why learning communities? powerful catalyst for change
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Why Learning Communities? Powerful Catalyst for Change. Mary Ann Corley Sandy Keenan American Institutes for Research June 2009. Objectives. Identify characteristics of effective professional development (PD); - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
04/20/23
04/20/23 Mary Ann Corley
04/20/23 Mary Ann Corley
Constant Findings in the
Research Literature
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Staff
Development
Knowledge & Understanding
Ability to Use New Skill
Transfer to Classroom
Theory 90% 25% 5%
Demonstration 90% 50% 5%
Practice and Feedback
90% 90-95% 5%
Peer Coaching or Collegial Support
95-100% 95-100% 90%
Joyce and Showers (1987-1988)
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Staff Development
Knowledge
(thorough)
Skill
(strong)
Transfer
(implementation)
Theory 10% 5% 0%
Demonstrations 30% 20% 0%
Practice &
Feedback
60% 60% 5%
Peer Coaching or Collegial Support
95% 95% 95%
Joyce and Showers (2002)
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Principles of EffectiveProfessional Development
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FROMFROM TOTOAdd-on, free, Add-on, free, educational step-educational step-child child
PD as essential PD as essential work work
Before, after, and Before, after, and outside of workoutside of work
EmbeddedEmbedded in daily work in daily work
Lone-ranger learners; Lone-ranger learners; Individualized Individualized learning, growth, and learning, growth, and changechange
Collegial Collegial interdependence; interdependence; Collaborative learning; Collaborative learning; Focus on collective Focus on collective expertise and practice expertise and practice
Top-down, externally Top-down, externally controlledcontrolled
Educators in charge of Educators in charge of their own learningtheir own learning
Episodic, fragmentedEpisodic, fragmented Continuous learning Continuous learning opportunitiesopportunities
Emphasis on outside Emphasis on outside ideas and expertiseideas and expertise
Internal capacity for Internal capacity for improvementimprovement
Centered on Centered on individualsindividuals
Centered in a learning Centered in a learning communitycommunity
Mary Ann Corley
The Professional Learning Community
04/20/23 Mary Ann Corley
The Concept of Learning Communities
• Arose from Peter Senge’s Fifth Discipline (1990)•Promoted the idea of a work environment in which employees •Engage as teams•Develop a shared vision to guide their work•Operate collaboratively to produce a better product•Evaluate their output.
•The creation and implementation of a LC is crucial to the future success of organizations facing change
(Fullan, 1993; Senge, 2000)
04/20/23 Mary Ann Corley
Susan Rosenholtz (1989) described a workplace for teachers • That encouraged collaboration• In which teachers shared ideas and solutions to problems• In which teachers shared learning about educational practice.
At about the Same Time. . .
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…Teachers who felt supported in their own learning were more committed and effective;
…As teachers learned from each other and improved their practice, benefits to students increased.
Rosenholtz (1989) findings
Mary Ann Corley
A purposeful gathering of individuals who share common interests and goals for learning improvement, or professional development. Individuals within the learning community are committed to supporting one another’s and their group’s development. (NSDC, 2001)
A way to transform personal knowledge into a collectively built, widely shared, and cohesive professional knowledge base
(Wikipedia)
So—What is a Professional Learning Community?
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Mary Ann Corley
1. Shared mission, vision, and values (Isaacson & Bamburg, 1992)
2. Collective inquiry and creativity (Boyd, 1992; Louis & Kruse, 1995)
3. Collaborative teams engaging in problem-solving
(Louis & Kruse, 1995)
4. Supportive and shared leadership (Prestine, 1993)
5. Supportive conditions for meeting and appropriate human capacities (Boyd, 1992; Louis & Kruse, 1995)
6. Action orientation and experimentation
7. A results orientation
Characteristics of a PLC
04/20/23 Mary Ann Corley
04/20/23 Mary Ann Corley
04/20/23 Mary Ann Corley
04/20/23 M. Corley
1. Shared decision-making among staff and administrators
2. A shared vision developed from a commitment to continuous improvement and students’ learning gains
3. Collective learning among participants and application of the learning to practice
4. Peer review and feedback
5. Physical conditions and human capabilities that support such an operation.
Hord, 1997
Requirements for Effective PLCs
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Mary Ann Corley
04/20/23
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Mary Ann Corley
04/20/23 Mary Ann Corley