Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
  - Teddy Roosevelt

The Colleague Consultancy

The Colleague Consultancy is a structured process for helping an individual or team to think more expansively about a particular, concrete dilemma.  The Colleague Consultancy at the Spaulding High School and Barre Technical Center Campus meets once per month and consists of administrators, teachers, and CSL staff members.

Content:

Consultancy Protocol

Adapted by Gene Thompson-Grove
Founding Co-Director of the National School Reform Faculty Project (NSRF)

National School Reform Faculty Project Website

  1. The presenter gives an overview of the dilemma with which he/she is struggling, and frames a question for the Consultancy group to consider.  The framing of this question, as well as the quality of the presenter’s reflection on the dilemma being discussed, are key features of this protocol.  If the presenter has brought student work, educator work, or other “artifacts,” there is a pause in the process so the consultancy team may silently examine the work/documents.  The focus of the group’s conversation is on the dilemma (5-10 minutes).
    • The success of the Consultancy often depends on the quality of the presenter’s reflection, as well as on the quality and authenticity of the question framed for the Consultancy group.

  2. The Consultancy groups asks clarifying questions of the presenter – that is, questions that have brief, factual answers (5 minutes).
    • Clarifying questions are for the persons asking them.  They ask the presenter “who, what, where, when, and how.”  These questions can be answered quickly and succinctly.

  3. The group asks probing questions of the presenter.  These questions should be worded so that they help the presenter clarify and expand his/her thinking about the dilemma presented to the Consultancy group.  The goal here is for the presenter to learn more about the questions he/she framed or to do some analysis of the dilemma presented.  The presenter may respond to the group’s questions, but there is no discussion by the Consultancy group of the presenter’s responses.  At the end of the ten minutes, the facilitator asks the presenter to re-state his/her question for the group (10 minutes).
    • Probing questions are for the person answering them.  They ask the presenter “why” and are often open-ended.  These questions take longer to answer, and often require deep thought on the part of the presenter before he/she speaks.

  4. The group talks with each other about the dilemma presented (15 minutes).
    • This protocol asks the Consultancy group to talk about the presenter in the third person, almost as if he/she is not there.  As awkward as this may feel at first, it often opens up a rich conversation, and it gives the presenter an opportunity to listen and take notes, without having to respond to the group in any way.  Remember that it is the group’s job to offer an analysis of the dilemma or question presented.  It is not necessary to solve the dilemma or to offer a definitive answer.

  5. The presenter reflects on what he/she heard and on what he/she is thinking, sharing with the group anything that particularly resonated for him or her during any part of the Consultancy (5 minutes).
    • This is a time for the presenter to talk about what were, for him/her, the most significant comments, ideas and questions he/she heard.  The presenter can also share any new thoughts or questions he/she had while listening to the Consultancy group.

  6. The facilitator leads a brief conversation about the group’s observation of the Consultancy process (5 minutes).
    • De-briefing the process is crucial.  Do not shortchange this step.

Colleague Consultancy Topics at the SHS/BTC Campus

  • Implementing service learning in the classroom
  • Assessment of service learning
  • Teacher advisory implementation
  • The SHS/BTC merger
  • Systems change
  • Training teachers to implement service learning
  • Raising classroom expectations
  • Student engagement
  • Striking a balance between service learning and text-driven content
  • Scheduling issues
  • Integrating art, mathematics, and service learning