Creating a Learning Lab Discussion Community: 

The shared vision of our community is that we provide each other with a safe place to discuss and analyze mathematical education through the lens of teaching practices.  In creating your own Learning Lab group you will want to have a purpose or focus that all members work towards. Our Learning Lab group was unique in that it was part of PCMI, which met June 26^th to July 16^th, 2005.  Our conversations continue through electronic communication via this site. 

Environment: A Learning Lab group should be a place where ideas can be shared and discussed in a trusting, non-confrontational environment.  Group norms should be established so that every member knows exactly what is expected of him/her (i.e. confidentiality, attendance, etc.)  Members should feel free to talk openly, without the threat of disapproval.  Feed back from other members should be in the form of questions or constructive comments, rather than that of evaluative judgments (i.e., "good" or "bad" teaching).

Facilitator: The facilitator should be an equal member of the Learning Lab. The job of the facilitator is to set up a safe atmosphere for thinking about teaching, which includes enforcing agreed-upon group norms, keeping the group mindful of the focus of the particular discussion, and pushing group members on their thinking whenever appropriate. The facilitator will want to keep records of the meeting so that he/she can bring additional sources like books, articles, or video clips that may be used to stimulate further discussion.

Communication between meetings: Our Learning Lab group chose to use an electronic discussion board so that we would be able to communicate throughout our time at PCMI. We started the web group before PCMI so that we could jump start our conversations about teaching and learning. You can choose any discussion forum on the web, including free ones such as msn groups, yahoo groups, or google groups. (Note: The hardest part of this task is getting every group member logged on to the group website, and so doing a snail-mailing to group members with printed directions on how to log on to the group site is advised.) Before every meeting we chose a recorder who would take notes during the meeting and then post a summary of the meeting on the discussion board. Other members would then respond to the summary or pose their own questions. Anything that was typed on the discussion board was automatically emailed to each member of the group.

Typical Learning Lab Group Agenda:

• Begin meeting by discussing any items that were left over from the last meeting or any items that were brought up on the electronic discussion board.
• The facilitator shows a video clip or shares an readings that pertains to an important group issue. The group is given a "lens" with which to look while watching video or analyzing readings.
• Afterwards, discuss relevant issues and how we might use what we learn in our own classrooms and teaching practices. It is important to allow group members the opportunity to reflect on the video while remaining cognizant of the focus issues of the day (i.e., give everyone a chance to voice any burning issues while keeping the conversation productive).