Within one school
Dedicated time to focus on pedagogy and not administrative challenges.
Coaching / Consulting / Group program
Teacher Inquiry Groups
Small, safe groups for teachers to get professional support.
99%
found sessions valuable
96%
would attend again
93%
found session inspiring
15+
years of experience
Group support to quickly transform teaching.
- Regular meetings to discuss classroom challenges and address them immediately.
- Problem-solve critical student and content issues in the moment.
- Continue to improve teacher practices between sessions with personalized assignments to propel teaching that aren’t time consuming.
- Meeting teachers where they are to refine their craft.
Inquiry groups provide a safe space for teachers to discuss issues and receive ideas, support, and feedback.
Dr. Geillan Aly
is a mathematics educator and former award winning Assistant Professor who received her PhD in Teaching and Teacher Education and a Master’s in Mathematics from the University of Arizona.
Her research focuses on the emotional side of learning mathematics and includes how computer-centered learning has affected students’ abilities to control their learning environment and how meditation may reduce mathematics anxiety.
Dr. Aly has been teaching at the university level for over ten years and, without sacrificing rigor, brings a personalized math learning experience to the classroom through active learning methods and by centering students’ emotional well-being. She is very familiar with the Common Core Standards and has experience teaching mathematics to Middle and High School students.
Underlying all of Dr. Aly’s teaching and research is a dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice in mathematics education. She enjoys traveling, seeing live music, and is an avid chef. Geillan is also a wife and mother of a beautiful boy. They live near Hartford, CT.
Who is this for?
Support your teachers and develop collegial collaboration
Across a district
Bring teachers together to break down silos and learn what is working in other schools.
What you'll gain
- Processes for each teacher to systematically evaluate their pedagogy.
- A safe, non-judgemental space to experiment with new teaching methods, and gain support.
- A collaborative atmosphere where teachers can work together, breaking down silos.
- Support to address immediate issues that arise in the classroom.
- Opportunities for reflective growth to improve pedagogy.
Location & Logistics
What you need to know...
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Meeting times
Ideally, teacher groups should expect to meet once per month for two hours each. This provides all teachers in the group the opportunity to share their concerns and have their questions answered.
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Size of groups
Groups should ideally have 5-7 participants who are dedicated and able to attend all meetings. Multiple Inquiry Groups can be held to accommodate a large group teachers.
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Where are meetings held?
Meetings will be held via zoom.
Case Study
Teacher Inquiry Groups are sessions where a cohort of teachers meets regularly for two hours (e.g., once per month) to refine their craft. Teachers should come from different schools and different levels (6-12 grade) allowing for interaction and collaboration across schools and grade-levels). I used this model with teacher fellows in the Waterbury School District (Waterbury, CT) through Math 4 America (a three-year fellowship). Each year, we had a different theme / focus. Some were book studies where we read the book and did an interactive active application of the book (e.g., 5 Practices for Productive Mathematical Discussions). Others focused on one idea and reinforcing it (e.g., establishing and implementing norms to meet specific goals). In all cases, activities and reflections were organically designed based on the day’s discussions and teachers’ needs.
What people are saying
It is an amazing support for working with students to move with confidence and engagement on their individual paths.
Thank you! I liked that we shared ideas. Plus Geillan gave great specific ideas.
Real, relevant, and useful!
In teaching math, it's just as important to recognize the feelings and associations someone might have with a topic as the actual content that you'll be covering. Acknowledge and affirm the bad and harness the good.
The session was insightful and affirming. It gave both motivation for practices, and big and small practices to create equity in the classroom.
The session was very interactive to help us she how to interact with students using the shared board. Great explanation of Inquiry Based Learning and how it works.
Beautifully paced, kind, supportive and connected to truths
It was a workshop full of great techniques and knowledge on Mathematics that will relieve my imposter syndrome. I am glad I attend the event because my perspective on math has shifted, and I am more confident going into my next math class, knowing I can succeed is just the methods and mindset I apply to it.
She did everything perfect honestly, and left me with the conclusion that everybody can be a pro at math
A great introduction to thinking about classroom norms and putting our beliefs into practice.
I found that her study tips would be helpful for more than just math class.
Life changing!
I definitely got something I can take away to improve my online instruction.
A great workshop to help you dive deeper into the introspection of your teaching.
It was challenging and empowering. A timely reminder to retain and prioritize our compassion in the work of math education.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't we form our own Teacher Inquiry Groups?
You absolutely can! However, in my experience, I have witnessed teacher groups coming up against a problem that either they do not see, or don't know how to solve. That's where my expertise comes in. I can suggest frameworks, research, or activities to help answer teacher's questions.
Equity & Power Dynamics in an Inquiry-Based Math Class
Make your inquiry-based sessions successful for all students.
Learn more