by Kari Thierer
When I first started SRI work around collaborative and reflective practice I was working in an alternative high school. One of my colleagues had gone to some ‘training’ and learned all about these great protocols that we could use as staff during our meetings. One challenge, our staff didn’t really trust one another, so our start-up with using protocols for adult work was slow and very, very messy. However, each protocol I learned and read helped me to think differently about my classroom practice, and I immediately started incorporating these tools into my teaching practice.
That was almost 20 years ago, and I continue to use protocols in all of my instructional practice with students and adults. For me, utilizing the protocols in the classroom with students solidified my understanding of the protocols as tools to help achieve different parts of developing a reflective learning community. From setting agreements to utilizing text and tuning protocols, there are very few protocols I have not used at some point in my teaching practice.
The work of SRI was originally designed to develop small communities of practice, reflective learning communities, that work in harmony, to support the learning of students. That is what I want my classroom to be – a learning community where all members are working together to support one another. The SRI tools help to provide structure and intentionally build community through thoughtful scaffolding, allowing students to be in community with one another to support their, and their peers, learning.
Over the past 7 years, my work with SRI has brought me to schools around the country and one of the sessions I’ve loved facilitating is using protocols in the classroom. There are a number of SRI affiliates around the country that also use protocols in the classroom or as part of their work with youth. Helen Beattie has been a pioneer in helping support the learning of high school students to use protocols as youth facilitators as part of her work with Up for Learning; Marjorie Larner and I collaborated to create a collection of protocols written specifically for use with youth or in classrooms that were field tested by educators throughout the country; Protocols in the Classroom a book talking about how to utilize protocols with students was written by four SRI affiliates; and we have seen examples from schools where students engage with protocols for meaningful work like this example from a 5th grade classroom in San Antonio.
Just like with adults, you cannot simply add a protocol to a classroom and expect it to work miracles. Creating the conditions and building a foundation is necessary to support the development of a community. Thoughtful and intentional scaffolding is required, particularly when working with younger students. Depending on the age of the students, wording and timing will need to be adjusted, but the results are amazing and can significantly shift the culture of a classroom.
Adaptations allow for easy use for students, depending on grade level. For example, utilizing Block Party as a way to introduce new topics can look like using pictures in a K-5 environment, moving to short quotes for middle-age learners, and finally a traditional block party for high school students. I’ve seen Zones of Comfort used as a way to check students comfort level with research projects; chalk talks used K-12 for a variety of purposes to help students make meaning; and a variety of text protocols, adapted for age, used in classrooms from 2nd grade through college. These structures allow students we do not normally hear from to find space to share their thinking. They help students become better listeners, and to think differently about the work they are doing.
As you begin to plan for next school year, think about how you can bring protocols into your classroom! Use the SRI Facebook group to share ideas and ways you currently utilize protocols so we can continue to learn and grow together. Not sure where to start? Consider joining me this summer for a two-day workshop on utilizing protocols in the classroom. Creating a classroom reflective learning community for you and your students is a great way to continue to grow your instructional practice! Want to know more? Email me: karithierer@gmail.com
