Activity 1: Introduction to Meeting One

Purpose:	To review the meeting objectives and activities and to set ground rules.
Time:	30 min
Materials:	Meeting agenda and objectives Newsprint pad, easel, markers, and tape

Process:

Welcome the group. Introduce yourself, and ask each participant to introduce him/herself. Hand out the agenda for Meeting One. Briefly explain the focus and purpose of the activities planned for the next two days and how major blocks of time will be used. Explain that the meeting’s objectives (posted in the room and printed on the agenda) are for participants to:

Learn about the four main components of the research process.
Establish a professional learning community.
Learn about the guiding principles and purposes in practitioner research.
Gain a more thorough understanding of the issues to research.
Identify a research question that is relevant and researchable.

Set ground rules for the meeting. Ask participants to brainstorm a list of possible guidelines for the group’s work together. Help the group reach consensus on a set of rules that everyone can use, (Ground rules generally include, for example: don’t interrupt, be punctual, speak-up when someone says something personally offensive, limit side conversations, no question is silly or too small, etc.) Tell participants that additional rules can be added as needed and that they will be used at research meetings, two-four.

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Activity 2: Group Resume*

Purpose: For participants to get better acquainted with one another and to discover
the diversity and expertise represented in the group.

Time: 1 ½ hr

Materials: Pads of newsprint, easels, markers Group Resume handout

Process:

1.Introduce the activity and its purpose. Tell participants that in this activity they will work in small groups to create a composite resume that includes everyone's talents and experiences. The resume should include any information representing the group as a whole.

2.Pass out the Group Resume handout, with the directions for this activity. Tell participants their resumes might include (but are not limited to) information from the following categories:

Career experience
Professional skills
Major accomplishments
Educational background
Hobbies and talents

3.Divide participants into small groups of three-four participants each. Assign work spaces/rooms for each group. Before they disperse, tell the groups to choose one person who will present their group's resume when they all reconvene to debrief and discuss the activity. The individual presentations should be about two minutes in length and summarize the content of the group's resume and the process they used to construct it.

4.Small groups assemble to get acquainted and to compile their resumes. Allow participants ample time for the activity (minimum of one hour).

5.The whole group reconvenes to view everyone's resume and debrief the process. Groups post their resumes and everyone walks around to see what the others have done.

6.Now, spend some time discussing and marveling at the talents and experience in the group. Facilitators should then summarize the content of the resumes and comment on any crosscutting or common skills/abilities in the group. Share what you, as facilitator, now understand better about the group's members. Talk about what stands out for you in the resumes. Summarizing the resumes can be difficult for a facilitator, because it involves instant analysis of the content/categories. Look across the resumes for repeated ideas or images and similarities or differences. Give a few examples of each.

7.Finally, ask participants to comment on the activity and on what they see in the groups' resumes.

8. End the activity by posing a question such as, "What does this array of skills and experience mean for our group and our work as practitioner researchers?"

________________________________________________________________________
* The Group Resume: The Inquiry Facilitators Handbook, Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Practitioner Inquiry Network, Bureau of Adult Basic & Literacy Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education, 1998.______________________________________________

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Activity 3: Project Timeline

Purpose: To gain a basic understanding of the steps in practitioner research, the activities involved, and when they will occur in the course of the project.

Time: 15 min

Materials: Project timeline

Process:

1.Frame this activity: Now that participants have had a chance to get acquainted, they will take some time to become more familiar with the main components of the research process, some of the activities entailed, and when they are expected to occur.

2. Pass out your project's timeline. (Sample timeline from the 1999-2000 Virginia Adult Education Research Network)

3.Next, walk through the outline of activities for the project year, from beginning to end. Briefly discuss each of the major stages/parts of the research process with the group. Explain that the research process is not always neat nor as linear as it might appear on the timeline plus participants should be aware that there are multiple smaller steps in and around each large one.

4. Ask participants for questions and comments. Respond only to those that are most pressing or immediate. Assure the group that later in Meeting One the entire research process (and their questions) will be examined in greater detail.

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Activity 4: Building a Professional Community

Purpose: To reach consensus on some strategies that the entire group will use to support one another through the research process.

Time: 45 min

Materials: Pad of newsprint, easel, masking tape, and markers

Process:

1.Introduce the activity by explaining to participants that one purpose for joining a practitioner research group is the professional network - or community - that they develop in the process. Explain that in a group like this, everyone has a unique opportunity to interact with colleagues in a variety of intellectually challenging and mutually beneficial ways. Tell participants that this particular activity is a way to explore what it means potentially to be members of a learning community.

2.Ask participants to consider silently for one or two minutes what it means to be a member of a learning community.

3.Next, have three or four participants (or more) share their views on the subject. Have someone record the ideas on newsprint so that everyone can see these contributions.

4.Now, invite participants to consider how a group of individuals (like themselves) can become a real community. Divide everyone into small groups (two-three participants in each) to discuss the following questions:

What can participants and facilitators do to support the growth and development of a community?
How can group members support each other as they work together at the four research meetings?
How can group members support one another as they carry out their individual projects at home?

5.Instruct the groups to brainstorm as many ideas as possible surrounding these questions. Ask each group to identify one person to present three to five of their group's most important/exciting ideas at the whole group's debriefing (fifteen minutes).

6.Reconvene participants for reporting back from the small groups. Have each group report one idea at a time, going around the room until all the ideas have been posted on newsprint for everyone to see (no repeats).

7.Facilitate a discussion to prioritize/narrow the list of participant ideas. Help the group come to some consensus on some specific strategies and practical ways they can support each other and build community throughout the research process. (This includes the time practitioners are attending the meetings together, and the time they are conducting their individual research projects at home.) Some possible ideas include: participants sharing resources, respecting the ground rules, turning work/assignments in on time, responding to emails, and participating in online discussions, site visits, and conference calls.

Conclusion of session

Session 2: Introducing Practitioner Research

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