The Power of Professional The Power of Professional Learning Communities at Learning Communities at

WorkWork

2009 Hanover County Public 2009 Hanover County Public Schools Leadership Schools Leadership

ConferenceConference

Welcome & Opening: Table Welcome & Opening: Table DiscussionsDiscussions

Guiding QuestionsGuiding Questions1)1) What does Professional Learning Community mean to you? What does Professional Learning Community mean to you?

What does it look like?What does it look like?

2)2) How are goals and actions determined and implemented at your How are goals and actions determined and implemented at your school or in your department?school or in your department?

3)3) What is the difference between COOPERATION & What is the difference between COOPERATION & COLLABORATION?COLLABORATION?

4)4) What are some obstacles to TEAMWORK?What are some obstacles to TEAMWORK?

5)5) What are some examples of meetings or opportunities to What are some examples of meetings or opportunities to collaborate in your building or department?collaborate in your building or department?

What Is a Professional Learning What Is a Professional Learning Community?Community?

The purposes of this session are:The purposes of this session are:

1)1) To introduce the professional learning To introduce the professional learning community concept, and community concept, and

2) 2) To show the cultural shifts that must To show the cultural shifts that must occur when a school decides to occur when a school decides to take actiontake action to ensure all kids learn by becoming a PLC.to ensure all kids learn by becoming a PLC.

Concepts to be IntroducedConcepts to be Introduced

1)1) Introduction to PLC’s and Reaction Introduction to PLC’s and Reaction LogLog

2)2) A Focus on LearningA Focus on Learning

3)3) A Culture of CollaborationA Culture of Collaboration

4)4) A Focus on ResultsA Focus on Results

5)5) Cultural ShiftsCultural Shifts

What is a Professional Learning What is a Professional Learning Community? Community?

VIDEO CLIPVIDEO CLIP

What is a Professional Learning What is a Professional Learning Community? Community?

““Schools have traditionally operated from the premise Schools have traditionally operated from the premise that educators have a responsibility to provide students that educators have a responsibility to provide students with the opportunity to learn. with the opportunity to learn.

Whether or not students Whether or not students actuallyactually learn depends on learn depends on factors educators cannot influence, such as innate ability, factors educators cannot influence, such as innate ability, student motivation, a home environment that supports student motivation, a home environment that supports and encourages learning, student work habits, and so and encourages learning, student work habits, and so on.”on.”

What are YOUR reactions to this statement?

Big Idea #1 – A Focus on Big Idea #1 – A Focus on LearningLearning

VIDEO CLIP

Big Idea #1 – A Focus on Big Idea #1 – A Focus on LearningLearning

Think/Pair/Share…

What has been your experience with school or organizational performance programs or processes?

Big Idea #1 – A Focus on Big Idea #1 – A Focus on LearningLearning

“A professional learning community is an ethos that influences every single aspect of a school’s operation. When a school becomes a professional learning community, everything in the school looks different than it did before.”

- Andy Hargreaves

Big Idea #1 – A Focus on Big Idea #1 – A Focus on Learning Learning

What are some practices we would expect to see in a school or division committed to ensuring all students learn at high levels?

• ““Some students will always choose to fail, Some students will always choose to fail, regardless of what we do in our schools and regardless of what we do in our schools and classrooms. It is impossible to help all students classrooms. It is impossible to help all students learn if students refuse to learn.”learn if students refuse to learn.”

• ““We could help more of our students be We could help more of our students be successful if we were willing to work together to successful if we were willing to work together to implement more effective practices.” implement more effective practices.”

Big Idea: A Focus on Big Idea: A Focus on LearningLearning

Big Idea #2: A Culture of Big Idea #2: A Culture of CollaborationCollaboration

VIDEO CLIP

Are you a group or a team? Are you a group or a team?

Activity….Activity….

You will be given 10 seconds to copy as You will be given 10 seconds to copy as many letters from the triangle as many letters from the triangle as

possible.possible.

G

E M C

T A W H K

Q F X U B Y D

R L D V I Z P J S

B

M R G

W C K Q E

U S L X H O V

T F N Y A P Z D I

COLLABORATIONCOLLABORATION

DuFour, et. al. define DuFour, et. al. define collaboration as…collaboration as…

“ “A systematic process in A systematic process in which people work which people work together, together, iinterdependentlynterdependently, to , to analyze and analyze and impactimpact professional practice in professional practice in order to improve order to improve individualindividual and and collectivecollective results.” results.”

Collaboration vs. Collaboration vs. CoblaborationCoblaboration

““The most critical question to consider The most critical question to consider when reflecting on collaboration is not, when reflecting on collaboration is not, ‘Do we collaborate?’, but rather, ‘What ‘Do we collaborate?’, but rather, ‘What do we collaborate about?” do we collaborate about?”

DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & ManyDuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & ManyThe focus of collaborative team The focus of collaborative team meetings needs to be systematic and meetings needs to be systematic and conversations should center around conversations should center around students, learning, and the four students, learning, and the four essential questions of a PLC.essential questions of a PLC.

Case Study ReflectionCase Study Reflection

Why did Principal McDonald’s efforts to Why did Principal McDonald’s efforts to build a collaborative culture go awry? build a collaborative culture go awry?

What steps might he take to improve What steps might he take to improve upon the situation?upon the situation?

To make collaboration To make collaboration work…work…

Teams need time to work together. Teams need time to work together. This time should be spent clarifying This time should be spent clarifying essential knowledge and skills, essential knowledge and skills, developing common assessments, developing common assessments, analyzing student work samples and analyzing student work samples and performance data, and engaging in performance data, and engaging in conversations about instruction to conversations about instruction to help each team member learn from help each team member learn from one another.one another.

Helping teams focus on issues Helping teams focus on issues that impact student learningthat impact student learning

Providing time during the school day.Providing time during the school day.Offering guidance and structure for how to Offering guidance and structure for how to use collaborative time.use collaborative time.Make expectations for products of Make expectations for products of collaboration explicit and time specific.collaboration explicit and time specific.Assisting with the development of team Assisting with the development of team norms.norms.Establishing a system of documentation and Establishing a system of documentation and communication, with a way for teams to communication, with a way for teams to communicate with administration.communicate with administration.Monitor progress. Have administrators or Monitor progress. Have administrators or knowledgeable individuals available to join knowledgeable individuals available to join team meetings.team meetings.

Collaboration to Collaboration to StrengthenStrengthen TeamsTeams

Effective teams balance their focus on Effective teams balance their focus on three characteristics…three characteristics…

Relationships Relationships - - How people relate to one How people relate to one another and the organization AND how another and the organization AND how people feel about their own contributions.people feel about their own contributions.ProcessProcess – – How work gets divided and How work gets divided and accomplished, as well as how the work is accomplished, as well as how the work is monitored and evaluated.monitored and evaluated.ResultsResults – – Completion of the task and Completion of the task and achievement of the common goal.achievement of the common goal.

** ** Adapted from Interaction Associates, LLC , & a presentation by Janet MaloneAdapted from Interaction Associates, LLC , & a presentation by Janet Malone****

BREAKBREAK

Big Idea #3 – A Focus on Big Idea #3 – A Focus on ResultsResults

Video Clip

Brainstorm Brainstorm

What kind of data do

we receive?

How do we How do we use the use the

data that data that we we

receive? receive?

A Focus on ResultsA Focus on Results

Does the way Does the way we use data we use data

help help students to students to

learn at high learn at high levels? How levels? How do we know? do we know?

A focus on resultsA focus on results

Represents a “cultural shift” for many, Represents a “cultural shift” for many, because it must be a focus on “in because it must be a focus on “in process” data, rather than summative process” data, rather than summative measures. measures. Teams develop common assessments Teams develop common assessments based on their goals, then use student based on their goals, then use student performance on those assessments to performance on those assessments to regularly measure progress towards regularly measure progress towards goals.goals.Is correlated to the factors of Is correlated to the factors of collaboration and a focus on learning.collaboration and a focus on learning.

A Focus on ResultsA Focus on Results

““Without attention to Without attention to results, it is impossible for results, it is impossible for any group or organization any group or organization to assess the effectiveness to assess the effectiveness

of improvement of improvement processes.” processes.”

(Mike Schmoker)(Mike Schmoker)

Analyzing DataAnalyzing Data

Results…No shame, no blame…just Results…No shame, no blame…just honest analysis of whether students honest analysis of whether students met the team agreed upon standard met the team agreed upon standard and what to do about it.and what to do about it.

DuFour, DuFour, and Eaker, remind us, “That data DuFour, DuFour, and Eaker, remind us, “That data alone will not help individuals or teams improve. alone will not help individuals or teams improve.

They need the context of valid comparison to They need the context of valid comparison to identify strengths and weaknesses.”identify strengths and weaknesses.”

Results as a MotivatorResults as a Motivator

Celebrate each and every small success.Celebrate each and every small success.Use successes to sustain the efforts of Use successes to sustain the efforts of those committed to improvement, and to those committed to improvement, and to gain the support of the “resisters”.gain the support of the “resisters”.Be sure that results and feedback on Be sure that results and feedback on results are used to influence, not to punish results are used to influence, not to punish or embarrass.or embarrass.Jim Collins says, Jim Collins says, “When skeptics ‘feel the “When skeptics ‘feel the magic of momentum’, when they can magic of momentum’, when they can begin to see tangible results—that is when begin to see tangible results—that is when they will get on board.”they will get on board.”

CelebrateCelebrate

Big and small Big and small successes as a teamsuccesses as a teamPublicize successes, Publicize successes, not just amongst your not just amongst your organization, but in organization, but in the public, with the the public, with the community you serve.community you serve.Keep hope “alive” with Keep hope “alive” with staff through staff through celebration and celebration and genuine affirmations.genuine affirmations. See Tips for See Tips for Celebrating Page.Celebrating Page.

Avoid Pitfalls…Avoid Pitfalls…Focus on results, not activities or intentions. Focus on results, not activities or intentions.

Use SMART goals and statements that focus on Use SMART goals and statements that focus on outcomes (results-oriented).outcomes (results-oriented).Plan for strategies to achieve the goal. Plan for strategies to achieve the goal. A focus A focus on results should NOT negate attention to on results should NOT negate attention to the process.the process.

Frequently gather information about students’ Frequently gather information about students’ performance in the area (interims and nine weeks performance in the area (interims and nine weeks or even more regularly) and assess progress or even more regularly) and assess progress towards goal.towards goal.Make sure that data and results get to teachers and Make sure that data and results get to teachers and other stakeholders in a timely manner. other stakeholders in a timely manner. As a team, make adjustments based on As a team, make adjustments based on results.results.““Expect to make mistakes, and learn from Expect to make mistakes, and learn from them.” them.” Be careful about compromises! Be careful about compromises!

Cultural ShiftsCultural Shifts

VIDEO CLIP

Cultural ShiftsCultural Shifts

“Where are we going? Where have we been?”

Areas where cultural shifts are needed…

•Fundamental Purpose•Use of Assessments•Response when Students Don’t Learn•Work of Teachers•Focus•School Culture•Professional Development

Cultural ShiftsCultural Shifts

ActivityActivity

Cultural ShiftsCultural Shifts

““It is a daily habit of working It is a daily habit of working together, and you can’t learn this together, and you can’t learn this from a workshop or course. You from a workshop or course. You need to learn it by doing it and need to learn it by doing it and having mechanisms for getting having mechanisms for getting

better at it on purpose.”better at it on purpose.”

- Michael Fullan- Michael Fullan

Reflections/ClosureReflections/ClosureSharing reflections from response log Sharing reflections from response log

(Volunteers?)(Volunteers?)

What will be your next or first steps?What will be your next or first steps?

(Where to begin or continue the journey!)(Where to begin or continue the journey!)

Resources to help!Resources to help!

Follow-Up TrainingFollow-Up Training