Of A Highly Effective Professional Learning Community CORNERSTONES.

of A Highly Effective Professional Learning

Community

CORNERSTONES

CornerstonesLeadership

PLCs sustain where we find committed, skilled leaders who continue to learn

Collaborative learning teamsAdult learning and student learning are directly related to the quality of team collaboration

Using dataInformation (data ) informs –does not drive—decisions/solutions

What is your dream

for the children?

Social Capital

“The Missing Link in School Reform” by Carrie R. Leana. Stanford Social Innovation Review, fall 2011.

HUMAN CAPITAL – abilities, knowledge and skills developed through formal education and on-the-job experience

SOCIAL CAPITAL – the relationships among teachers that promote a teacher’s growth and improvementa. peer helpingb. atmosphere of high trust

Study in NYC public schools:2005-2007 1,000 4th and 5th grade teachers in 130 elem.

schoolsCorrected for poverty, attendance & special

education statusFocus on math (research shocking)Teachers 2x more likely to ask peers for help

than experts & 4x more likely to ask peers than principal

Teachers who reported frequent conversations w/peers re: math instruction & where there was trust among teachers – the students had higher gains in math achievement. So, social capital was a significant predictor of achievement gains above and beyond teacher experience or ability.

LeadershipInspiration. Culture.

LeadershipA good leader is a learner / Asks questions /

Seeks solutions.Form a guiding coalition.Identify known and likely implementation

challenges.Problem solve (include staff input regularly)

challenges.Give teachers tools* to facilitate the PLC work.

Communicate expectations.Focus is always on all students learning at high

levels-whatever it takes.Teachers are valued, supported, empowered

and invited to lead.Teachers know there are some non-negotiables.

LeadershipApply tight/loose leadership. Keep hope

alive.

Flexibility in beginningNon-negotiables (high expectations, focus

on results, communication)Empower staff but tight on team

accountabilityTeams set their goals, but whole faculty

sets vision, collective destination for schoolUsing multiple data to inform decisions is

non-negotiable; some decisions made by teams, some school-wide process

Create and support shared leadership

Collaborative Teams: Learn by Doing!

Curriculum and InstructionTeams create, revise & monitor curriculum –align with NJCCCS and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) – ongoing work, should be routine practice

Teams use resources and their collective experience to improve instruction – serves to improve teachers’ pedagogy

Collaborative Teams: Learn by Doing!

Teams focus on student learning objectives and track student learning. DuFour:

What do we want students to know?What instructional strategies will be effective?

How will we know if students don’t learn?

What will we do if they don’t?What will we do if they already know it?

Collaborative Teams: Learn by Doing!

A word about curriculum and instruction—

1.Things can get disconnected. Curriculum, instruction and assessment must be tightly connected. It’s your primary work and teams are the glue!

2.Teachers are knowledgeable. But they need each other to bounce ideas, share strategies, plan interventions, share kids, think about barriers to learning & solutions, and have fun together. This is a culture of inquiry!

Collaborative Teams: Learn by Doing!

What do we want students to know and what instructional strategies will be effective?

Establish common goals (school, team, classroom) based on adequate information

Determine individual and team professional learning needs to meet those goals.

Seek resources and tools to help you structure team meetings focused on curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Tuning Protocols Defined

1. a professional learning process that honors the work we as educators are trying to do (our practice). They help us fine TUNE (think of tuning a radio to get the clearest reception or tuning a car so that it runs better) our practice using a PROTOCOL or formal process for examining our work in a supportive, problem-solving group. Lois Brown Easton

2. a teacher presents actual work before a group of thoughtful “critical friends” in a structured reflective discourse aimed at “tuning” the work to higher standards. Joe McDonald

Collaborative TeamsHope is Alive

“Teaching at this school is a better experience than I could have ever hoped for . . . . It is amazing.” Elementary school teacher

PAIR UP: discuss for 2 minutes what makes/can make your school amazing.

Be ready to share ideas – something you or a colleague said that helps to keep us passionate.

5 minutes

Using DataAnalyze Student Data in Teams

Collect multiple data on student learning

Summative dataFormative dataSocial-emotional data

Data = information

Summative Assessment Data

What do we want students to know & how will we know if they learned it?

INFORMS COLLECTIVE DECISIONS RE: SCHOOL-WIDE GOALS

Sources: state tests gr. 3-8, 11 school-wide interim assessments teacher-made tests, team designed

tests

Opportunity to create SMART goals that everyone agrees on and aims to achieves

Formative Assessment Data

What will we do if students don’t learn it? What will we do if students already know it?

ADJUST INSTRUCTION, RETEACH/GROUP, APPLY INTERVENTIONS

SourcesInterim assessments

Commercial District School Common formative - team created (weekly,

monthly, quarterly –intervals determined by team)

Student work assignments, quizzes, projects, portfolios,

etc.

Teacher-made tests

Social-emotional DataHow will we factor in influences beyond

academic learning?AFFECTIVE CONCERNS, STRENGTHS & GIFTS

Sources:Counselor

Social worker, Nurse

Anti-bullying specialist

Other teachers (coaches, electives, tutors, etc.)

Parents

Surveys

Administrators

Other students

Referral & attendance records

CORNERSTONESLeadership. PLCs sustain where we find

committed, skilled leaders who continue to learn

Think of an excellent leader you know or work with.

What attributes qualify this person to be a PLC leader?

5 minutes

CORNERSTONESCollaborative learning teams. Adult

learning and student learning are directly related to the quality of team collaboration.

Think of a collaborative team you know or work with.

What attributes qualify this team to be called exemplary?

5 minutes

CORNERSTONES

Using data. Data informs – does not drive - decisions

Think of a collaborative team that uses data (information) to improve teaching and learning. What are they doing right?

5 minutes

Resources

NJ Tool Kit ([email protected] ) all staff members should download a personal copy

Teacher Leader Model StandardsLearning by Doing (2006). Richard DuFour, et al., Solution-Tree.

Team to Teach: A Facilitator’s Guide to Professional Learning Teams. (2008). Anne Jolly, National Staff Development Council.

Resources

Powerful Designs for Professional Learning, 2nd ed. (2008). Lois Brown Easton, National Staff Development Council.

Leading Professional Learning Communities. (2008). Shirley Hord & William Sommers, Corwin Press.

www.solution-tree.com www.learningforward.org www.leadandlearn.com

NJDOE Online Resources

Professional learning planning documents:

www.nj.gov/education/profdev/pd/teacher

PLC videos and materials:www.nj.gov/education/profdev/pd/teacher/plc

THINKSHEET InstructionsCol. One

Decide on one, two or three PLC elements you would like to implement in your school or district.

Col. Two

If present in the school/district, circle “Yes” and describe the successes and challenges experienced. If not, circle “No.”

Col. Three

Reach agreement on some short-term and long-term steps to take to reach your implementation goal. Your steps may fall into one or more of the three themes; it is not essential to address all three.