The Power of Teacher Rounds - 9781483349954

The practice of Instructional Rounds is a promising design for professional learning that promotes teacher collaboration through making teaching practice public. The process, which was inspired by the "signature pedagogy" of medical schools—hospital rounds—was popularized by Elizabeth City, Richard Elmore and their colleagues at Harvard. There are several different models of Rounds for teachers, but all have the same intended goals and benefits: an increased focus on student learning, the sharing of successful practice, the development of strategies for problem solving, and a platform of support for both novice and veteran teachers. The Power of Teacher Rounds expands on the practice by:

• Providing a level of practicality that is unprecedented in other books on the topic—all of which are more descriptive in nature.
• Addressing the professionals who will facilitate the Rounds process.
• Demonstrating how Rounds can play an integral role in the success of Common Core implementation efforts.

The book’s chapters lay out a ground plan that traces the development of an effective Rounds group from formation, to choosing a problem of practice, conducting the first Round, observing, debriefing, making a commitment to a change of practice, and evaluating outcomes. The focus is on the individual teacher’s classroom and there is a strong emphasis on accountability. A chapter on expected outcomes offers a “vision of the possible,” with a realistic picture of what a successful Rounds group may look like, and what it will be able to accomplish.