Protocols are vehicles for building the skills and culture necessary for collaborative work. Thus, using protocols often allows groups to build trust by actually doing substantive work together. The presenter has the opportunity not only to reflect on and describe an issue or a dilemma, but also to have interesting questions asked of him or her, AND to gain differing perspectives and new insights. Protocols build in a space for listening, and often give people a license to listen , without having to continuously respond. In schools, many people say that time is of the essence, and time is the one resource that no one seems to have enough of.
Protocols are a way to make the most of the time people do have.
Finally, it is important to remember that the point is not do the protocol well, but to have an in-depth, insightful, conversation about teaching and learning . The Virtual Protocol . This is a recreation on-line of a Collaborative Assessment Conference in which teachers looked at two pieces of writing from the same student. Includes a teacher profile, list of participants, the student's work, and excerpts from the dialogue through each step of the process. The Cart Before the Horse Before the Cart.