Skill Builder

August 23, 2010

Scaffolding and Understanding Conversations

Attending to what we talk about and how we talk is critical to the improvement of professional communities learning. As you engage in dialogue, consider your intentions, focusing questions, and opportunities for reflecting. Below are some ideas to support your learning community in these efforts:

Intentions:

• Listen to understand.
• Paraphrase each other.
• Inquire.

Focusing questions for dialogue:

• What might be some reasons that this work is so valuable?
• What experiences are influencing your work?
• What beliefs, values, assumptions are you aware of as you do this work?
• How might others be perceiving this work?
• What new skills are necessary for you to develop as this work unfolds? What skills do you see as necessary for preschool educators to develop with this new work?
• How might this work impact collaboration in schools?

Reflection

• What are some things you are learning from these conversations?
• What might be some new insights?