I recently became the science department chairperson. My meetings are a disaster! People arrive late and complain when I try to discuss issues. I don’t think we accomplish anything.  What can I do to make meetings more productive?
—Irene from Wisconsin
As a new chairperson, you may run into some resistance from teachers used to an existing format (or lack of one) for faculty meetings. Their resistance often results in off-task behaviors that interfere with your goals. We teachers complain there’s little opportunity to collaborate, yet without any structure, faculty meetings often become gripe and gossip sessions. If meetings in previous years were seen as a waste of time, you may have to be persistent to let people know that things are going to be different—and then make sure they are different.
Send out an agenda a few days in advance and send a copy to the principal. Use e-mail or an attachment to the agenda to communicate information items so the meeting time can be spent more productively. Rather than a bulleted list of agenda items, phrase them in the form of a question for your colleagues to consider. For example, instead of “Safety,” ask, “What do you do to ensure that students work safely in your lab?”
Be respectful of people’s time. For afterschool meetings, give your colleagues a few minutes to tidy up their classrooms, but start and end the meeting at the designated times. Follow the agenda (unless the discussion becomes really interesting or productive). Set aside a few minutes to recognize new issues or other concerns but use the “parking lot” idea for those that could or should be addressed at another time. Celebrate any of your colleague’s successes or accomplishments, too. (One of my principals would give out posters, tote bags, or other goodies he picked up at conferences as door prizes at meetings. Some thought it was trivial, but most of us appreciated his efforts). Some treats at the end of a long day may sweeten the meeting atmosphere.

Rather than giving advice or mandates as the department chair, ask questions to start discussions: “What happens when…? Have you ever tried…? Did you notice that…?” Get to know the curriculum and standards for areas of science in addition to your own so you can ask meaningful questions and help others make connections among subjects. The cooperative learning strategies you use in class (e.g., jigsaw or think-pair-share) could be modified for small-group discussions at your meetings. And listen to your colleagues. Sometimes they just need to think out loud. However, if someone tries to sidetrack the meeting, return to the agenda.
It may be helpful if the meetings have a theme or purpose. Perhaps the teachers would be willing to use meeting time for tasks such as developing a safety contract, creating rubrics for student work, or establishing guidelines for notebooks or science projects. These activities may take more than one meeting to accomplish and can be standing items on the agenda. Introducing new technology or applications and providing time for teachers to work together with them can also be productive. But you don’t have to do this all yourself. Are any of your colleagues willing to demonstrate technology or share instructional strategies with the rest of the group.
At the end of the meeting, ask each participant to submit an exit slip with any comments, commendations, or recommendations. Send meeting minutes to all members of the department and to the principal to keep him/her in the loop.
It may take a while for teachers to adapt to a new format outside of their comfort zone, so give yourself (and them) some time.
Photo:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/3479000511/sizes/s/in/photostream/