A study group is a group of people interested in collegial study and action. In schools, study groups can meet to study and support one another as they do the following:

• design curriculum and instruction innovations
• integrate a school’s practices and programs
• study the latest research on teaching and learning
• monitor the impact of new practices on students and staff
• analyze and target a school wide need

Why use study groups?

Schools are said to get better when educators build a shared understanding of what good teaching and learning look like. To build a shared understanding, educators commit themselves to studying and learning from one another over time. Study groups provide a good structure for sharing and learning together.

How do I get started?

Study groups are usually a group of 6 to 8 people. The groups can be homogeneous (such as grade-level teams analyzing student data and planning a course of action based on their analysis), or heterogeneous (such as cross-departmental groups studying the latest practices in curriculum design and planning an integrated unit). Groups can meet anywhere, but they need to establish a regular schedule of meetings convenient to all members. A trained leader is not necessary, but it's helpful to rotate leadership responsibility for the group meetings. The leader takes care of logistics for the meeting, arranges for materials needed, and assigns responsibilities for the next meeting.

The content of study should be decided by the school goals, but the focus of study is the choice of the study group. For example, if the school has a goal to increase the achievement gains of special education students in regular education classrooms, then one study group may decide to learn more about differentiated instruction practices, while another group may decide to analyze their own students' data to determine the specific gaps in learning.

Study groups can communicate their work to the entire faculty by the use of logs or sharing sessions. During faculty meetings, take time for each study group to share its progress and challenges. Keep study group logs in the faculty lounge, where they're available to all. Click here for a sample study group log sheet.

Read More About It

To read an article about how one school implemented study groups for professional development, follow this link.

“Study Groups Foster Schoolwide Learning"
by Carlene Murphy
Educational Leadership, November 1992 (p. 71-74)

Other resources on Study Groups

• "Creating Effective Study Groups for Principals," by N. Mohr, Educational Leadership, Vol. 55, No. 7, April 1998, pp. 41-44.

• Whole faculty study groups, by C. Murphy, 1998, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

• "Study groups," by C. Murphy, Journal of Staff Development, Summer 1999, pp. 49-51.

• "On-the-Job Learning," by F. Wood, & F. McQuarrie Jr., Journal of Staff Development, Summer 1999, pp. 9-13.