exploring the idea of professional learning communities · per group. sort the first set of quotes...

Booklet 5

Familiarisation and deepening understanding

Exploring the idea of professionallearning communities

Professional Learning Communities:source materials for school leaders andother leaders of professional learning

Louise Stoll, Ray Bolam, Agnes McMahon, Sally Thomas, Mike Wallace, Angela Greenwood and Kate Hawkey

Characteristics and processes activity

This activity, using illustrative quotes from staffin project schools, helps promote and deepenunderstanding of professional learningcommunity (PLC) characteristics and processes.The aim is to match the quotes to listed

characteristics and processes, thereby getting amore concrete picture of what PLCs look,sound and feel like, and the different waysstaff work to promote PLCs.

Using this activity

This can be done as two separate activities or as a single session. People may gain morefrom it if they have either read the thinkpiece on Creating and sustaining aneffective professional learning communityin Booklet 2 or if there has been a shortinput on PLCs.

1 Start in small groups – two to four peopleper group. Sort the first set of quotes bycharacteristic headings, placing relevantquotes in the space by the appropriateheading. (15 minutes)

2 Share and discuss your decisions as awhole staff group. (15 minutes)

3 In small groups, sort the next set ofquotes by process headings, placingrelevant quotes in the space by theappropriate heading. (10 minutes)

4 Share and discuss your decisions as awhole staff group. (10 minutes)

5 Reflect together on what you have learntfrom doing this activity, using thequestions at the end of these materials.Consider whether you need to spendfurther time deepening yourunderstanding and, if so, how you will do this, and how you will move forward. (10 minutes)

Resources

You will need one set of resources for eachsmall group together with a copy of theresource card What is a professionallearning community? A summary (seeintroductory source materials).

Identifying characteristics

You will need a copy of the characteristicschart for each small group (see pages 4–5).This will need to be large enough to fitquotes on it so we suggest you copy it to A3size. You will also need to copy and cut out a set of PLC characteristics quotes for eachgroup (see pages 6–7).

Identifying processes

You will need a copy of the processes chartfor each small group (see page 8). This willneed to be large enough to fit quotes on itso we suggest you copy it to A3 size. You willalso need to copy and cut out a set of PLCprocesses quotes for each group (see pages9–10). These should be photocopied ondifferent coloured paper to distinguish theprocesses quotes from the characteristicsquotes.

Each group will also need adhesive orfasteners to stick the quotes onto the charts,and a copy of the questions for reflectionand dialogue (pages 11–12).

2 Professional Learning Communities: source materials

Purpose of this activity

Professional Learning Communities: source materials 3

Characteristics chart photocopy this chart onto A3 paper

Shared values and vision

Collective responsibility for learning

Collaboration focused on learning

Group as well as individual learning

Characteristics of PLCs

Characteristics of PLCs


Characteristics chart photocopy this chart onto A3 paper

Reflective professional enquiry

Openness, networks and partnerships

Inclusive membership

Mutual trust, respect and support

I feel hugely valued. It's a fantasticenvironment to work in. Investors in Peoplecame in the other day and talked to me. I told them, “I don’t need to work. I come here because I like it.”

We all do our bit. The caretaker is brilliant; hegoes on school visits with the children and getsinvolved. We have two cleaners, they are hereone hour a day… but they are always invitedto anything that we arrange… they are seenas part of the community.

We all believe we want to get the children tobe confident and have lots of self-esteem, andbe able to be independent. We all want that.To be able to leave home and be independent.To be active learners, to do everythingthemselves and not rely on us too much.

Virtually every policy that we write we put theemphasis on teaching and learning; if it's abehaviour policy, a rewards and sanctionspolicy, an equal opportunities policy, we try toput the emphasis on teaching and learning.

(Staff) pop in and out of each other'sclassrooms because we observe each otherquite a lot… in our department I've asked ifI can see our head of department teach, justbecause it's interesting to see different teachingstyles… we nip in and out to nick ideas really.

The ethos… is one where we help each other.We have a policy within the school, we’realways working in teams of two. A lot of thestudents… have poor head control so theirhead could all of a sudden go forward, and…using the hoist… they could bang their headon the bar. So you do need two people to do it.

We looked at literacy and said, “Well, let’s trythis – that would work” and we tried it out.Together we worked out the strategies that willreally work. I’ve learned from her to standback a bit. I’m all action –“Let’s do this,” andshe says “Let’s look at it”. We complementeach other – we work well together.

One of the problems with a school like this isthat we are all in one-person departments. Soto develop your department you often have togo outside of the school. In my first year Ilearnt a tremendous amount from being anexaminer and working with teachers fromother schools to moderate our pupils’ work.

I believe there is a lot of expertise in theprofession and teachers ought to be moreconfident about sharing this. There arenetworks within each school. However youhave got to be linked up to other externalagencies otherwise you do not move forward.

Getting people who’ve only been here a fewweeks to write case notes on kids and thenlead a whole INSET day, when they thenpresent it back to the staff who are alreadysupposed to know this stuff, was fantastic. I’ve known some of the pupils they weretalking about for four years and I learnedsomething new myself.

“Characteristics quotes photocopy this page and cut up quotes

“


There’s no real pecking order. The beauty ofthis place is that everybody works as a team.There is no one who would say, “This job is far superior to that one”, whether it be theheadteacher or the cleaner. They are all partof the same team and it is a quality team.

Working at this school has offered me fantasticopportunities to think about myself as ateacher and a person. It does keep meenthusiastic. I get exhausted. I love teaching inthis environment. It’s so exciting. It’s valuablelearning for adults and for children.

There are three teachers teaching the samegroup because we teach in units at the sametime. It's definitely a shared responsibility toget them through and we all pull together.

It’s a lovely atmosphere here. It’s a lovelyschool… Everyone is going to have blips andthere are going to be certain things where youthink, “I wish I’d done that”. But you learnfrom it and at the end of the day, if you havethe respect of the other staff, which we have,we all learn from each other.

If I’m doing an observation on a child I’mdoing it in a much more detailed way thisyear. I’m thinking about the significance. It’sinforming my planning. I’m starting to groupchildren together with targets and involvethem in mini-projects to extend their interests.

One of the concerns that came up in thequestionnaire (student survey) was homeworkand coursework and I want to try and set up awebsite for GCSE (General Certificate ofSecondary Education) geography students andparents so the information will be availablefor them…We’re aiming to give them muchmore choice within the homework.

I think (the external links) have been the mostcrucial thing in this school's development. Itallows you to widen your understanding.

When some child comes through the door youimmediately twig there's something… if achild's speech or comprehension is not there.We just start talking about it – the person whohas the child in the group may say, “I'm reallyworried about X; he doesn't seem able toconcentrate. Let's all watch over the nextcouple of weeks.”

The sharing we do as a group… is acrosssubjects. What we have learned together ishow to teach EBD (emotional and behaviouraldifficulties) children. We always listen to eachother, talk to each other at the end of everyday and our practice has grown up together.By exchanging views, experiences andnightmare stories we have been able to buildup a bank of techniques and ways of how torespond to situations as they have occurred.

“Everyone learns from history”. “It’s reallyinteresting. You learn many different things”.“If we’re in history and the teachers don’tknow something, they would tell you”. “Theylearn about you and how you work best. Theyare always learning about their teachingtechniques”. (Students’ quotes)


Characteristics quotes photocopy this page and cut up quotes

““

Processes chart photocopy this chart onto A3 paper

Processes of PLCs

Optimising resources and structures to promote the PLC

Promoting professional learning

Evaluating and sustaining the PLC

Leading and managing the PLC


We started on the Reception (kindergarten)class and Year 1 base. We made theclassrooms into subject specialist bases –science, English, maths. People movedclassrooms and took off classroom doors sopeople talked to each other. They could linkwith each other and not feel totally isolated.

So we talk about learning all the time now in all communications. Even in mynewsletters now I’ll have a section onlearning and teaching, and right at the end of my newsletter will be a little bit on behaviour and discipline, which comes right at the end.

We gather round the kettle! And we do it inmy room. For example the head ofdepartment said, “Look, can we look at ourtimetable? We’re all free there, so if we’renot on cover can we go over it?”… sotomorrow at certain times we’re going to gettogether and just look at our marking for theGCSE (General Certificate of SecondaryEducation) and tweak it and talk about it.

I've become a qualified facilitator to helpother staff in the school who want toprogress onto management, to help them feelthey can voice their opinion, even if they'renot on a level in management or leadership.

He said we must provide the opportunities for staff here to motivate them… becauseeven if they're not in a position of so-calledresponsibility… they are very much part ofthe school and of value… and I think that'swhere we are going because we are trying tolead from the middle and give everybody the opportunities.

Now that I am in a management positionmyself I am having to think more carefullyabout leadership. I think the missionstatement for the school and the way it wasput together by the staff says a lot aboutleadership here. It went through severaldrafts with inputs from many people.

So we’ve done a process for behaviourpolicy… which is around effective restraintand other strategies, so you never putyourself in a position where a child’sbehaviour becomes out of control… From that, the whole staff will do thebehaviour policy, and that actually includes our dinner ladies as well. So it was one ofthe few times when absolutely everybody has done a course like that.

Although it’s been done to death, we wentback to basics (good lesson). Everyone was in the session; the LSAs (learning supportassistants) too. I had something we felt Icould work with, setting the scene, and gavethem the focus… We looked at a video ofa good lesson and then went back todepartment groups to discuss what werethree points.

I want them to question, “Is this the best useof money?”…There isn’t a bottomless pit ofmoney. They have to take responsibility formaking decisions about how (continuingprofessional development money) is spent.


Processes quotes photocopy this page and cut up quotes

““

We want to build on the positive. Thepurpose of our new (network) bid is to helpanswer the question, “How do we know it is making a difference?”

Since (the family support unit) first joined uswe’ve worked on a whole range of strategiesto bond, I suppose, as a new staff group andensure that we have that common ethos andbelief and talk the same language in a way.

I am modelling partly things I do believestrongly in, like the fact that morale isparamount, staff morale. I just think havinga positive feeling staff and a place wherepeople actually enjoy coming to work justcounts for so much in a school, not just forthe children but for the staff commitmentand everything else. I just feel at all times Iwant staff to want to work here really.

One of my targets is to link with anothercurriculum co-ordinator and do dancesessions with them so that the curriculumareas are linked in some way.

I feel that the staff need access to meinformally when they can. It’s nice to have acup of coffee with them and sit down andusually that’s a time for laughter and teasingand talking about football or what was onTV last night… I think it’s important to dothat, because we all spend so much time herethat I don’t believe it’s healthy forconversation to be purely about professionalmatters. It helps to build those relationships.

Now let’s step back a bit and see where thisfits into what we are doing and if it does fitinto what we’re doing, what staff have wegot available for this initiative?

Professional development remains at the coreof school improvement and both schoolscontinue to benefit greatly from the sharingof good practice. Last year we had groups ofstaff coming over to observe lessons and wewill continue to do that… Purely voluntary.We just gave staff the time to go over ifthey so wished.

Processes quotes photocopy this page and cut up quotes

““



Questions for reflection and dialogue

What struck you as you were sorting the quotes?

Were there any characteristics or processes that seemed to be under-represented in thequotes? If so, can you think of a reason why this might be?

Questions for reflection and dialogue

Do you feel you need to do anything else to deepen your understanding of professionallearning communities?

If yes, what, and how will you go about it?

If no, what do you now need to do to move forward?


© Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Thomas, Wallace, Greenwood and Hawkey, 2006

National College forSchool LeadershipTriumph RoadNottingham NG8 1DH

T: 0870 001 1155F: 0115 872 2001E: [email protected]: www.ncsl.org.uk/nlc

General Teaching Council for England Whittington House19-30 Alfred PlaceLondon WC1E 7EA

T: 0870 001 0308F: 020 7023 3909E: [email protected]: www.gtce.org.uk

DfES Innovation UnitSanctuary BuildingsGreat Smith StreetLondon SW1P 3BT

T: 0870 000 2288E: [email protected]: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/innovation-unit

Effective Professional Learning Communities University of BristolGraduate School of Education8-10 Berkeley SquareBristolBS8 1HH

W: www.eplc.info

Familiarisation and deepening understanding

Creating and sustaining an effective professional learning community

Setting professional learning communities in an international context

Broadening the learning community: key messages

Exploring the idea of professional learning communities

To order a copy of this publication, please email [email protected] quoting reference number DfES-0187-2006 or download from www.ncsl.org.uk/nlcwww.standards.dfes.gov.uk/innovation-unitwww.gtce.org.uk

DfES-0187-2006

exploring the idea of professional learning communities · per group. sort the first set of quotes...

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