labs is the ripple cycle wherein the teacher I first co-teach with then co-teaches the same lesson with a colleague on their team in the days after my departure. Once this is done and reflection has occurred, the ripple continues as each teacher supports the next in an ongoing manner until everyone on the team has completed the lesson. The Ripple Cycle ensures that the professional growth is not limited to merely the teacher I co-teach with.
Post Ripple Cycle Reflection: We conclude the process with a team reflection, most often with the leadership team and coordinator / coach. We discuss strengths, stretches, and next steps. Each trip I make to the school, we focus on a different team and slowing, over time, all teams engage in this process.
Consider adopting this same process as your own at your site. Collaborative inquiry, co-planning and co-teaching, and shared reflecting create the conditions for schools, teachers, and students to thrive. When teachers have agency, are curious, and engage in reflection, students are more likely to experience this themselves.
