professional learning communities: transforming groups into teams

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Professional Learning Communities Transform your group into a team! by Joan Richardson Reviewed by J. Polakovsky

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Page 1: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

Professional Learning Communities

Transform your group into a team! by Joan Richardson

Reviewed by J. Polakovsky

Page 2: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

The Big Question How do you move from being a group of

people with a common characteristic — such as teaching the same subject or grade level — to being a team or a community with a common vision and focus?

“No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…” – John Donne

Professional learning community is the new name for team.

Page 3: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

Not all Groups are Teams

Page 4: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

PLC is a Team with an Intentional Focus on Learning

Devote time for group team development

Spend time on the basics

Four stages of group development

Forming

Norming

Storming

Performing

Page 5: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

Updating the Team Development Wheel

Community Development- the making of a team

Pseudo-community

Chaos

Emptiness

Community

Page 6: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

The Principal’s Role

Spend time on basics

Understand the team development process

Give time to conversations about “how to do the work”

Avoid plunging in

Time must be given to trust and relationship building

Realize that every group feels special

Groups need predictable stages

Groups need to know that conflict is natural.

Page 7: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

Developing Norms Teams need to create norms by which all will

abide.

An activity enables groups to develop these ground rules.

Often making task an anonymous one ensures ideas are expressed freely.

Supplies can range from same type of pens, index cards, poster paper, display board, tape and tacks.

Task should take a total of two hours.

Post Norms in the teaming room

Page 8: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

An Example We will work together as a community that

values consensus rather than majority rule.

We will be fully present at the meeting by becoming familiar with materials before we arrive and by being attentive to behaviors which affect physical and mental engagement.

We will invite and welcome the contributions of every member and listen to each other.

We will be involved to our individual level of comfort. Each of us is responsible for airing disagreements during the meeting rather than carrying those disagreements outside the meeting.

Page 9: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

Which stage is your team in? Use a questionnaire.

Questionnaires contain statements about teamwork at the various levels.

Rank each question from “Almost Never” to “Almost Always”

The following link will lead you to 32 good questions and to what stage each belongs for scoring purposes.:

At What Stage is Your Team? Questionnaire

Page 10: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

R.E.A.C.H. Risk-Takers building a PLC take an

adjustment of thought, procedures and time. Major changes will have to occur.

Effectiveness develops after the team is created and plans can be enacted.

Autonomy is not being that island unto oneself but rather displaying independent thought responsibly. This initiative adds to the strength of the group.

Collegiality is a promotion of community.

Honor is displayed by treating others with respect and dignity

Page 11: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

Food for Thought

No one of us can be effective as all of us. Unknown

Page 12: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

Build with your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another, and of strength derived from unity in the pursuit of your objective.

–Vince Lombardi

Page 13: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; and working together is success.

Henry Ford

Page 14: Professional Learning Communities: Transforming Groups into Teams

Resources

Richardson, Joan. Transform Your Group into a TEAM, Tools for Schools, Vol. 9, No. 2,November/December 2005. http://www.nsdc.org/members/tools/tools11-05.pdf

Merideth, Eunice. Leadership Strategies for Teachers, 2nd ed. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA. 2007.

Heart Sutra http://www.silcom.com/~eclarson/heartsutra/hs-ra/hs06.html