SSRI Secondary School Redesign Initiative Building Professional Building Professional Learning Communities Learning Communities SPN/SSRI Liaison.

SSRISSRISecondary School Secondary School Redesign InitiativeRedesign Initiative

Building Professional Building Professional Learning CommunitiesLearning Communities

SPN/SSRI LiaisonSPN/SSRI Liaison

Primary FunctionPrimary Function

Physicals Physicals Vs.Vs.

AutopsiesAutopsiesDouglas Reeves Douglas Reeves

as quoted in as quoted in On Common Ground p 53On Common Ground p 53

Even school districts that devote tremendous time and energy to designing the intended curriculum often pay little attention to the implemented curriculum (what teachers actually teach) and even less to the attained curriculum (what students learn).

Marzano, 2003

Quality teaching requires strong professional learning communities. Collegial interchange, not isolation, must become the norm for teachers.

National Commission on Teaching

2003

55

National Staff Development Council

The Standard:

“Staff Development that improves the learning of all students

organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are

aligned with those of the school and district.”

99

66

National Staff Development Council

The Rationale:

Teams that meet on a regular basis for the purposes of......

Learning

Joint lesson planning

Problem-solving

1010

77

Teacher members of a PLC assist one another in the following ways:

Examine the standards students are required to master

Plan more effective lessons Critique student work Solve the common problems of

teaching

1111

88

Teams determine areas in which additional learning would be helpful and do the following:

read articles attend workshops or courses invite consultants to assist them in

acquiring necessary knowledge or skills

observe one another in the classroom invite support staff, administrators, or even

school board members to participate

1212

What does the Florida DOE What does the Florida DOE say?say?

1.1.6 Learning Communities

“The faculty member participates in learning communities of adults whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district.”

“Describe how your school organizes teachers into learning communities.”

(Note: Learning communities are small groups of faculty who meet regularly to study more effective learning and teaching practices.)

House Bill 7807 outlines theHouse Bill 7807 outlines the

A++initiative and includes A++initiative and includes

the SSRI Act:the SSRI Act:

10. Professional Development for staff based on data-determined needs with common planning and PLCs for teachers and a network of PD providers for education leaders.

1122

SSRI is a PLC.....

“Many educators also benefit from participation in regional or national subject-matter networks or school reform consortia that connect schools with common interests.”

www.NSDC.org

1313

1133

Dufour

Members of Learning Communities take collective responsibility for the learning of all students represented by team members.

1414

Critical Friends Groups...

The National School Reform Faculty (NSRF) is rooted in four beliefs:

• that school people, working together, can make real and lasting improvements in their own schools;

• that teachers and administrators must help each other turn theories into practice and standards into actual student learning;

• that the key to this effort is the development of a "learning community" based on public, collaborative examination of both adult and student work;

• that to create this community, practitioners need high-quality training and sustained support.

Critical Friends Groups...

The National School Reform Faculty (NSRF) is rooted in four beliefs:

• that school people, working together, can make real and lasting improvements in their own schools;

• that teachers and administrators must help each other turn theories into practice and standards into actual student learning;

• that the key to this effort is the development of a "learning community" based on public, collaborative examination of both adult and student work;

• that to create this community, practitioners need high-quality training and sustained support.

Characteristics of a PLCCharacteristics of a PLC

Shared Mission, Vision, Values Shared Mission, Vision, Values and Goalsand Goals

Collective InquiryCollective Inquiry Collaborative TeamsCollaborative Teams Action Orientation and Action Orientation and

ExperimentationExperimentation Continuous ImprovementContinuous Improvement Results OrientationResults Orientation

What does a PLC involve?What does a PLC involve?

Professional conversation that leads to improved practices.

Professional development that translates into improved student learning.

1177

What is required of PLC members?

Common Purpose Focus on Learning Commitment Willingness to Stretch Comfort

Zone Training Continued Support Frequent Conversation

1188

First Steps

Understanding of and Commitment to PLC

Relationships Culture of Safety Staff Readiness

1199

Zones of Safety

Comfort

Risk

Danger

2200

Low Level of Risk

Book Study Relationship Building Examining Standards Text Based Discussions Action Research

Higher Level of RiskHigher Level of Risk

• Examining Student Work Examining Student Work • Examining Teacher WorkExamining Teacher Work• Consultancy DilemmasConsultancy Dilemmas• Peer Observation and Peer Observation and

DebriefingDebriefing

2222

What are Protocols?

A script or series of timed steps for how a conversation among teachers on a chosen topic will develop

Numerous protocols are available from the National School Reform Faculty

http://www.nsrfharmony.org 2222

2233

ProtocolsProtocols

Enable you to choose the Enable you to choose the correct strategycorrect strategy

Provide trainingProvide training Provide guidelines and structure Provide guidelines and structure

to conversationto conversation Help enforce timelinesHelp enforce timelines

Among educators especially, just talking may not be enough. The kind of talking needed to educate ourselves cannot rise spontaneously and unaided from just talking. It needs to be carefully planned and scaffolded.

The Power of Protocols: An Educator’s Guide to Better Practice

Quality teaching requires strong professional learning communities. Collegial interchange, not isolation, must become the norm for teachers.

National Commission

on Teaching, 2003

Resources

๏ www.nsdc.org (Nat’l Staff Development Council)

๏ www.nsrfharmony.org (Critical Friends)

๏ www.nefec.org/documents/12/monograph08-3.pdf (Action Research)

๏ http://www.just4kids.org/en/florida

SSRISSRISecondary School Secondary School Redesign InitiativeRedesign Initiative

Building Professional Building Professional Learning CommunitiesLearning Communities

Penny Sell and Chris KisnerPenny Sell and Chris Kisner