AP Biology Learning Protocols
What are Learning Protocols?
· A learning protocol consists of agreed upon guidelines for conversation, and it is the existence of this structure – which everyone understands and has agreed to – that permits a certain kind of conversation to occur – often a kind of conversation which people are not in the habit of having.
· Learning protocols are vehicles for building the skills – and culture – necessary for collaborative work. Thus, using protocols often allows groups to build trust by actually doing substantive work together.
Why use a Learning Protocol?
· A learning protocol creates a structure that makes it safe to ask challenging questions of each other; it also ensures that there is some equity and parity in terms of how each person’s issues are attended to. The presenter has the opportunity not only to reflect on and describe an issue or dilemma, but also to have interesting questions asked of him or her, AND to gain differing perspectives and new insights. Learning protocols build a space for listening, and often give people a license to listen, without having to continually respond.
· In school, many people say that time is of the essence, and time is the one resource that no one seems to have enough of. We will use learning protocols as a way to make the most of the time we do have. (Have you ever been in a class where you walk away feeling unsatisfied, not really having anything of significance that will help you with your learning? A learning protocol guards against this.)
· Finally, it is important to remember that the point is not to do the learning protocol well, but to have an in-depth, insightful conversation about teaching and learning.
Rich-Text Protocol
Purpose
This learning protocol is useful for dealing with a text that is particularly dense, complex in discourse, or complicated in structure. It enables the group to “unpack” the text – that is, to take it apart slowly, element by element and layer by layer.
At the heart of this learning protocol is a theory of reading derived from the work of Robert Scholes. It suggests the usefulness of bumps in the text – points if interest or puzzlement that can cause a reader to interrupt a smooth reading process, and to delve below the surface to explore his or her assumptions more critically. So this learning protocol begins with noticing points of interest or puzzlement that are central to the topic, exploring these in an interpretive phase, and then ending with a critical phase in which the participants share in writing their understanding of the ideas of the text.
Steps
1. Noticing. Participants are asked to notice elements of the text that are central to the topic, particularly those elements which interest, puzzle, or surprise them. Participants should jot these down with references to the page number on which the elements appear.
2. Sharing. In a Go-Round, each participant shares one or two elements they noticed that are central to the topic that they would like to explore in more depth. Other participants do not comment on one another’s offerings. The facilitator records all “noticings” on chart paper, with their page numbers.
3. Interpreting. The facilitator guides the group in the selection of two or three items from the chart paper that would be fruitful to investigate further. The point here is to have a conversation about each item to gain a deeper understanding of the idea. Participants should share their understanding and interpretation of the idea and how it connects to other learning. They may also raise questions or puzzlements they have about that idea.
4. Questioning. At the end of the conversation, the facilitator will ask, “What question would I be able to answer if I truly understand this idea?” Each participant will write their question in their journal. In a Go-Round, each participant will share their question, and the group will choose one question from the group that seems to embody the understanding desired from the text. Alternatively, the facilitator may provide the group with a question taken from previous AP exams.
5. Writing. Each participant will record the selected question in their journal and write a response to the question. The allotted time to respond to the question will be the same as the AP exam, 22.5 minutes.
6. Reflection. Participants will reflect on their learning and the learning protocol process.
D. Schmid/C. Gay 9/1/04 Steamboat Springs High School