Communities for Learning and LCI 1

Developing the SCDN Developing the SCDN Professional Learning Professional Learning

CommunityCommunity

SCDNSCDN

December 6, 2007December 6, 2007

Communities for Learning and LCI 2

Giselle Martin-Kniep Giselle Martin-Kniep

Communities for Learning: Communities for Learning: Leading Lasting ChangeLeading Lasting ChangeTMTM

Learner-Centered Initiatives, Ltd (LCI)Learner-Centered Initiatives, Ltd (LCI)

516-502-4231, and 516-502-4232516-502-4231, and 516-502-4232www.lciltd.orgwww.lciltd.org

www.communitiesforlearning.orgwww.communitiesforlearning.orggmklcigmklci@aol.com@aol.com

Facilitated byFacilitated by

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OutcomesOutcomes

• Explore the relationship between leadership Explore the relationship between leadership style and professional learning communitiesstyle and professional learning communities

• Develop a vision for the SCDN professional Develop a vision for the SCDN professional learning community using leadership style learning community using leadership style as an entry pointas an entry point

• Assess the SCDN organizational readiness to Assess the SCDN organizational readiness to support professional learning communitiessupport professional learning communities

• Identify interventions to promote the Identify interventions to promote the capacity of SCDN to support professional capacity of SCDN to support professional learning communitieslearning communities

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Exploring our leadership Exploring our leadership stylestyle

(based on Hargreaves, (based on Hargreaves, 2007)2007)

Who are you most of Who are you most of the time in your place the time in your place

of work?of work?

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AutocraticAutocratic

• You will….You will….• Delegating what we hate to doDelegating what we hate to do• Promotes resistancePromotes resistance

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Traditional delegationTraditional delegation

• Maximizes existing structureMaximizes existing structure• Maintains or improves the Maintains or improves the

existing management of an existing management of an institutioninstitution

• ConvenientConvenient

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Progressive delegationProgressive delegation

• Changing structures to create Changing structures to create different kinds of conversations different kinds of conversations

• Feels like change (i.e., multi-age Feels like change (i.e., multi-age teams; co-teaching; job sharing)teams; co-teaching; job sharing)

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Guided distributionGuided distribution

• Necessary if there is no Necessary if there is no collaborative structure in the collaborative structure in the organizationorganization

• No “no go” areaNo “no go” area

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Emergent distributionEmergent distribution

• Creates a culture where Creates a culture where leadership comes forwardleadership comes forward

• Genuinely shared visionGenuinely shared vision

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Assertive distributionAssertive distribution

• Shared vision and arguments Shared vision and arguments over best way to achieve itover best way to achieve it

• Hard to follow this styleHard to follow this style

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AnarchyAnarchy

• Anything goesAnything goes

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Skillful leadership is Skillful leadership is flexible and flexible and

differentiated (balancing differentiated (balancing purpose, style and purpose, style and

needs)needs)

Andy Hargreaves Andy Hargreaves Chris JamesChris James

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Grouping activityGrouping activity

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Visioning activityVisioning activity

Parts 1 and 2Parts 1 and 2

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So…. what is a So…. what is a Communities for Communities for

Learning professional Learning professional learning community?learning community?

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Communities for Communities for Learning DefinitionLearning Definition

Collective forums that share a Collective forums that share a purpose, a vision and goalspurpose, a vision and goals

related to developing schools as learning organizations

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Participants may includeParticipants may include……

• TeachersTeachers• StudentsStudents• ParentsParents• Principals and Principals and

other building other building administratorsadministrators

• District District administratorsadministrators

• Professional Professional developersdevelopers

• Board membersBoard members• Community Community

membersmembers• School School

counselorscounselors• University University

facultyfaculty• School School

specialistsspecialists

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Why multiple roles?Why multiple roles?

• Access to multiple Access to multiple perspectivesperspectives

• De-politicized discourseDe-politicized discourse• Better access to the Better access to the

complex nature of teaching, complex nature of teaching, learning and school systemslearning and school systems

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What differentiates one What differentiates one professional learning professional learning

community from another?community from another?

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Communities that LearnCommunities that Learn

Include individuals whose primary Include individuals whose primary focus is learning to increase focus is learning to increase

understanding about an issue or understanding about an issue or topic or area of interest related topic or area of interest related

to teaching and learning.to teaching and learning.

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Communities that LeadCommunities that Lead

Comprise participants who are Comprise participants who are committed to leading the committed to leading the

learning of others. They remain learning of others. They remain learners, but their learning is learners, but their learning is

focused on deepening their own focused on deepening their own leadership and facilitation skills.leadership and facilitation skills.

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Communities that LastCommunities that Last

Focus on sustaining the learning Focus on sustaining the learning and work of the community and and work of the community and

organization. Their learning organization. Their learning revolves around systems revolves around systems

dynamics, strategic planning and dynamics, strategic planning and organizational development.organizational development.

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Visioning ActivityVisioning Activity

Parts 3 and 4Parts 3 and 4

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How might leadership style How might leadership style relate to professional relate to professional learning communities?learning communities?

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Core ElementsCore Elements of Communities that of Communities that

learn, lead and lastlearn, lead and last

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Identification, Cultivation Identification, Cultivation and Use of and Use of

Expertise/ExperienceExpertise/Experience

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Alignment of Alignment of Individual Individual and Organizationaland Organizational

Passions, Needs and Passions, Needs and VisionVision

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Development of Development of Dispositions of PracticeDispositions of Practice

• Commitment to UnderstandingCommitment to Understanding• Intellectual PerseveranceIntellectual Perseverance• Courage and InitiativeCourage and Initiative• Commitment to ReflectionCommitment to Reflection• Commitment to ExpertiseCommitment to Expertise• CollegialityCollegiality

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Activity with DispositionsActivity with Dispositions

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Commitment to Commitment to UnderstandingUnderstanding

Looks like…Looks like…

• pursuing questions and pursuing questions and developing ideas related to developing ideas related to teaching and learning teaching and learning

• using research and evidence using research and evidence • accessing multiple perspectivesaccessing multiple perspectives

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Intellectual PerseveranceIntellectual Perseverance

Looks like…Looks like…

• considering ideas or questions for a considering ideas or questions for a period of time to improve our work period of time to improve our work

• revising and revisiting our work and revising and revisiting our work and our thinking to improve it and to our thinking to improve it and to reach high standardsreach high standards

• withholding the need to finish work withholding the need to finish work before it’s the best that it can bebefore it’s the best that it can be

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Courage and InitiativeCourage and Initiative

Is…Is…• discussing uncomfortable topics discussing uncomfortable topics

or issues, including own values or issues, including own values and questionsand questions

• accepting the discomfort that accepting the discomfort that stems from the need to changestems from the need to change

• seeking or accepting new or seeking or accepting new or unfamiliar roles, responsibilities unfamiliar roles, responsibilities or challengesor challenges

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Commitment to ReflectionCommitment to Reflection

Looks like…Looks like…• sharing our thinking to develop and sharing our thinking to develop and

evaluate itevaluate it• thinking about our thinking and thinking about our thinking and

learning to set goals, assess and learning to set goals, assess and understand ourselves, our work and understand ourselves, our work and our organizationour organization

• producing work that results from goals, producing work that results from goals, actions and strategies that are actions and strategies that are grounded in the analysis of past grounded in the analysis of past learninglearning

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Commitment to ExpertiseCommitment to Expertise

Is…Is…• refining and expanding our refining and expanding our

current professional knowledge current professional knowledge and skillsand skills

• disseminating our knowledge and disseminating our knowledge and expertise within and outside our expertise within and outside our own organizationown organization

• engaging in learning and work engaging in learning and work that addresses organizational or that addresses organizational or professional needsprofessional needs

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CollegialityCollegiality

Is…Is…• learning with and from otherslearning with and from others• acting on the belief that learning acting on the belief that learning

and working with others and working with others increases our expertiseincreases our expertise

• producing work that results from producing work that results from engaging in collaborative engaging in collaborative learning and problem solvinglearning and problem solving

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Defining the distance Defining the distance between our vision and our between our vision and our

current realitycurrent reality

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Assessing SCDN’s Assessing SCDN’s Organizational ReadinessOrganizational Readiness

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Identification of Identification of Interventions to Increase Interventions to Increase Organizational ReadinessOrganizational Readiness