professional learning communities
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Professional Learning Communities. The Warren County Journey. Why PLC’s. Teaching: the cause to know something Learning: knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study. PLC Defined. What is the definition of a Professional Learning Community? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Why PLC’sTeaching: the cause to know
somethingLearning:
knowledge or skill acquired by
instruction or study
PLC Defined
• What is the definition of a Professional Learning Community?• “Educators committed to working collaboratively in
ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. Professional learning communities operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators.”
(Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, and Many, 2006)
So What is a PLC?The Essential Elements of a PLC are:1. A PLC is a collaborative venture.2. A PLC is always focused on student learning.3. A PLC distributes leadership responsibilities.4. A PLC narrows the curriculum to its essence.5. A PLC shares best practices as a means of
improving instruction.6. A PLC uses “assessment for learning”.7. A PLC Improves professional practice.8. Eye Doctor Example
A PLC is Not!A Professional Learning Community is NOT:• A program to be implemented• A package of reforms to be adopted• A step-by-step recipe for change• A sure-fire system borrowed from another school• One more thing to add to an already cluttered
school agendaA PLC IS A PROCESS THAT WILL CHANGE A
SCHOOL’S CULTURE!
What is Collaboration?
•A systematic process in which we work together, interdependently, to analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve our individual and collective results.
Dufour, Dufour, & Eaker (2002)
Four Questions that Guide the Work of our Collaborative Teams• What do we expect students to learn and be able to do?• Essential outcomes, essential standards, learning
targets, pacing • How will we know if they learn it?• Common assessments, quick checks for
understanding, results analysis• How do we respond when students experience difficulty
in learning?• Differentiated instruction, intervention programs, RTI
• How will we respond when students do learn?• Differentiated instruction, enrichment activities
Bloom’s Keys to student learning
•“Educators should pre-assess skills then focus on lacking skills which will allow for student success.”
Benjamin Bloom
What are the Characteristics of High Performing Teams?
• Effective Leadership (Learning Leaders)• District, School, Team• Quality Teaching and Learning• Improved Pedagogical Practice• Systemic Improvement• Getting Started to Get Better• Clear and Collaborative Relationships• Learning how to work together!
Quality Teaching and Learning
• High expectations and accountability for adults• Guaranteed and viable curriculum and instruction for
students• Focus on Learning• Teaching without learning isn’t teaching at all. It’s just
presenting
• Answering the Four Questions• Taking ownership for results and data • In the absence of data you are just another person with an
opinion!
How do I begin the Journey?• Organize into Collaborative Teams and
agree on meeting norms that are agreed upon and shared by all.• Start Small•Model and Train, Train, Train• Limit Initiatives –How does in fit into the
PLC Process?• First you have to start Learning by Doing
(Get Started To Get Better).
Begin and end meetings on time.Stay fully engaged during each meeting.Maintain a positive attitude at team meetings
– no complaining unless offering a better alternative.
Listen respectfully to each other.Contribute equally to the workload.Make decisions on the basis of consensus.Fully support each other’s efforts to improve
student learning.
Collective Commitments (Team Norms)
How do I begin the Journey?
• The quality of “bottom up” ownership from the faculty and staff, depends first, on the quality of top-down leadership within the district.
Cox, Eaker, Hale, 2011
How to Answer the Four Critical Questions.• Work together to identify what students
should know and be able to do. (If we want all students to learn lets identify what they are to learn) Learn What?• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of
students as identified by data and plan together how to respond.• Develop Interventions and Enrichments based
on student data.• Celebrate Success!
Implementation: Decisions to Make• When do we start the process? Start Now!• Loose and Tight Expectations? How do we get to where we want to be?• Time and Support (who controls the time?)• For Teachers• For Students
• Communication (You can’t communicate to much!)• Team Leaders-Building Capacity (Identifying potential leaders)• Train, Train, Train• How do we collaborate, hold a team meeting, accomplish our goal?
(Model Everything)• Identifying and Aligning the Power Standards• Establishing Common Assessments• Team Developed – Leadership Supported
What Have We Learned From Our Journey?
• The Director, School Board, and School Leadership must own & lead the work •Have a 100 day plan and stick to it!•Collaboration by invitation will not
work• You must establish the “why”• Time for collaboration must be
provided within the school day
The Journey Continues
• The work of teams must be monitored and must meet collaboratively agreed upon standards of quality (Documentation of Products )• The quality of principal teams impacts the quality of
teacher teams• Model what you expect teams to produce• Leadership monthly Teaching/Learning Meetings• Annual Leadership Planning Retreat
• Universal happiness is not the goal but shared responsibility is• Use data to influence attitudes• You will always be monitoring and adjusting (it’s a
process)• The work of teams must be recognized and
celebrated
Warren County Data
2010 20110
10
20
30
40
50
60
Projected Elementary AYP ChartReading /Language Arts 3-8 Math 3-8
Perc
ent P
rof/
Adv
Warren County Data
Algebra I Biology I English I English II US History0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Projected GrowthSpring 2011
% at or aboveabove onlybelow only
Conclusion
• Learning vs. Teaching• Collaboration vs. Isolation• Intervention vs. Reaction• All students vs. My students
•You Decide!
The PLC process is hard work and is
not something that will happen
overnight, but over time students will learn more and at higher levels if the
process is followed.
PLC Professional Consultation
Bobby Cox, Ed.S.Assistant Director For Teaching/LearningWarren County Schools, TN2548 Morrison StreetMcMinnville, TN 37110931-668-4022 ext. [email protected]
Resources for the Journey
A Short Bibliography for More Information about Professional Learning Communities
Failure is Not an Option: Six Principles that Guide Student Achievement in High Performing Schools, Alan Blankstein, 2005
Getting Started: Reculturing Schools to Become Professional Learning Communities, Robert Eaker, Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, 2002
Leading Learning Communies: Standards for What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do, NAESP, 2002
On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities, Richard DuFour, Robert Eaker, Rebecca DuFour (Editors), 2005
Professional Learning Communities At Work: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement, Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker
Whatever It Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond When Kids Don’t Learn, Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, and Gayle Karhanek, 2004
Learning by Doing, Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas Many, 2006
Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work: New insights for improving schools, Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, 2008