'Fall into Teaching' Event Celebrates Book Release, Promotes Self-Care

On Monday, Sept. 16, educators from throughout Northwest Arkansas will gather at the University of Arkansas for a "Fall into Teaching" event, which will include self-care and celebration. 

"Relaxation Stations" and tips for stress reduction will be coupled with a celebration of the new book, Collaborative Lesson Study, by Vicki S. Collet, associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, part of the U of A's College of Education and Health Professions.

The event will be from 4:15-6 p.m. in the Graduate Education building auditorium.

Across the nation, teacher shortages are exacerbated by burnout and turnover. High rates of teacher attrition are problematic because this creates a deficit of experienced teachers and a revolving door of less-experienced teachers working with students, Collet said.

Teachers face pressures from accountability measures and their efforts are sometimes misrepresented in the media. These factors, coupled with the fact that teachers receive significantly lower pay than those with similar education and experience, create high-stress environments for teachers. 

The "Fall into Teaching" event will include chair massages, office chair yoga, hand treatments, soothing music, and more to help teachers rejuvenate and to give them ideas for ongoing self-care. A speaker will also highlight stress-reduction strategies.

"While these intentional self-care strategies are important, it's also necessary to look at structures within school systems that are causing teacher stress," said Collet. 

In Collaborative Lesson Study, which releases September 6 by Teachers College Press, Collet emphasizes the importance of treating teachers as professionals who can guide their own professional learning.

"I believe that professional development should be done by teachers, not done to them," Collet said.

Her book highlights a practice for teachers' professional learning called Lesson Study. "Lesson Study is professional development that comes from the inside out, not from the top down," Collet emphasized. "Lesson Study empowers teachers to drive improvement as they determine new ideas and methods to incorporate into their teaching."

The book is geared toward teachers, instructional coaches, educational administrators, teacher educators, and pre-service teachers.

Collet explains that Lesson Study is not just about improving a single lesson; it is about improving the overall teaching/learning process in ways that are both generic and sensitive to the unique needs of students and their teachers. Through Lesson Study, teachers identify techniques that can be used flexibly. 

"An emphasis of my view of Lesson Study is the importance of flexibility and responsiveness," Collet said. "Rather than trying to create cookie-cutter lessons, Lesson Study can draw attention to differences among students and to their varying needs, helping teachers design instruction that is responsive to these differences."

The "Fall into Teaching" event is open to all teachers, who may RSVP at tinyurl.com/FallintoTeaching. At the event, special recognition will be given to the facilitators and teachers in Northwest Arkansas whose experiences are recounted in the book. 

"Without the experiences of these teachers, the book would not have been possible," Collet said.

For more information about the "Fall into Teaching" event, the book, or Lesson Study opportunities in Northwest Arkansas, contact Dr. Collet at collet@uark.edu.