Study Groups
One of the simplest, yet most informative ways to broaden education is to talk to other teachers. This can be done on a small-scale level by holding a ‘study group’ within your school or district. This method was tried by a school in Tucson, Arizona during a transition from traditional basal reading instruction to a literature-based approach. They met twice a week and were joined by a facilitator, a local university professor, who supported and helped guide change. The teachers who participated found that it was an ideal way, not only to smoothly implement the change in reading instruction, but to provide a forum for discussion of larger issues within education. For example, after attending a workshop, a teacher was able to discuss the speaker’s comments with other teachers in the group, and form her own views on the subject. (Matlin 68)