Acknowledgements
About the Author
Preface
1. Why Professional Conversation?
The Imperative for Improvement in Teaching
The Nature of Teacher Learning
Promoting Professional Learning Through Conversation
Assumptions Underlying Professional Conversations
Summary
2. Power and Leadership in Schools
Overview
The Reality of Power
Reconciling Power and Leadership
Summary
3. The Big Ideas that Shape Professional Conversations
What Constitutes Important Learning?
What Causes Learning?
How Are Students Motivated?
The Merging of All These Ideas
Summary
4. The Topics for Conversations
Power, Leadership, and the ¿Big Ideas¿
Summary
5. Conversation Skills
Setting the tone for conversation
Linguistic Skills
Paraphrasing
Summary
6. Informal Professional Conversations
Purpose
Settings for Professional Conversations
Procedure
Summary
7. Implementation Issues
Finding Time for Conversation
Communicating the Purpose
Establishing Trust
Forging Understanding and Consensus on the ¿Big Ideas¿
Elaborating the ¿Topics for Conversation¿
Summary
8. Conversation Activities for Implementation
Establishing the Foundation
Communicating the Purpose
Establishing Trust
The Big Ideas: Considering High-Level Learning
How do People Learn?
Worthwhile learning experiences
Human Motivation
Topics for Conversation
Summary
References
Index

Talk About Teaching!

Leading Professional Conversations