Assistant professor Heather Bailie Schock often modeled teaching strategies for preservice teachers in her University of Tampa classroom, but the lessons didn’t take. Despite all the modeling, the techniques remained largely invisible to the students.
Frustrated, Schock looked for a way she could help the students see the thinking behind her classroom choices for grouping, scaffolding, differentiation—the dozens of micromoves that help classrooms hum with learning. She wanted a structure that would be predictable, unintimidating to beginners, and take little time.
Enter medical huddles.
Medical teams use huddles to promote a shared understanding of a patient’s care among all team members. They review what happened, identify any new challenges, and, most importantly, acknowledge successful efforts.
Below is a primer for starting huddles in a teacher-preparation classroom. For more information on why and how the approach works, read her Feb. 23 essay, “I Adapted a Hospital Practice for Teacher Prep. It Was Transformative.”
