The facilitator is the central person in the Action Reflection Process. The facilitator introduces and establishes the process in both large and small school-based teams, ensures that the process runs smoothly, and helps to sustain it over time. The person taking on this role may be a specialist, teacher, or staff developer, or may have other responsibilities in the school. It is helpful if the facilitator has time away from classroom responsibilities to check-in with team members, copy student work, and locate resources. However, facilitation responsibilities can be shared or rotated among team members once the team is up and running.

1. Check in with the "presenting teacher" to make sure he or she has student work to bring to the meeting.
   If not, help the teacher identify some work to copy. Often teachers need reassurance that looking at student journal entries is as valuable as looking at handouts from the unit or text. In fact, handwritten samples are often best for a team just starting out the process because they provide opportunities for teachers to comment objectively on many aspects of the students' work. For example, some teachers will see only spelling and grammatical aspects of the work while other teachers will see evidence of concept development or reasoning skills. Discuss an alternate plan in case the teacher cannot be there to present the work (e.g., perhaps another team member or classroom assistant can describe the context of the lesson and present the work).
   
   
2. Ensure that the teacher brings the original copies of student work for reference and that there are enough quality copies of the student work for everyone in the action reflection team.
   The quality of the copies is important for keeping the meeting flowing smoothly (i.e., all participants can study the work easily and will not have to ask the teacher for clarification). Sometimes it may be necessary for the entire team to examine the original student work (e.g., oversized pieces of student work that cannot be easily copied, work with color or texture that a copy machine would not reproduce, a level of detail in the original work that the teacher felt was important for the team to examine firsthand). If the work cannot be copied, the original student work can be passed around or posted on a nearby wall or chart for easier observation by all the team members.
   
   
3. In a binder, organize all action reflection tools that are produced by the team, along with student work being examined for each of the three students being observed, and be sure to bring it to each meeting.
   This ensures that past student work is readily available during meetings. It may be used to help the team better assess students' work over time or to reflect on if new student work is not brought to a meeting.
   
   
4. Have a back-up plan in case the presenting teacher unexpectedly cannot be present for the next meeting.
   If the presenting teacher has not designated someone else to present the work, ask another teacher on the team if she or he would be willing to bring student work instead. If no one is able to present, maintain the expectation that meeting time is protected time for collaboration and make use of it in ways that make sense to the team members. Some examples:
   
   
   • Collaboratively design or revise a rubric, using student work that has previously been presented
   • Check in with teachers to find out how the unit is progressing
   • Discuss any problems they might be having in the context of the curriculum
   • Allow teachers and specialists to discuss the progress of specific students and brainstorm specific instructional strategies
   • Reflect on the process and prior meetings
     
     
5. Bring snacks!
   Do not underestimate the power of food in creating a welcoming atmosphere. We have found that team members can contribute snacks on a rotating basis if a sign-up sheet is presented at the first meeting. "Finger food" like cookies, pretzels, crackers, hard candy (avoid chewy candy!), fruit, and bottled water worked best for us.
   
   

1. Create a safe environment for looking at student work.
   First and foremost, set the context for the team's work together by explaining that the goal of looking at student work is to gain a deeper understanding of what students have learned, both at a specific point during a given unit, and over time. The guiding principles of the action reflection process are based on James Comer's principles of no-fault, consensus, and collaboration. These principles are essential in that they establish a safe environment for teachers to share work with colleagues without fear of judgement. The facilitator will need to state these principals at the beginning of several meetings and remind team members of them from time to time. These principles remind us of the following:
   
   
   • The team will be engaged in a collaborative effort to understand and improve student learning. It is important that multiple perspectives are welcomed and respected so that the most effective instruction may be provided for students.
   • There is no place in the action reflection process for blame or assigning fault to the student, the parents, the teacher, the school, or outside factors.
   • The team should strive for consensus. This means that members feel their opinions have been heard, and that they have contributed to the team view of the student work and any decisions based on it.
     

    

   In this process, controversy is welcomed as a way of developing deeper understandings. Alternative ideas and opinions enrich conversations, and help the team look at the work more deeply.

2. Ensure that everyone contributes, and draw people into the conversation if necessary.
   It may take several meetings for everyone to feel comfortable sharing their observations and ideas. Try to make each team member feel that they are part of the discussion and that all perspectives are necessary for understanding what the students know and can do and how they are progressing. Phrases such as, "What do you think about this from a special education perspective?" or "Is there technology to support this work?" are helpful in the beginning to help each team member see the connection between the student work and their expertise.
   
   
3. Keep the discussion focused ONLY on observations during the objective part of the protocol.
   This is often the most difficult task for the facilitator, especially when the team is just becoming familiar with the protocol. If an interpretive comment is offered, draw out the objective reasons for the comment (e.g., "Tell me what you see in the student work that makes you say that"). See "Tips for Using the Learning from Student Work Protocol" for other helpful sentence starters to help participants understand what it means to look at work objectively and ways to keep the discussion on track.
   
   
4. Cue team members at transition points.
   When the timekeeper announces that the time for each section is up, explicitly describe to the team to which part of the protocol you are moving. For example, a facilitator may say, "Now we are moving into the objective portion of the protocol. During this time the teacher is silent, and team members describe what they see in the student work without judgement or interpretation."
   
   
5. Maintain flexibility.
   The team may get stuck on one section of the protocol such as understanding the big ideas. There is no way to progress if the team cannot get clarity on the "big ideas," so the facilitator may need to allow more time for that part of the discussion. It is also the responsibility of the facilitator to redirect the conversation if it is getting off track and the team is losing time. At times, it is necessary for the facilitator to remind the team of the major learning goals for students to keep the discussion focused. It can be difficult to move on to the next step during a rich conversation, but it is important to keep to the time constraints so as to finish the protocol. In some instances, facilitators may need to stop the conversation and make a "process comment," such as, "We seem to have many ideas about the final assessment for this unit; who can work with the teacher on this after the meeting?" These process comments allow the team to address issues that take longer than the 40 minutes. Making decisions about whether to spend more time discussing one point or to move the team along requires flexibility and clarity. Facilitators need to remember that the goal of each session is for teachers to see where students are, decide where they need to get to, gain insight into how to help students get there, and design an assessment to see if students reached the goals.
   
   
6. Maintain a sense of humor and forget past history.
   Facilitating the process with colleagues requires the ability to set aside past history and to see each team member as someone engaging in a new learning activity. Experienced facilitators stress the need to have a sense of humor. Teachers engaging in this work are taking enormous risks; they expose what their students are doing, and they expose their own interpretations of the curriculum. This is risky work. It is important to remember this and treat each team member gently. Facilitators will need to recognize that hostile reactions are not personal; rather, they are an indication that participants may be feeling anxiety and discomfort from learning a new process with their colleagues. We often alleviate tension by reassuring team members that the purpose of our collaboration is to learn from one another and work together to teach the curriculum so that all students succeed.
   
   
7. Save 5-10 minutes at the end of the meeting to reflect, summarize the strategies discussed during the session, and make sure that all critical information is recorded on the meeting notes.
   Ask participants to share any new insights gained or ideas they might bring back to the classroom. Clarify any decisions to follow up on specific strategies (e.g., if a special educator offers to support students during a particular class period, confirm the day and time of that visit, if the library/media specialist has a CD-ROM that will be helpful to a teacher, and help facilitate that connection if necessary). Make sure that the notes reflect everyone's comments.
   

1. Distribute clean copies of the meeting notes to all team members.
   The "meeting notes" part of the action reflection tool is designed for taking notes during each section of the meeting. It also provides documentation of the team's work for later reference. Each team member may wish to take their own notes for future reference, but the note-taker (see below) will summarize, copy, and distribute the notes to all team members. If the team knows that they will be meeting for a set amount of time (e.g., eight weeks), then each team member may be given all their copies of the action reflection tool at the beginning of the process. However, it is important to have extras on hand for those who do not have a tool or if someone new joins the team.
   
   
2. Designate a note-taker.
   It is critical that the work of the team is documented for later reference. The facilitator may start taking notes as others are learning the process and then designate the responsibility to another team member, or arrange to share the responsibility as the action reflection process proceeds. The presenting teacher should not be the note-taker so that he or she can concentrate on the discussion.
   
   
3. Be aware of the time.
   The facilitator needs to know how much time is available for each meeting and, in a shortened meeting, modify the protocol steps as needed. For example, a facilitator may decide to spend less time on the objective sharing section to ensure that there will be plenty of time for the team to generate strategies for instruction. Facilitators should find out if team members need to leave early, and give those team members the opportunity to contribute to the team discussion before they leave.
   
   
4. Designate a timekeeper.
   The timekeeper will ensure that the team follows the protocol in a smooth and efficient manner. The timekeeper should be someone other than the facilitator to distribute responsibility for the teamwork and to allow the facilitator to focus on the critical role of keeping the discussion focused and rich, rather than paying attention to the clock. He or she should give a one-minute warning before the end of each section of the protocol.
   
   
5. Before the meeting ends, confirm the next meeting's date, time, and location, and determine who will bring student work.
   If the teacher who is scheduled to present at the next meeting is not present, arrange for someone to follow up with her or him about bringing student work next time. Decide where meeting notes will be distributed as well as other notices. (Mailboxes are often a convenient, central location.) Remind the team of the time and place of the next meeting.
   
   

1. Be sure that there is space available for the next meeting.
   This may be the presenting teacher's room or any other space that is not being used for the 45-minute to 1-hour meeting time. Check in with the appropriate administrator or staff person to reserve the space ahead of time, if necessary.
   
   
2. Ensure that the meeting notes will be copied and distributed to all team members, both present and not present.
   This will keep all team members up to date on the team's work, and serve as a reminder of the date, time, and location of the next meeting.
   
   
3. Check in with the "presenting teacher."
   Check with the teacher who will be bringing work next time to find out if she or he needs paper, help copying, support in trying to get coverage during the next meeting time, or anything else.