Professional Book Study – Q & A
I am interested in doing a PBS. What should I do first?
First, you should complete the Course Request Form. You can contact the PDI office and request a form via email , call toll free at 877-218-4755, or go to pdi.smumn.edu. Once you have received an instructor login, you can click on the PBS Professional Book Study link on the right hand side of the screen to find the instructor documents.
What book can I use?
Potentially, any educational book could be used. In most schools, the Professional Book Study is related to school or district initiatives. In some cases, it is a professional book where a number of teachers have an interest in reading, sharing, and implementing the ideas from the book.
If I find a book I’m interested in, but it is not on the PDI list of professional books, what should I do?
Send us a brief summary of the book and a brief rationale for studying this book along with the Course Request Form. We will be glad to add your book to our list of facilitated Professional Book Studies.
How do I know which tuition option to choose?
Simply stated, if you are facilitating the book study during school hours as part of your contract, you would choose credit option A. If you are facilitating the book study on your own time after school hours and not being compensated wholly by your school, but not incurring expenses (i.e., being charged to use the school facility to meet) choose credit option B. If you are facilitating this on your own and there will be expenses related to conducting the book study, choose credit option C.
Will I be paid to facilitate the Professional Book Study?
It depends on the credit tuition option you choose.
How much will I be paid?
If you choose credit option A, there is no stipend reimbursed. If you choose credit option B, you will be paid $60 per graduate credit per student with no minimumnumber of students required. If you choose credit option C, you will be paid $100 per student, per creditwith no minimum number of students required. Note: The maximum a facilitator can receive for a one credit course is $1,000 and $3,000 dollars for a three credit course.
When should I start the Professional Book Study?
Select a start date that works for you. Give yourself enough time to review and select a book, get the word out to your colleagues (the PDI program will generate fliers you can distribute), and plan the timeline of your meetings/class sessions. You may complete a book study in one semester or over two semesters.
Do I need to identify all of the class dates before I start planning?
No. On the Course Request Form we only ask for the start and end dates you plan for the course. Therefore, you can get started in your planning and at some point, identify the dates that you will meet. We understand the need for flexibility in finding time to plan, deliver, and evaluate the work of a book study. We do suggest planning a topical course outline, to have an idea what will be covered at each session, once dates are decided.
How many meetings or classes do we need to have?
For each graduate credit, plan to meet face-to-face with the learners for 15 hours. Therefore, for one graduate credit equals 15 hours of class time; three graduate credits equal 45 hours of class time. The time learners are doing research and writing plans can be part of their instructional hours. Allow participants time between sessions to implement the ideas from the book.
What if I have several people interested in one credit, and only one or two people interested in three credits?
For those interested in three credits, they can extend a 1 credit book study into 3 credits by doing independent work after the official meeting times. As the facilitator, you would continue to work with participants after the face to face meetings in an inquiry format as they extend their learning through the implementation process we have outlined. Learners will document their additional research, fully implement their plans into their classrooms, analyze and adjust their plan based on outcome, as well as a reflective summary statement that communicates how the research and plan have impacted their teaching.
Can I use online collaboration to conduct a book study?
Yes. Depending upon the degree to which you use an on-line forum, we have resources within our program that may assist an instructor with planning and delivery of an online component. Saint Mary’s University uses a Blackboard platform, but many schools utilize their own systems, such as Moodle, or wikis.
Are the only people that can sign up, people from my school district?
No. Others are certainly welcome. We could assist you in providing information to let others know about the course. Typically, a PDI book study is designed for a staff in a school or district to come together and study, discuss, and plan. However, others that may be interested could register for graduate credit.
Whom should I contact if I have more questions?
Contact the PDI office by calling toll free at 877-218-4755 or email .
Professional Development InitiativesPBS Q&A
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