PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES “ Best Practices For Enhancing Student Achievement”

PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING LEARNING

COMMUNITIESCOMMUNITIES

““Best Practices For Best Practices For Enhancing Enhancing

Student Achievement”Student Achievement”

Professional Learning Professional Learning Communities at WorkCommunities at Work

• Mission, Vision, Values and Goals.

• Collaborative Teams Engaged in Collective Inquiry.

• Changing Your School’s Culture.

• Planning a PLC-Model School.

IIn times of drastic change, it n times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the is the learners who inherit the

future. future. TThe learned usually find he learned usually find themselves beautifully equipped themselves beautifully equipped to live in a world that no longer to live in a world that no longer exists.exists. -- Eric Hoffer, 1972-- Eric Hoffer, 1972

FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONSFUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS

• We can make a difference.

• Schools can be more effective.

• “People Improvement” is the key to school

improvement.

• Significant school improvement will impact teaching

and learning.

BUT…. There are a variety of ideas about the purpose of schools.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF SCHOOLS?OF SCHOOLS?

DIRECTIONS:DIRECTIONS:

1.1. Find handout #5 in your notebook.Find handout #5 in your notebook.

2.2. As a PLC team, take a minute to consider As a PLC team, take a minute to consider what you believe is the purpose of your what you believe is the purpose of your job and of all schools.job and of all schools.

3. Write a concise statement articulating 3. Write a concise statement articulating your view.your view.

DISCUSS AT YOUR TABLE:DISCUSS AT YOUR TABLE:

• Does your Mission Statement contain the commitment to ensure student learning? Where? Does it imply who is responsible?

A PLC isA PLC is ... ...

• PROFESSIONAL?

“Every teacher is a leader; Every leader is a teacher.”

• LEARNING?In a PLC School, learning applies as much to teachers,

administrators, and parents as to students. Focus on instruction, curriculum and assessment

• COMMUNITY?SupportCooperation vs. competitionFocus intensely on the mission, vision, goals, and values.Improvement of the whole vs. striving to get ahead

individually. A sense of purpose all staff embraces and commits to.

• It’s not all about me!

PPROFESSIONAL ROFESSIONAL EEDUCATORSDUCATORS……

• Emphasize learning.

• Emphasize active student engagement and significant content.

• Focus on student performance and production.

PPROFESSIONAL ROFESSIONAL EEDUCATORSDUCATORS……(CONT.)(CONT.)

• Collaborate with colleagues.

• Are students of teaching, consumers of research.

• Function as leaders.

MISSION VS. VISIONMISSION VS. VISION• MISSION:

• The “WHAT”. What do we want to occur?

• Ex. All Children Can Learn whatever it takes!

• What do we expect all kids to know and be able to do?

• What is our response when they don’t?

• VISION:• The “There”. How will

get from here to there?

• The dream school you would design for your own child or grandchild! The way things “should be”.

• Ex. Vision: Students with a Future.

You’ve got to be You’ve got to be careful if you don’t careful if you don’t know where you’re know where you’re going ‘cause you going ‘cause you

might not get there!might not get there! Yogi BerraYogi Berra

WWHAT KIND OF HAT KIND OF PLACE DO I WANTPLACE DO I WANTMY SCHOOL TO BEMY SCHOOL TO BEFIVE YEARS FROMFIVE YEARS FROM

NOW?NOW?

THE FOUR PILLARS OF PLCTHE FOUR PILLARS OF PLCMISSION

Why do we exist?

VISION

What kind of school are we trying to create?

VALUES

What attitudes, behaviors, and commitments

must we demonstrate in order to create the school of our vision?

GOALSWhich steps should we take first?What is our timeline?What evidence will we present to demonstrate

our progress?

GOALS / PRIORITIESGOALS / PRIORITIES

• Challenge areas agreed on by all

• Steps we will take to get from here to there

• Focus on outcome, Linked to vision

• The gap between our vision and the current reality.

Collaborative Teams Engaged Collaborative Teams Engaged in Collective Inquiryin Collective Inquiry

You cannot have students as You cannot have students as continuous learners and continuous learners and effective collaborators, effective collaborators,

without teachers that have without teachers that have the the

same characteristics.same characteristics.

Michael Fullan, 1993Michael Fullan, 1993

Separated by their Separated by their classrooms and packed classrooms and packed

teaching schedules, teachers teaching schedules, teachers rarely work or talk together rarely work or talk together about teaching practices.about teaching practices.

Linda Darling-Hammond, Linda Darling-Hammond, 19951995

SIX STRATEGIES FOR CREATING SIX STRATEGIES FOR CREATING TEAM TIMETEAM TIME

• Creative scheduling

• Using paraprofessionals

• Parent volunteers

• Schoolwide activities

• Theme and team-teaching

• Purchased planning time

FFOR OR EEFFECTIVE FFECTIVE TTEAMS:EAMS:

• Build in time during the school day

• Make purpose explicit

• Train school personnel

• Accept responsibility

TTEAM EAM MMEETINGSEETINGS

• Agendas and prepared materials

• Note-taking

• Sticking to the task

CCOLLABORATIVE OLLABORATIVE TTEAMSEAMS

• Grade-level or subject-area

• Shared students

• Schoolwide task forces

• Professional training (teaching strategies, etc.

• Vertical Teams

God didn’t create self-contained God didn’t create self-contained classrooms, fifty-minute periods, classrooms, fifty-minute periods, and subjects taught in isolation. and subjects taught in isolation.

We did---We did---because we find working alone because we find working alone

safer than and preferable to safer than and preferable to working together.working together.

Roland Barth, 1991Roland Barth, 1991

CCOLLECTIVE OLLECTIVE IINQUIRY:NQUIRY:

TTHE HE SSEARCH EARCH TTO…O…

• Clarify

• Research collectively

• Find, implement, test best practices

COLLECTIVE INQUIRYCOLLECTIVE INQUIRY“The vehicle that takes you where you want to go.”“The vehicle that takes you where you want to go.”

• Looking closely at the underlying causes of the school’s challenges.

• Inquiry into the relationship between your present situation and the way you’d like things to be at your school.

• Inquiry into the priority areas where your current reality fell short of your vision.

COLLECTIVE INQUIRYCOLLECTIVE INQUIRY (CONT.)(CONT.)

* * Based on the premise: “No one is Based on the premise: “No one is as smart as “all of us”. as smart as “all of us”.

• Inquiry is all about understanding WHY your challenge area exists BEFORE attempting to solve it, so that your solution will truly address the specific challenge vs. a band aid fix.

Collective Inquiry Collective Inquiry IS NOTIS NOT::

• Jumping to conclusions

• Jumping on another bandwagon

Collective Inquiry Collective Inquiry IS NOTIS NOT (cont.)(cont.)::

• Making Assumptions without forming and testing hypotheses

• Placing Blame on any group in the community

By emphasizing needed changes in By emphasizing needed changes in the culture of the schools and the the culture of the schools and the daily practice of professionals, the daily practice of professionals, the reform movement can concentrate reform movement can concentrate

on the heart of the school---the on the heart of the school---the teaching and the learning process.teaching and the learning process.

Karen Seashore Louis, Sharon Kruse and Karen Seashore Louis, Sharon Kruse and Mary Ann Raywid, 1996 Mary Ann Raywid, 1996

The “CULTURE” of aThe “CULTURE” of aProfessional Learning CommunityProfessional Learning Community

1. Shared Mission, Vision, Values, Goals

2. Collective Inquiry

3. Collaborative Teams

4. Action Experimentation

5. Continuous Improvement

6. Focus on Results

The processes involved in school The processes involved in school improvement are analogous to improvement are analogous to

farming. We must plant the seeds farming. We must plant the seeds of school improvement, cultivate, of school improvement, cultivate, nurture, and care for them. We nurture, and care for them. We

must practice patience….must practice patience…. Richard DuFour, Robert Eaker, Richard DuFour, Robert Eaker,

and Mary Ann Ranells, 1992 and Mary Ann Ranells, 1992

Organizations cannot proclaim a Organizations cannot proclaim a change in attitudes, beliefs, or change in attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. People are often behaviors. People are often

unaware of the uniqueness of their unaware of the uniqueness of their organization’s culture. In fact, organization’s culture. In fact,

culture has been described as “the culture has been described as “the way we do things around here” and way we do things around here” and

“the assumptions we don’t see.”“the assumptions we don’t see.”

Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker, 1992 Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker, 1992

If you intend to introduce a change If you intend to introduce a change that is incompatible with the that is incompatible with the

organization’s culture, you have organization’s culture, you have only three choices: modify the only three choices: modify the

change to be more in line with the change to be more in line with the existing culture, alter the culture to existing culture, alter the culture to be more in line with the proposed be more in line with the proposed

change, or prepare to fail.change, or prepare to fail.

David Salisbury & Daryl Conner, 1994David Salisbury & Daryl Conner, 1994

STRUCTURE VS. CULTURESTRUCTURE VS. CULTURE

• STRUCTURE

• Day-To-Day Policies & Procedures

• CULTURE

• Long-Term Beliefs, Expectations, and Habits

AA SSCHOOL’S CHOOL’S CCULTURE ULTURE MMIGHT IGHT

MMEAN……EAN……

• Shared decision-making and teamwork.

• Effective meetings.

• Focus on goals.

• Excitement and support.

KKEYS EYS TTO O PLCPLC CCULTUREULTURE

• Continuous Improvement

• Results Orientation

TTO O CCHANGE HANGE YYOUR OUR

SSCHOOL’S CHOOL’S CCULTUREULTURE

• Promote your mission, vision, values and goals.

• Bring your staff together to find best practices.

• Sustain the culture through communication.

• Persist.

• Confront problems.

WWHY HY CCELEBRATE?ELEBRATE?

• Public honor and reward motivate recipients.

• Appropriate celebration reinforces shared values.

• Recognition provides living examples of cultural values.

WWHY HY CCELEBRATE?ELEBRATE? (CONT.)(CONT.)

• Celebration fuels momentum.

• It’s fun!

SShare – hare – OOwn - wn - SSolveolve

Share ConcernsShare Concerns

Own the ProblemOwn the Problem

Solve the Problem TogetherSolve the Problem Together

FIRST STEPSFIRST STEPS

• TAKE STOCK• FORGE VISION - MAKE IT VISIBLE• ITENTIFY 4 PRIORITIES• STAFF SELF-SELECTS TO TEAMS• ESTABLISH A COMMUNICATION

SYSTEM• TRAIN STAFF IN PLC• PRACTICE INQUIRY • START SMALL• CELEBRATE YOUR FIRST “WIN”

MEETING NORMSMEETING NORMS• Start and end on time• Attendance • Agenda• Roles• Meeting times• Stay on the agenda• Make meetings worthwhile• NO SIDE BARS• NO PUT DOWNS• BE brief and directive• Include all in decision making• Provide a way for everyone to contribute

ROTATE ROLESROTATE ROLES• Facilitator• Recorder• Timekeeper• Gatekeeper• Visionary• Inquirer• Resource• Closure• Reporter• Refreshments

AGENDAAGENDATeam Name Date of Meeting

Present Absent

1. Call to Order2. Reports3. Discussion4. Decisions5. Assignments6. Next meeting

Collaborative TeamsCollaborative Teams• Parent

Engagement

• K-Bowden• 1-White• 2-Smith• 3-Masters• 4-Norris• S-Chandler• Cl-Thomas• P-Eslick• C-Eslick

• Time On Task• K• 1• 2• 3• 4• S• Cl• P• C

PLAN YOUR WORK; WORK PLAN YOUR WORK; WORK YOUR PLANYOUR PLAN

1. REFLECT ON THE BENEFITS OF A PLC.

2. WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE THIS FALL TO BEGIN THE PROCESS?

3. WITH WHICH STEPS ARE YOU MOST COMFORTABLE? UNCOMFORTABLE?

4. HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?