An Introduction to the Workshop Model
The Workshop Model (based on the works of Debbie Miller, Patrick Allen, and Cris Tovani) is an education philosophy where the classroom in transformed into a student-focused workshop.
What is a workshop?
work·shopˈwərkˌSHäp/
noun
1.
a room or building in which goods are manufactured or repaired.
synonyms: workroom, studio, atelier; More
2.
a meeting at which a group of people engage in intensive discussion and activity on a particular subject or project.
synonyms: study group, discussion group, seminar, class;
The first definition makes me picture a shop, something like this:
How wonderful would it be to learn in a place where the tools you need are fully accessible, there is room to be creative, you can make mistakes and learn how to work towards fixing them, AND have someone there to facilitate your learning?!
This is the goal of the workshop model in the classroom!
We see that workshop is defined as a place where people are engaged in intensive discussion and activity; the workshop model must then be a classroom where students are engaged in learning about a specific topic where they are able to create and develop further knowledge and understanding.
The workshop model strives to create independent learners who are engaged in the topics they are learning about by having resources (such as books and supplies) fully accessible to students. The classroom becomes a place of creativity, mistakes, successes, and noise... all of which are integral components of a comfortable, safe learning environment. Students are encouraged to vocalize their ideas, comments, questions, and concerns in order to develop the collective knowledge of the classroom.
The teacher is there to facilitate learning by introducing the learning target (goal of the class) for the first 10 or so minutes of class which then flows into student work time for the majority of the class time. Nearing the end of class (the last 5-10 minutes or so) the students gather together with the teacher to share their questions, findings, and knowledge they gathered from the work period. A typical day may look something like this:
As you can see, the teacher must first introduce the lesson and then make themselves available to students throughout the work time. This can be done through conferring (student-led conversation) individually or in groups, leading more directed lessons for students who are struggling, or adapting lessons for students who need more of a challenge.
The Workshop Model can successfully reach the needs of all students if it is implemented correctly. Teachers must be there facilitating student learning, answering questions, asking questions to propel learning, and taking notes for future lessons. Student work time should not be used as a planning time for teachers, it is a time for students to learn and develop their knowledge by collaborating with classmates and teachers.
This philosophy focuses on teaching literacy by teaching surface and deep structure cognitive strategies simultaneously.
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Cognitive
Strategies
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Surface Structure
Systems
(local knowledge)
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Deep Structure
Systems
(global knowledge)
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Grapho-Phonic
· Letter/sound knowledge
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Phonemic awareness
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Decoding
Lexical
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Visual word recognition
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Visual memory for words
Morphological
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Word parts
Syntactic
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Language structure at the word, sentence, and
text level
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Semantic
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Word meaning/association
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Precision in word choice
Schematic
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Constructing meaning at the whole word text
level
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Prior knowledge that governs storage and
retrieval of information
Pragmatic
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Social construction of meaning, reading, and
writing for specific purposes and audiences
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Revising thinking
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The Workshop Model teaching strategy allows for students to make meaning while learning/continuing to read instead of primarily focusing on the surface structures so that comprehension can develop at an earlier age. Strategies that are taught within the Workshop Model that encourage comprehension will be further explained in a different post.
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