An ASCD Study Guide for Student Learning Communities: A Springboard for Academic and Social-Emotional Development

Although the questions here designed to be the basis for a formal book study of Student Learning Communities, they can also be helpful to think about on your own or with a colleague or two who is also reading the book.

Chapter 1. Why Student Learning Communities Matter

1. Why did you choose this title as a focus for a book study? What have been your experiences with group work been like?
2. Consider Shirley Hord's conditions of professional learning communities (p. 4). Have your experiences with PLCs lived up to these conditions? What are the strengths of your PLCs? Where are the areas for growth?
3. Review Figure 1.1 (p. 5). What parallels do you see between PLCs and SLCs? What is the promise of applying the evidence of effective PLCs to student learning?
4. Consider the list of conditions necessary for SLCs (p. 7). Which of these is most intriguing to you?
5. Review the process of learning presented in Figure 1.2 (p. 8). Does it resonate with your experiences?
6. There are three takeaways presented on page 9. Which if these do you believe will be most important for your students?

Chapter 2. Tasks and Experiences That Encourage Student Dialogue

1. In your class, what role does language play in learning?
2. Why does student talk matter?
3. Review the phases of the gradual release of responsibility. Where do you see SLCs fitting into the model? How could the various phases support SLCs?
4. Which tasks work best for SLCs?
5. Why should you plan for productive failure?
6. What's your approach for ensuring the tasks you design are challenging?

Chapter 3. Supportive Relational Conditions That Empower Learning

1. Before you read the chapter, discuss the kinds of relational conditions you think would help SLCs thrive.
2. What are the classroom implications of the biology of learning?
3. How might you use the four knowledge emotions to build learning pathways?
4. What is social sensitivity and social cohesion, and why are these important in SLCs?
5. What are some ways you might you support peer to peer relationships?
6. How does the physical or virtual learning environment in your classroom support the relational conditions necessary for thriving student learning communities?

Chapter 4. Shared Agreements About Success

1. What role do learning intentions and success criteria play in SLCs?
2. Why is it important for success criteria to include individual and SLC goals?
3. What role does goal setting play in the success of SLCs?
4. How can SLCs monitor their progress?
5. What shared agreements do teams need to be successful? How can you help SLCs develop their shared agreements?
6. Claxton identifies several habits needed for collaboration (p.74). What are some ways to teach and develop these dispositions?

Chapter 5. Intentional Collective Learning

1. What is team cognition? Why is it important?
2. What is team metacognition? Why is it important?
3. Do your students know how to reflect? What tools would help them deepen their reflections?
4. How will you form your SLCs? Which variables will you consider?
5. What will you do when a group composition doesn't work?
6. As you move forward with SLC implementation, use the checklist for planning, designing, evaluating, and troubleshooting SLCs. Share feedback on your experience with colleagues and develop some ideas to strengthen your SLCs.

Chapter 6. Peer Supports That Amplify Learning

1. What help-seeking tools do you use? Which other help-seeking tools will you teach to students?
2. What are the prosocial skills necessary for SLCs to thrive?
3. What are some ways you can support peer communication?
4. Examine the ways in which feedback can be maximized. What tools are you using now?
5. How can peers support one another in the gradual release of responsibility?
6. What might you do to increase peer-to-peer feedback in your classroom?

Chapter 7. Leadership Skills for SLC Success

1. What leadership skills do your students have? What skills do they need?
2. What are some ways to activate your students' critical thinking with your students? How might they better support the critical thinking of their peers?
3. What are some ways that student leaders might encourage their peers to communicate better? What lessons do these leaders need?
4. How can student leaders activate collaboration? Which tools are most effective?
5. What role does civic engagement play in your classroom? What can you do to ensure all students have opportunities to engage in this way?
6. What is your plan to help students develop leadership skills through SLCs?

As you conclude this book study …

1. Discuss the role you think SLCs have to play in your classroom or school.
2. What do you still need to learn to operate effective SLCs?
3. What can you do to maintain SLCs in distance, remote, and blended learning arrangements? (For guidance, download the free supplemental resource Deep Collective Learning in Virtual Environments.)

Student Learning Communities: A Springboard for Academic and Social-Emotional Development was written by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Almarode. This 141-page, 7″ × 10″ book (Stock #121030; ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-2965-8) is available from ASCD. Copyright © 2021 by ASCD. To order a copy, visit ASCD's online store.