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1. Teacher Study Groups
By: Sierra Kozlovsky
EDLE 5005

2. What Is A Teacher Study Group?
Lefever-Davis, Wilson, Moore, Kent, and Hopkins (2003, citing
Cramer, Hurst, & Wilson, 1996) share that:
“A teacher study group is a collaborative group organized and
sustained by teachers to help them strengthen their
professional development in areas of common interest. In these
groups, teachers remain in charge of their own independent
learning but seek to reach personal goals though interaction
with others.” (p.782)

3. What Is A Teacher Study Group?
 A form of collaborative learning.
 Grounded in promoting professional conversations, collegiality,
learning about issues that affect teaching and learning.
 Provide a conduit for teachers to become lifelong learners and
to become action researchers.
 Serve to promote peer interaction by providing frequent
opportunities for the sharing of ideas.
 Comprised of individuals that join together to increase their
capacity to meet the needs of students.

4. Range of Study Group Configurations
Cayuso et al. (2004)
 Topic Study Group
 Practice Study Groups
 Online Study Groups

5. Range of Study Group Configurations
Birchak et al. (1998)
 Issues Discussion Groups
 Job-Alike Study Groups
 Professional Book Discussion Groups
 Readers and Writers Groups
 School-Based Groups
 Teacher Research Groups
 Topic-Centered Groups

6. Strategies For Getting Started
Training
Visitation
Outreach
Professional Development Library
Launch

7. Organizing Study Group Meetings
Birchak et al. (1998)
Brainstorming.
Narrowing the Topic.
Extended Meetings.
Reflection on Process and Content.

8. Organizing Study Group Meetings
Saavedra (1996)
 Identity and voice from the experience of being in the study group
 Ownership and agency where learning is intrinsically motivated as opposed to extrinsic forcers
external to the group structure
 Dissonance and conflict in which study group members often struggle with the materials under
study and it is through the struggle that meaning is more likely to occur
 Mediational events and demonstrations where discussions and activities offer different opinions
or thought processes and that lead to an agreement that results in a higher understanding of
the problem
 Reflection, action, and collaboration so that group members can act on reflections while
generating new knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors
 Self-assessment and evaluation of the work and efforts of the group done both at the group and
individual member levels
 Reflective practice and recreating teaching to improve the learning environment for students
whom group members teach

9. Organizing Study Group Strategies
Discussion Guidelines:
 Allow everyone the chance to contribute to the
discussion
 Keeping the group on topic of the book
 Monopolizing conversation
 Listen carefully to what is said by participants
 Control interruptions

10. References
Zepeda, Sally J. (2012). Professional
Development: What Works, Second Edition,
Larchmont, NY.