Information about an optional interinstitutional "Talk & Watch" faculty exchange program in Washington State two-year colleges

1. “GO4IT!”
AN OPTIONAL MULTI-CLASS, MULTI-
COLLEGE FACULTY EXCHANGE
PROJECT
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 United States License.

2. THE PLAN
• Background & Rationale
• Process
• Outcomes
• Implications
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 United States License.

3. THE INVITATION—
PART 1
**OPTIONAL**OPTIONAL**OPTIONAL**OPTIONAL**
Dear Faculty Colleagues:
Would you like to find new ways to help your students?
Do you think you might learn from how colleagues organize their courses and
oversee their classes?
Are you willing to visit and be visited by fellow teachers?
If so, then...
GO4IT!
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 United States License.

4. THE INVITATION—
PART 2
How?
• Visit the classes of 4 colleagues (after first asking them
for permission to come, of course!)
• Watch. Listen. See what’s going on.
• Think about how you could emulate the good things
you observe.
How Long?
• For a total of 4 hours, anytime over a 4-day period.
When?
• During Week 4 of this quarter (Tuesday through Friday,
January 22-25, just after the MLK holiday).
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 United States License.

5. THE INVITATION—PART 3
What else?
1. You are NOT required to participate. (If you do
participate, you are NOT required to go to four classes
for four hours; those are just suggestions).
2. If someone asks to visit one or more of your classes, you
may of course decline.
3. You do NOT have to write anything about what you see
and do.
4. You do NOT have to ask or tell your supervisor that you
are taking part (although that would probably be
appreciated).
5. You ARE free to tell other people--including your
supervisor and your students--what you learn from the
experience.
6. You ARE invited to complete a really short, anonymous
online questionnaire afterward to share what you learn.
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 United States License.

6. OBSERVATIONS IN
VISITS
HTTP://YOUTU.BE/I6JYY8HSVBE

7. SAMPLE COMMENTS
Dear ********:
Thanks again for the opportunity to visit one of your classes last week as part of the first GO4IT!
Project. Here are some notes about the good things I observed and learned during my visit to
class:
Using “conference-style” seating really helped focus the students’ attention on each other and
you. The students all pitched in nicely to rearrange the furniture for this configuration, too.
I loved the suspense and joy associated with having students read each other’s anonymous
poems.
Your questions and requests were unfailingly polite and nonconfrontational (e.g., “Can I ask you
to read that line again?” “I’d like you to read that again, if you don’t mind”).
You thoughtfully and successfully directed errant students’ attention to the task at hand (“This
time is sacred”).
I enjoyed your referring to each anonymous writer as “the poet,” which lent dignity to the
proceedings.
You knew and used your students’ names.
You gently solicited participation and involvement (e.g., “Anything else anyone wants to say?”
Many of the students quite freely offered their opinions and observations, even when not called
on.
You allowed repetition of various poetic phrases to extract their full impact.
You used colorful similes and metaphors (e.g., “Poetry can be like candy: You need to savor it”).
Your reminiscences and assessments about dandelions were touching and pertinent to the
class activity.
You maintained a positive and cheery demeanor throughout the entire session.
I hope you’ll be able to participate in this experimental process again in the future and would be
happy to have you come observe any of my classes.
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons
******* 3.0 United States License.
Attribution

8. PARTICIPANTS—
QUARTER #1
CLOVER PARK TECHNICAL COLLEGE
• Linda Avery
• Michele Jones
• Sue Williams
• DeWayne Grimes
• Maureen Sparks
• Sally Gove
• John Walstrum
• Phil Venditti
BATES TECHNICAL COLLEGE
• Tanya Sorenson
PIERCE COLLEGE—FT. STEILACOOM
• Diana Casey
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 United States License.