About the Monthly Cohort Meetings

The weeklong summer seminar will be followed by monthly online cohort meetings providing sustained professional learning and collaboration around the teaching of American government and civil discourse. The cohort meetings will follow a Communities of Practice (CoP) model, which is designed to engage participants who share a common interest in collaborative work over time to improve classroom practices and knowledge related to interpreting and understanding primary texts and engaging in civil discourse.

Meeting Structure

Each CoP will be 1.5 hours long and co-designed with participants to have a clear, consistent structure that creates a supportive and engaging learning environment. A sample meeting might look as follows:

• A brief welcome and check-in to reconnect and share updates
• A share out of instructional successes, challenges, and experiences from members’ classrooms
• A guided discussion activity that centers on a common challenge, teaching strategy, or text
• Collaborative planning for future lessons or civic engagement activities
• A closing resource share and summary of key takeaways

Each cohort will be supported by two members of the project team, who will help design and facilitate the meetings, document the group’s work, and provide timely resources.