aqifga conference 2013 professional learning communities: the place cartier experience
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AQIFGA Conference 2013 Professional Learning Communities: The Place Cartier Experience. Presenters: Claudine Turnbull — Assistant Director Gail Gagnon — Educational Consultant Matthew Kennedy — Teacher Other members of Place Cartier’s PLC Committee: - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
AQIFGA Conference 2013
Professional Learning Communities: The Place Cartier Experience
Presenters:
Claudine Turnbull — Assistant Director
Gail Gagnon — Educational Consultant
Matthew Kennedy — Teacher
Other members of Place Cartier’s PLC Committee:
Michael Grumberg, Jonathan Hullar, & Janice Newton
Focus Questions
Q1: Why do schools exist?
Q2: What makes a great teacher?
Q3: What does an effective meeting look like?
Q. 1: Why do schools exist?
Q. 2: What makes a great teacher?
Q. 3: What does an effective meeting look like?
Workshop Objectives
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) defined
Overview of the Place Cartier experience
Guidelines for implementation
PLC Defined
An ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve.
— Dufour et al., 2006
Rebecca Dufour
3 Big Ideas of a PLC:1. Focus on learning
2. Build a collaborative culture
3. Focus on results
Video: Rebecca Dufour's 3 Big Ideas of a PLC
Richard DufourGroups vs. Teams
Video: Richard Dufour on Groups vs
Teams
Four Critical Questions of a PLC
1. What do we want students to learn?
2. How will we know if each student has learned?
3. How will we respond when some students do not learn?
4. What will we do for students who already know it?
— adapted from the document “A Big Picture Look
at Professional Learning Communities”
The Place Cartier Experience
• The PDIG
• Solution-Tree conference
• Decision to model PLC
• Deciding on a focus: behaviour
Why Behaviour?
Behaviour and academic achievement are
inextricably linked. A student’s academic success
in school is directly related to the student’s
attention, engagement, and behaviour.
— Buffum, Mattos & Weber, 2009
Red Zone: Students with chronic/intense problem behaviour
Yellow Zone: Students at risk for problem behaviour
Green Zone: Students without serious problem behaviour
5%
15%
80%
Seven Keys to a Positive Learning Environment
Common expectations
Targeted instruction
Positive reinforcement
Support strategies and interventions
Collaborative teams
Data-driven dialogue
School-wide systems approach
• Behavioural assessment and individual behavioural plans
• Collaboration with parents, student’s physician or mental health professional
• Intensive academic support
• Target social skills instruction• Simple behaviour plans• Alternatives to suspension• Increased academic support• School-based mentors• Classroom management
support
• Teach & model school-wide positive behaviour expectations and procedures
• Positive reinforcements for all students
• Consistent consequences for problem behaviours
• Effective procedures & supervision in non-classroom areas
• Effective instruction & classroom management
1st 3 Hour Committee Meeting
1. Established norms
2. Pyramid of Behaviour Interventions: Book
review
3. Agreed to meet once a week
4. Decided to use Edmodo to share ideas
amongst ourselves and Weebly to share ideas
with our colleagues
January 7: Ped. Day
We presented a brief introduction to PLC
• Explained the PDIG
• Showed videos
• Asked two questions:
1. What are our common expectations for
how students behave?
2. What are our common expectations for
how staff work and interact?
2nd 3 Hour Committee Meeting
1. Behaviour matrix
2. Proposed Place Cartier culture students’ survey
Our survey questions:
1. What are the three most important behaviours you expect from the administrators of Place Cartier?
2. What are the three most important behaviours you expect from your teachers?
3. What are the three most important behaviours you expect from other students?
4. What are the three most important behaviours you expect from yourself?
3rd 3 Hour Committee Meeting
1. Finalize survey questions
2. Plan for April 2nd Ped. Day
April 2: Ped. Day
1. 2.5 hr. interactive presentation
2. Used the The World Café to frame workshop
3. Simulated a PLC
4. Focus on responding to 8 questions about
teacher behaviour expectations
5. Look at data, discuss results and possible
interventions
Possible Obstacles and Solutions
1. Time for collaboration
• Build time into existing schedule
• Exam time
2. Ineffective use of meeting time
• Role cards at each meeting
• Norms created and posted at each
meeting to foster trust and ensure
accountability
Possible Obstacles and Solutions
Exclusivity (at beginning of process)
• Share via Weebly & Edmodo
• Invite everyone to weekly meetings
Data Collection
• Research options
• Data team in place
• Professional Development (Frank
Buck, Ainsley Rose, etc.)
Possible Obstacles and Solutions
No money to attend Solution Tree
conference; conference not close by
• Watch and discuss webinars at:
http://www.solution-tree.com/plc-at-wo
rk
• Look for grants to purchase materials
• Reading/book club
Possible Obstacles and Solutions
Resistors
• Present material using a cooperative
learning style. See
http://www.theworldcafe.com/
• Invite everyone to participate in the
process
• Establish norms and respect them
How to begin?
Use our toolkit for success
Anthony Muhammad(Solution Tree) on PLCs:
Video: Anthony Muhammad on Transforming School Culture
Bibliography Buffum, A., Mattos, M., & Weber, C. (2009). Pyramid response to intervention: RTI, professional learning
communities, and how to respond when kids don’t learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Dufour, R., Dufour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2006). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Dufour, R., Dufour, R., & Eaker, R. (2008). Revisiting professional learning communities at work: New insights for improving schools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Fullan, M. (2010). Motion leadership. The skinny on becoming change savvy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Graham, P., & Ferriter, W.M. (2010). Building a professional learning community at work: A guide to the first year. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Hierck, T., Coleman, C., & Weber, C. (2011). Pyramid of behavior interventions: Seven keys to a positive learning environment. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Hord, M.S., Roussin, J.L., & Sommers, A. (2010). Guiding professional learning communities: Inspiration, challenge, surprise and meaning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Lencioni, P. (2005). Overcoming the five dysfunctions of a team: A field guide. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass.
Muhammed, A. (2009). Transforming school culture: How to overcome staff division. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Focus Questions
Q1: Why do schools exist?
Q2: What makes a great teacher?
Q3: What does an effective meeting look like?
Thank you!