As the science chairperson, I’d like to change the format of our monthly afterschool meetings. Do you have any ideas what we can do in terms of professional development or other projects? It seems like we don’t get much accomplished with our current format. —C., Virginia

Let’s face it—at the end of the day most teachers are tired and concerned with evaluating student work, getting home to their families, heading off to another job or a graduate class, and/or preparing for the next lesson. The after-school time is precious and not something to spend on mundane informational issues or idle chatter.

My experience also included meetings in which we read over information items (deadlines, changes in policy, upcoming events). We complained about situations without coming to any decisions. Some colleagues graded papers or watched the clock. We often left these hour-long contractual meetings with a list of tasks to accomplish individually on our own time (e.g., strategic planning, supply orders, professional development plans). So I’m glad to hear that you want to facilitate something more productive.

For your monthly meetings, send out an agenda via e-mail in advance. The agenda should include an issue to discuss, resolve, or plan for that is important to science teachers or to the district (e.g., lab safety, grading policies, instructional strategies, Next Generation Science Standards topics, technology, inventories, parent communications, assessments). Include information items here so the actual meeting time can be spent on more important issues. Rather than a bulleted list of agenda items for you to address, phrase them in the form of a question for your colleagues to discuss. For example, instead of “Safety,” ask, “What do you do to ensure that students work safely in your lab?” Set aside a few minutes before adjourning to recognize new issues and celebrate any successes or accomplishments.

I’ve also participated in meetings modeled on the “flipped classroom” strategy*…

The meeting participants were given readings to do or video segments to watch prior to the meeting. (The NSTA journals and web resources would be good sources for these.) The real-time meeting then focused on active discussion, decision-making, hands-on experiences, or teacher reflection. Teachers can use the time to work collaboratively on tasks that they would otherwise have to do on their own, rather than taking them home for later.

For example, in the December issue of The Science Teacher, the Science 2.0 column “Did They Really Read It?” addresses how to assess student understanding of a reading assignment or video.  The authors also posted a 5-minute video blog entry that demonstrates how the two tools described in the article work. In a flipped meeting or workshop, the participants can read and watch the materials in under 10 minutes beforehand and use the meeting time to explore the options and consider how this would apply to their classes.

Other options:

• Use the meeting time to model strategies that would also apply to the classroom, such as gallery walks, cooperative learning, and technology tools for brainstorming, sharing, and visualizing. For example, I was at a meeting where the chair gave us each an article on a relevant topic. We had a few minutes to read it, and we were directed to highlight three statements that resonated with us or about which we had a question. We shared them via an online tool and then discussed the highlighted issues. The presenter noted that the strategies for critical reading, technology, and think-pair-share could be applied in the classroom.
• Vary the location of the meetings, asking a different teacher each month to “host” the meeting in his/her lab. The host would describe some of the activities that the students do, and the other teachers have a chance to learn more about what happens in other classes.
• Have a combined meeting with another department to discuss common interests or questions or conduct a virtual meeting with Skype to interact with a scientist, museum curator, or other resource person.

You may run into some resistance from teachers who are used to the status quo. Being expected to participate in discussions or group activities may take some getting used to on their part, and you might have to prepare some discussion-starters at first. If meetings in previous years were seen as a waste of time, you’ll have to be persistent to show people that things are going to be different.

*I’ve created an NSTA resource collection with several articles on flipped meetings.