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Rationale: Time is a valuable resource that we cannot afford to waste, and collaborative time is one of the most impactful levers for improving student outcomes. There are some key meeting practices that teams can use to maximize their time and collaborative potential to positively impact student outcomes.
Learning Intention: Participants will understand the importance of effective meeting practices and share an awareness of the current state of teams in their building.
Success Criteria: Participants will know they are successful when they…
can articulate the importance and impact an effective meeting practice can have on student learning
assess the implementation of effective meeting practices in a sample meeting
apply the effective meeting practices to improve your own meeting agenda
Note: It is recommended that this module be completed by a full collaborative teacher team (such as a PLC) rather than individually.
Instructions: Before engaging in the Teacher Clarity module, please make a copy of the Note Taking Template for your own use by placing your mouse over the green "Note Taking Template" button below located to the right of the "Effective Meeting Practices: Get Started" slides. Then, view the Effective Meeting Practices: Start Here slide show below.
To view the slide show, place your mouse in the top right-hand corner of the slide and click on the grey box with the white arrow to begin. To listen to the audio associated with each slide, click the speaker icon in the lower right corner of each slide.
Each slide has a voice recording that provides further details or instructions. Please ensure your speakers are on and the volume is up.
Total module time: 50-70 minutes
Get Started (~5 min)
Get Started (~5 min)
Access the note taking template by clicking on the button above that says "Note Taking Template". A new window will open, prompting you to make a copy of the template. Hit the blue "Make a Copy" button (see image below). This will create a copy in Google Drive for your personal use.
Building Background (~40 min)
Building Background (~40 min)
Now, deepen your learning by watching Effective Meeting Practices: Building Background.
To view the slide show, place your mouse in the top right-hand corner of the slide and click on the grey box with the white arrow to begin.
Each slide has a voice recording that provides further details or instructions. Please ensure your speakers are on and the volume is up.
Total slide show time: 40 minutes
Activity: Meeting Nightmares and Daydreams (suggested time: 5 min)
Activity: Meeting Nightmares and Daydreams (suggested time: 5 min)
Step 1: Meeting Nightmares (3 min) Take a minute or two to remember the worst meeting you’ve ever been a part of, then record some of the reasons why this meeting was so bad. Then, do the same to remember a positive meeting experience, recording some of the reasons why this meeting went well. To type in this section of your note taking template, place your mouse next to the red or blue bullet where you would like to enter text and click so that you may type next to the bullet.
Step 2: Dos and Don’ts (2 min) Use these two experiences to create a draft of some meeting “Dos and Don’ts.” What makes an awful meeting so awful, and what makes a great meeting great? What qualities can you pull out of the meetings you remembered in the first two steps? To type in this section of your note taking template, place your mouse next to the green bullet where you would like to enter text and click so that you may type next to the bullet.
For the content related to slides 4 and 5 in the "Effective Meeting Practices: Building Background" section, there is open note taking space at the top of your note taking template for you to jot down notes from your learning. To type in this section of your note taking template, place your mouse next to the green bullet where you would like to enter text and click so that you may type next to the bullet.
Activity: Sample Meeting Observation (suggested time: 30 min)
Activity: Sample Meeting Observation (suggested time: 30 min)
Step 1: Preview Look Fors and Define Your Focus (5 min) Spend a few minutes reading over the Look Fors for each effective meeting practice in the left side of the table in your note-taking template. Then, determine which practice you’ll focus on for this observation - it’s very difficult to watch for everything at once! You can always go back and repeat this activity with additional practices. Choose one meeting to observe.
Step 2: Watch & Note (20 min) Watch the sample meeting clip by placing your mouse over the green meeting button above to the right of the screenshot of the note taking template page that you wish to view and clicking it. As you watch, do your best to note evidence of the effective meeting practices you chose on the right side of the Look Fors chart in your note-taking template. You can type in the right side of your note taking template next to the Look Fors chart by placing your mouse inside the box under the question you wish to respond to and clicking to begin typing text.
Step 3: Reflect (5 min) Consider the video you just saw. You may choose to use the following questions to guide your reflection:
What evidence did you see for each effective meeting practice?
Where were there missed opportunities?
What connections do you see between the values you codified and the effective meeting practices?
How did this meeting mirror typical meetings at your school? How was it different?
To make notes in this section, place your mouse at the end of the question you wish to respond to and click to begin typing text in that space.
Optional Team Activity: Agenda Analysis
Optional Team Activity: Agenda Analysis
Step 1: Access Agenda (2 min) Make sure everyone on your team has access to your PLC team agenda. Or, make a copy of this A2A Sample Meeting Agenda and ensure your whole team has access.
Step 2: Review, Revise, and Adjust (8 min) Look over the agenda individually, and take note of the following points:
How well does it support the effective meeting practices?
How well does this agenda establish clear objectives, roles, and protocols?
How well does this agenda align to your team’s goals and values?
To make notes in this section, place your mouse at the end of the question you wish to respond to and click to begin typing text in that space.
Discuss any potential shifts you would like to make to the meeting agenda template so that it best aligns with your values, guiding practices, and the effective meeting practices. Based on your discussion, make the necessary changes so you have a functional template for your meetings.
Step 3: Final Check (5 min) Go through each effective meeting practice and ensure that the qualities and components of all four practices are evident in your agenda. You can use the criteria from the observation activity to support you. Make any additional changes necessary.
Closing (~5 min)
Closing (~5 min)
Activity: Dos and Don'ts (suggested time: 5 min)
Activity: Dos and Don'ts (suggested time: 5 min)
Step 1: Reflect (5 min) Look back on the Do’s and Don’ts list you created at the beginning of this session, and consider the following questions:
Where do the guidelines from your list fit into the effective meeting practices?
With this new learning about effective meeting practices in mind, what would you add, take away, or adjust on your list?
To make notes in this section, place your mouse at the end of the question you wish to respond to and click to begin typing text in that space.
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