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Many schools already have a team charged with the responsibility of improving mathematics and science education. If your school has such a team, your work may need to focus on building the team’s capacity to use the inquiry process. If it does not, decide if your school can benefit from one. Look at what other structures are already in place. Is there an existing group or subset of a group, like a school improvement team, for instance, that can take charge of mathematics and science improvement? Or will you need to constitute a new group?
While team structure and composition may vary greatly, it is generally recommended that teams include both teachers and administrators, reflect the gender and racial diversity of the staff, and have the authority to act on their decisions. At middle and high school levels, mathematics and science teachers often find value in working together. Effective teams can range from three to twelve members. When you say teamwork or collaboration, some school staff shudder. They have too many memories of painful meetings, unresolved conflicts, or group exercises in futility. But the answer is not for teachers and administrators to retreat into isolation. Effective collaboration first requires a genuine reason for working together. Using data and inquiry to improve student learning provides such a purpose. Second, it takes skill and practice. Teams often benefit from putting effort into learning about effective communication, teamwork, and facilitation skills. There are many good resources on effective teamwork, such as The Team Handbook for Educators (see Access to Resources page 11.) Data Collection instruments, such as A Yardstick for Measuring the Growth of a Team (see sidebar), can help teams focus on and improve their group process.
This material is taken from Using Data-Getting Results by Nancy Love. For more information about the book contact
the Regional Alliance at TERC.
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