Minimize Lecture, Maximize Learning: The Workshop Model

Read this article HERE!

I am a HUGE fan of the workshop model and think everyone should read this article! In my classroom, we teacher Reader's, Writer's, and Math Workshop and I wouldn't do it any other way. The structure of the workshop model is very explicit. The structure of a strong mini-lesson followed by "work time" is critical. Students are engaged and see modeling along with guided practice during the mini-lesson. Additionally, teaching points are very clear and repeated multiple times. During independent work time, students are able to practice these new concepts while teachers are able to pull groups too. Debriefing at the end of workshop is something I am still working on (I seem to always run out of time!), but is very important to "wrap things up." Overall, this article is a great overview of the workshop model, a highly-effective teaching approach!