The Workshop Model of Teaching: Misunderstood, Not Misaligned

Lately, the workshop model of teaching has been under heavy fire. Scroll social media and you’ll see plenty of posts claiming it’s not explicit, not evidence-based, or not aligned with the science of reading. But here’s the truth: while you won’t find a neat lab study called ‘Workshop vs. Non-Workshop,’ the underpinnings of a strong workshop model of teaching are some of the most research-backed practices we have.

First, it’s important to understand why there is such a lack of research about the workshop approach.

The answer is simple. And it’s not because it hasn’t been proven by research.

The gold standard of research that educators look to is experimental (or quasi-experimental) peer reviewed research. These are studies that have a tight design with a control.  When this kind of research is replicated over and over we can have more confidence that it will be effective because it is now evidence-based.  

But think about it. There is already a huge amount of variance in approaches to teaching even within one school. John Hattie has long said that “It is what teachers know, do, and care about which is very powerful in this learning equation.”

In other words, how knowledgeable and skilled the teacher is has a direct impact on how well students learn.  How Teacher A approaches instruction–lesson design, delivery, and everything in between is going to be quite different from Teacher B.  Which is then multiplied across grade levels within a building.  

The variability in what unfolds in the classroom every day is extremely difficult to keep consistent. Everybody brings their own spin to things, and everybody brings their own interpretation.  And…misinterpretation.

Further, every class composition is widely different. Not only is it true that how teacher A needs to approach instruction for her particular class make up may not work at all for teacher B’s children.  Even the children themselves are variables.  The students from classroom to classroom are all very different.  

Which all makes designing an experimental study pretty much impossible, unless it’s done in a lab setting.  

Thus, they’re just isn’t much available research out there to support Workshop. Not yet, anyway.

Does that mean we should dismiss it?  Call it ineffective?  

Hardly.  

Back in 2000, when The National Reading Panel looked into reading research, they couldn’t find much about writing’s impact on reading.  Of course now, there’s a preponderance of evidence to show this, because the research has caught up with the times. 

Did the NRP writers think that writing wasn’t important?  That we should dismiss it?  Of course not.  Tim Shanahan, one of the lead researchers on The National Reading Panel is the first to say how crucial writing is.  I encourage you to read this post, where he goes into greater detail about it.

What exactly do I mean by a workshop model of teaching?  

I mean a lot of things.  A strong workshop model, in my mind, has these core elements:

• Gradual release of responsibility
• Clear, explicit teacher modeling
• Data-driven
• Student-centered
• Choice
• Feedback
• Goal-setting
• Peer collaboration
• Use of exemplars and models
• Plenty of time for independent practice

While there may not be hard, experimental-design studies on a workshop approach, there are a lot of places to look to learn about a strong workshop model.  I’ll list of few of my favorite professional books at the bottom of this post.

So let’s break it down. Let’s talk about a workshop model of instruction, and whether or not there’s any research to support it. 

For that, we can look to all the underpinnings mentioned above that make a workshop a workshop.  

Gradual release of responsibility with explicit instruction

The workshop approach is heavily grounded upon the I do, we do, you do model. This is where a teacher explicitly explains and/or demonstrates something, provides opportunity right there in the lesson for students to try it, and then sets students up to apply that skill on their own. There is ample research to support the gradual release of responsibility model, as the term was coined way back in 1983. 

Explicit instruction

One of the prevailing arguments all over social media around workshop is that it is not explicit. This is an unfounded argument, as it has everything to do with how the teacher decides to deliver a lesson, and nothing to do with the framework itself. If a teacher decides to deliver a lesson in a vague way, or through merely inquiry and nothing more, that is on the teacher. There is nothing about the workshop model itself that prescribes teaching in this way. Every lesson in a workshop model should be explicitly delivered. There is a clear model, a clear explanation. It is one small step in a larger process that builds upon itself with each subsequent lesson. 

Sometimes, inquiry might be built in as part of the lesson. Often, something like examining a mentor text for the moves an author may have used is a great way to begin a lesson. But the teacher doesn’t stop there. The teacher then goes on to name explicitly what was noticed, and then model for students how to apply it to their own work. Then, students are invited to try it themselves, and the gradual release of responsibility model moves forward. 

Explicit instruction is what Anita Archer and Charles Hughes are all about, as well as the very popular Zach Groshell, as well as Greg Ashman and Almarode, Frey, Fisher, and Barbee.  John Hattie has also talked a lot about teacher clarity, with its effect size of .75.

Feedback

A hallmark of the workshop model is student feedback through conferring. One on one or small group conferring is the heart and soul of workshop. This is where true differentiation takes place.  It’s where we can nudge our students forward in small ways that will push them to their next level, whatever that level may be. Workshop is not a lock-step, follow exactly what the teacher says and does model like we so often see in scripted curriculums.  A strong workshop approach includes highly differentiated instruction– the closest to personalized instruction you can get. 

Feedback has ample research to support its effectiveness.  According to Hattie, the effect size for feedback is strong, even when those studies were later put to the test of further scrutiny.     

Differentiation

There’s no question that every single classroom is full of a wide variety of student ability and need. This is why one-size fits all instruction falls flat.  And it’s why when following a scripted curriculum, teachers and students are often frustrated. We must be able to veer from a script and differentiate as needed. 

Differentiation also has ample research to support its effectiveness for students. So ample, a quick Google Scholar search will give you literally millions of results.

Modeling & Exemplars 

The workshop model incorporates modeling every step of the way. This is just a part of clear and explicit instruction. We cannot just point to an already finished example of something. We cannot just say “kids, go forth and do this thing.” Modeling is paramount, and foundational to all  workshop lessons. 

Workshop teachers also heavily use exemplars to help illustrate their lessons and to help students learn to peer and self-evaluate.  

This article from The International Literacy Association does a wonderful job explaining the importance of modeling. And it includes a list of research articles to back it up.

Goal Setting

Goal-setting is is also intertwined with differentiation, as every child needs a little something different. Goal setting is widely known as an effective part of instruction, as cited here and here.  In addition, goal-setting goes a long way in student motivation and engagement.  

I could go on.  I didn’t go into the importance of student choice,  peer collaboration, or the importance of being data-driven and student-centered. Or the cruciality of time for independent practice both in reading and in writing.  They all matter.  They’re all important for students.  

And they’re all inherent in a strong workshop model. Because the workshop model  of teaching isn’t researchless—it’s research-rich, built from the very practices the evidence says matter most.

If you could use a thinking partner to start or strengthen the workshop approach in your context, know that I’m here!  Just reach out and we can set up a virtual coaching call.  And yes, this works even if you’re using a program, because the workshop model is just a framework, not a program.  It’s the teacher behind the framework who designs the lessons, establishes the community, and guides students to their next levels of achievement that makes or breaks it.  

As promised, here are some of my favorite professional books about the workshop model:

Craft & Process Studies by Matt Glover

Welcome to the Reading Workshop by Lynn Dorfman & Brenda Krupp

Welcome to the Writing Workshop by Shubitz and Dorfman

Reading and Writing Units of Study by Lucy Calkins & colleagues

The Literacy Studio by Ellin Olver Keene

Writing Workshop:  Essential Guide by Ralph Fletcher

What a Writer Needs by Ralph Fletcher

The Responsive Writing Teacher by Melanie Meehan and Kelsey Sorum

Wondrous Words by Katie Wood Ray (now in its 2nd edition which is on my TBR shelf)

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Who is Coach from the Couch??  I’m Michelle Ruhe, a 25+ year veteran educator, currently a K-5 literacy coach.  I continue to learn alongside teachers in classrooms each and every day, and it’s my mission to support as many teachers as I can.  Because no one can do this work alone. I’m available to you, too, through virtual coaching calls!  Simply email me at michelle@coachfromthecouch.com or reach out for a coaching call! I’m here to partner with you to build that foundation of student motivation for writing so your students can realize greater success.

Or, consider joining my Facebook community–a safe, supportive environment (really–no blaming or shaming is allowed!)  where you can ask questions, learn ideas, and share your thoughts among other literacy-loving educators!