The Discovery Institute of the College of Staten Island/CUNY builds and sustains learning communities of teachers. With peer support, teachers are empowered to change traditional pedagogical approaches to building curriculum. Much of the work at the Discovery Institute involves the integration of technology into the classroom; however, technology “training” is embedded within community activities with technical support so problems can be solved, and a level of comfort can be achieved. All of the technological “training” is accomplished within the framework of solving a problem at hand. This “discovery process” brings teachers away from the traditional method of training where they are merely given instruction on how to use the technology outside of a relevant context; thus, it helps subvert the difficulties teachers encounter when trying to integrate technology into the classroom. Without support, even when teachers say they have had a positive experience learning to use technology, the implementation often breaks down. Subsequent to initiation into a discovery learning community, it is our expectation that teachers will not only use the materials they’ve created, but will continue to follow the discovery method to further transform their teaching practices. While technology has been a prime focus of the Discovery Institute, this wasn’t a contributing factor in establishing and sustaining learning communities. What was important was the sense of camaraderie—it was the community that helped to sustain the use of technology.
This paper will discuss some of the Discovery Institute’s key issues for success in building and sustaining learning communities-- community, faculty, interdisciplinary collaboration, curriculum development, technology integration, and various programs.
