Learning Labs

Learning Labs are dynamic professional development experiences that occur during the school day, designed to transform how teachers learn and work together. These structured sessions combine mathematical content exploration with pedagogical development in a practical, hands-on environment. This immersive format allows teachers to move beyond traditional professional development by immediately putting new learning into practice with the support of colleagues, making it both practical and powerful for instructional improvement.

Fosters a culture of collaborative teaching where teachers learn from one another in real classrooms.
Builds sustainable professional learning structures that move beyond one-time training sessions.
Develops shared understanding of effective teaching and math discourse.
Encourages innovation and calculated risk-taking leading to deeper teacher reflection.
Centers student thinking in instructional decisions making learning more responsive.

Maximizing Impact

Learning Labs have the greatest impact when strategically embedded within a school's comprehensive mathematics improvement plan. The most successful implementations occur when Learning Labs align with broader instructional goals and receive active administrative support. Schools often enhance the impact of Learning Labs by:

incorporating coordinated professional learning structures, such as whole-staff professional development sessions that introduce and reinforce key instructional practices.
instructional rounds or similar observation protocols to identify specific areas of focus that will best serve their school's unique needs.
PLC work revisiting and sharing what teachers are trying and surfacing questions and challenges that arise.

This systematic approach ensures that Learning Labs become a catalyst for sustainable change rather than an isolated professional development experience. When fully integrated into a school's professional learning plan, Learning Labs serve as the catalyst that moves school-wide instructional priorities from theory to successful classroom implementation.

1. Introduction & Deep Dive into Content

Engage with a key mathematical concept at grade level.
Explore instructional strategies (e.g., teacher talk moves, math discourse).
Identify a focus area (e.g., questioning techniques, engagement strategies).

2. Collaborative Planning

Co-design a lesson with clear instructional goals.
Anticipate student thinking, responses, and potential misconceptions.
Plan key instructional moves, ensuring intentional student engagement.

3. Live Classroom Implementation

All teachers enter a live classroom, where students fully engage in the planned lesson.
Utilize teacher time-outs to pause and analyze instructional moves in real time.
Conduct teacher huddles while students are working to discuss observations and next steps.
Explicitly communicate to students: "We are here to learn, just like you!"

4. Reflective Debrief & Next Steps

Analyze lesson effectiveness using student work and observations.
Discuss student learning outcomes and instructional successes
Plan next steps for continued instructional growth.
Develop shared commitments for ongoing classroom implementation.

LEARNING LABS

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