Regional BLT Training
Welcome
Field TeamRoxann Bighorn
Lacey BleessColby Christensen
Jeanne CowanLisa Hafer
Marilyn Hofer
Vision
The education community, learning and working collaboratively,
establishes goals and improves professional practice leading to increased
student achievement and school improvement.
Outcomes
Participants will: build collegiality among the members of the Building Leadership
Team (BLT) in each school
understand the purpose of working in professional learning communities
have a shared understanding of the process for establishing, implementing or expanding Building Leadership Teams (BLT)
prepare for their building-level trainings
TIME ITEM
10:00-12:00 Opening: Introductions, Outcomes, Focusing Activity, Norming
Professional Learning Communities NSCD Standards
12:00-12:40 LUNCH PROVIDED ON SITE
12:40-3:00 Refocusing Activity BLT/CWG Process Team Planning for Building Training Wrap-up and Evaluation
Spaces and Logs
Establishing Norms
During our time together, we need a safe and open climate in which we can:
think deeply about important learning and teaching ideas
work and talk together to build shared understanding
Group Norms
Honor private “think time.”
Own the responsibility of putting ideas on the table.
Share “air time.”
Activity
• Get up and find two people you don’t know. • Introduce yourself and describe one specific action
that will help move us toward our goal. What does that look like—what would we see, hear, feel?
• Return to table; generate a list of specific actions that will keep us on track and on time.
• Narrow that list to the two most important and put on the word strips. Post the word strips beneath one of the categories:
– Honor private think time– Own the responsibility of putting ideas on the table– Share air time
The Big Arrow
DistrictGoals & Measures
Aim of theDistrict
Random Acts of Improvement
The Better Big Arrow
DistrictGoals & Measures
Aim of theDistrict
Aligned Acts of Improvement
Professional Learning Communities
What is a professional learning community?
What are the implications for our work?
PLCs by Richard DuFour
Directions:The article is divided into three sections. Number off at your table by
three’s.
Everyone reads the introduction and conclusion and his/her assigned section.
As you are reading, record important information on the graphic organizer.
You will have 15 minutes to complete the reading.
PLC Graphic Organizer Choose a recorder and reporter.
Discuss your section with your group.
Determine ONE key idea from the article and post on the left side of T-Chart.
Determine how you would achieve the key idea back at your building(s) and post on the right side of T-Chart.
The reporter will explain the T-Chart to the large group.
You will have 15 minutes to complete this assignment.
Learning Communities
Staff development that improves the learning for all students organizes adults
into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district.
Data-Driven
Staff development that improves the learning for all students uses disaggregated student
data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain
continuous improvement.
Research-Based
Staff development that improves learning for all students prepares educators
to apply research to decision-making.
School Assessment
Review the Desired Outcomes for Learning Communities. For each Desired Outcome, individually decide at which level you would place your school as a whole. Discuss your answers with your team and reach consensus on your school’s “starting level” for each Desired Outcome. Think about how you might move along the continuum of levels. What action steps would be required?
Repeat the same process for the other two standards—Data-Driven and Research-Based.
Lunch - 12:00-12:40
The downfall of low-performing schools is not their lack of effort and motivation; rather, it is poor decisions regarding what to work on. So the problem in low-performing schools is not getting people to work, it is getting people to do the “right work.
--Richard Elmore
Refocusing Activity
You will see the answer to a question.
Each person on your team will have two minutes to write one question that could be the question for this answer.
Share your questions with others at your table.
Select one question to share with the whole group.
And the answer is…
BLT Training
BLT is a research-based professional development model designed to transform professional learning in schools.
The BLT process is based on three of the twelve standards developed by the National Staff Development Council. (http://www.nsdc.org)
The BLT process weaves these three standards into an on-going learning process that is designed to engage all educators in a school and district in a collaborative, data-driven, reflection experience aimed at improving classroom practice and student learning.
Step into the BLT Process
The vision of this leadership team process
is to meet the individual needs of schools.
1. The team attends BLT Leadership Trainings prior to each scheduled in-service.
2. At each BLT training session, presenters share information and model strategies based on district-wide goals.
3. The BLT takes the information learned at each training session, plans and organizes the best way to introduce the information to their staff - building specific.
Step into the BLT Process
4. Planning time is given during the BLT training.
5. The BLT trains their entire staff during each of the district’s in-service days.
The BLT process IS research-based and correlates with effective professional development models proven to enhance student achievement. It promotes on-going learning, collaborative dialogue, shared work and deep reflection.
The BLT process IS long-term, embedded and systemic.
The BLT process IS NOT one-shot professional development.
Advantages of Teachers Working in Teams
Develop more creative solutions to complex problems Reduce isolation among teachers Build commitment and support for new ideas Foster collective responsibility for students’ success Successfully implement complex plans Allow those closest to the work to collectively improve teaching
and learning Provide possibilities for empowerment that are not available for
individuals
Structures for Collaborative Work Groups (CWGs)
Horizontal groups by grade levelVertical teams by subject area Interdisciplinary groupsPersonal interest in working on a particular goal
or topic Groups with common planning timesGroups formed around the needs of studentsOthers
Collaborative Work Groups
Learning Community Questionnaire
Complete the questionnaire individually.
Reach group consensus on each scale to represent the degree to which you feel your school has developed.
If time allows, use the three questions to guide further discussion.
Team Planning
Complete Meeting Planner
Finalize formation of CWGs
Built-in Break
Share Building Planning/ Wrap Up
Choose a reporter to share your team’s plans and the agenda
you developed for your building-level training.
Please take two minutes to share your building’s plan with the large group.
Please send an electronic copy of your agenda to your field team representative.
Remember to use the wiki to access all handouts and the Power Point presentation.
http://sdiplus.tie2.wikispaces.net
Evaluation
Please complete the evaluation
and leave it on your table.
I understand the purpose of working in professional learning communities.
I understand the BLT process.
Our team is prepared for the training in our building.
Thanks for stacking your chairs before leaving!