Tribes Learning Communities
Tribes TLC
_________________________________________________________________
Author(s): Jeanne Gibbs
Date of publication: 2001
Website: www.tribes.com
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Aim(s):
The Tribes Learning Community process, also known as Tribes TLC®, promotes social and academic development by creating a positive learning environment through the use of active learning groups in the classroom. Each group consists of around four members who undertake many classroom activities collaboratively. The tribes are intended to stay together over the long term and to lead to the development of social skills and resilience among team members. According to the authors, the Tribes process is to assure the healthy development of every child so that each one has the knowledge, skills and resiliency to be successful in a rapidly changing world.
Target group:
Tribes TLC has been implemented successfully in all grade levels, including pre-school, primary, secondary, and college.
Program content and components:
The Tribes group development process focuses on both resiliency and the stages of human development. Implementation includes a step-by-step process to achieve specific learning goals. Four guiding principles, called ‘agreements’, are honoured:
Attentive listening:
Involves paying close attention to one another’s expression of ideas, opinions and feelings; to check for understanding and letting others know they have been heard. All of these are teachable social skills and involve maintaining eye contact, withholding your own comments, paraphrasing key words to show you’ve been listening and using body language, listening with your ears, your eyes and your heart.
Appreciation/no put downs:
Aims to develop a sense of self-esteem and self-worth through appreciation and recognition of each other’s gifts and talents.
Mutual respect:
To ensure that cultural values, beliefs and needs will be considered and honoured. Students learn to respect individual skills, talents, and contributions.
The right to pass:
Each person has the right to choose the extent to which she or he will share in a group activity. Choosing the right to pass means that the person prefers not to share personal information or feelings or to actively participate in the group at a particular moment. Being a silent observer is still a form of participation and can lead to greater learning.
Students learn a set of collaborative skills so they can work well together in long-term groups (tribes). The focus is on how to:
- help each other work on tasks
- set goals and solve problems
- monitor and assess progress
- celebrate achievements
PROGRAM EVALUATION
Identified theoretical framework:
The child development theory used is a combination of Piaget and Erikson. The Tribes process synthesises research and literature from the fields of group process and cooperative learning; human development and resiliency; learning theory and school change; multiple intelligences and social-emotional learning; multicultural and gender equity; reflective practice and authentic assessment.
References supplied by program authors:
Brown, L. & Ushijima, T. (1998). Building school communities: A district success story. Windsor, California: CenterSource Systems.
Brown, L. & Ushijima, T. (2000). Analysis of tribes assessment for 15 central Oahu District schools, school year 1999-2000. Honolulu, Hawaii: Central Oahu School District.
Chesswas, R. J. D. (2003). Evaluation of the implementation and impact of Tribes TLC: Preliminary evaluation report. San Francisco, California: WestEd.
Chesswas, R. J. D. & Sosenko, L. J. D. (2004). Evaluation of the implementation and impact of Tribes TLC: Second year study. San Francisco, California: WestEd.
Dworkin, R. & Griffith, A. (1999). An evaluation of the Tribes program. Houston, Texas: Spring Branch Independent School District.
Holt, J. (2000). Tribes training and experiences lower the incidence of referral actions for teachers and students. PDK connection. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Phi Delta Kappa, Tulsa Chapter 1021.
Kiger, D. (1997). TRIBES evaluation – Phase one. Research Focus, 3. Beloit, Wisconsin: Research and Accountability Department, School District of Beloit.
Kiger, D. (1998). TRIBES evaluation – Phase two (precursor study). Research Focus, 3. Beloit, Wisconsin: Research and Accountability Department, School District of Beloit.
Kiger, D. (2000). The Tribes process: Phase III evaluation. Beloit, Wisconsin: Research and Accountability Department, School District of Beloit.
Kiger, D. (2000). The Tribes TLC process: A preliminary evaluation of classroom implementation and impact on student achievement. Education, 120, 586-592.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
Program structure:
Teachers learn to integrate curriculum through active learning strategies to engage students in meaningful learning and peer leadership. Plans for lessons or units of work follow a structure that includes an inclusion activity, content and skills objectives, inclusive teaching and learning strategies, reflection questions and a chance to give and receive appreciations.
There is a large chapter of activities, known as strategies, as well as a bibliography of additional resources.
Collegial teacher groups and leadership teams are developed to create a professional learning community, and to enhance curriculum planning, problem solving, and authentic assessment.
Staff professional learning (PL):
Staff training is compulsory for the implementation of Tribes TLC. The 24-hour experiential Tribes TLC training (pre K-6) takes place over four days, which can be split into two x two consecutive training days with a week or more in between, and covers the following eight modules:
- Finding our way to the future
- Learning about learning
- Creating the learning community
- Building tribes
- Learning through collaboration
- Reaching all
- Designing learning experiences
- Bringing it all together
There is also a 24-hour Discovering Gifts in Middle School training for grades 5-12. In the second or third year of implementation, it is recommended that school participate in the 24-hr Artistry for Learning training that is appropriate for all grade levels.
The cost involved in training is $250.00 per participant, which is inclusive of a copy of the text. This price can also be reduced if a venue is provided.
It is also possible to undertake training in order to become a trainer of Tribes TLC. Contact CenterSource Systems at tribes@tribes.com for further information about this.
Program costs:
Tribes TLC DVD $72.50
Reaching All by Creating Tribes Learning Communities $60.00
What is it about Tribes? $37.50
Guiding Your School Community to Live a Culture of Caring and Learning $25.50
Discovering Gifts in Middle School Learning in a Caring Culture Called Tribes $60.00
Tribes TLC Assessment Kit $117.00
Energizer Box $41.50
Additional resources, which also assist in the facilitation of Tribes TLC, are also available.
About the author(s):
Jeanne Gibbs has spent her professional career studying, writing and implementing systemic processes and programs to support children’s development and prevent youth problems. Her perspective on human development is a systems approach that encourages schools, families and communities to create healthy environments in which children can grow and learn. The developmental culture and educational process now known as ‘Tribes Learning Communities’ evolved out of years of studies Jeanne has pursued to synthesize a wealth of literature pertaining to the ecology of human development and learning.
Jeanne supervised implementations of the community learning process throughout hundreds of schools and youth-serving agencies for more than ten years while managing a non-profit corporation, which she had founded. Though serving as the executive director, she continued to research, refine and author publications. Ever-growing requests from schools throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries for professional development and quality materials led her to establish CenterSource Systems in 1995 as ‘the home of Tribes.’
Contact information:
CenterSource Systems, LLC
7975 Cameron Drive, Bldg 500
Windsor, California, USA. 95492
Phone: 707 838 1061
Fax: 707 838 1062
Email: tribes@tribes.com
Website: www.tribes.com
ACER – Australian Council for Educational Research
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It is important to note that inclusion of a program in this Guide does not constitute an endorsement by KidsMatter Primary. All program details were correct at time of publishing.
