Facilitator Training Subject Learning Communities Fearghal Kelly

Programme 0830Coffee 0840Welcome & Introductions 0900What are the desired outcomes from the day? 0915The proposed model of Subject Learning Communities 1015Coffee 1045Roles of a facilitator 1130Effective Professional Learning Communities 1230Lunch 1315Starting a Subject Learning Community 1400Identifying Subject Learning Communities 1515Plenary 1530Close

Welcome & Introductions Name, subject & school. What were your reasons for signing up to become a facilitator?

What are the desired outcomes from the day? Snowball activity: Write your own desired outcomes on post-it notes (use a separate note for each outcome). Come together as a group of 4/5: Share your outcomes Group outcomes Agree on one set of desired outcomes Come together as a large group of 9: Share your sets of outcomes Group outcomes Agree on one set of desired outcomes for the large group

The proposed model Discuss the following in your groups of 4/5: What is your opinion of the proposed model of Subject Learning Communities? What would you change to improve this proposal? How can we make the model sustainable? Summarise your agreed answers to these questions on flipchart paper.

Roles of a facilitator Group task Review the various examples of the roles and responsibilities of facilitators. Use these ideas and your own to develop a guide/framework which could be used by Facilitators of Subject Learning Communities. Compare this with the outcome from the previous training. Combine the two frameworks into one. Look at the Standards for Full Registration, Chartered Teacher and Headship. Could we align our framework with these standards?

Roles of a facilitator For the next session… One participant volunteers to facilitate the activity. Before lunch we will consider the facilitation strategies employed.

Effective Professional Learning Communities Group task: What are the features of effective professional learning communities? Produce a set of criteria for an effective professional learning community. Time available: 45 minutes

Roles of a facilitator Group members give descriptive feedback on facilitation strategies employed. Facilitators reflect on the facilitation strategies employed.

Starting a Subject Learning Community Group task: How do you start a community? You will be given a scenario as a group. Decide as a group what steps the facilitator in the scenario should take to set up and run the Subject Learning Community over the first year. Share steps between groups.

Identifying Subject Learning Communities Subject Groups: What are the priorities for our subject? In subject groupings (or individually if applicable) look at the responses for your subject from the meetings at Queen Margaret University and from the s sent to teachers following meetings. What Subject Learning Communities could you realistically initiate?

Identifying Subject Learning Communities Subject Groups: How will we get our communities going? Draw up a plan of action for initiating Subject Learning Communities in your subject. What will be the focus? Who will be involved? How will you recruit? When and where will you first meet? How will you approach the first meeting? What will be the plans for the rest of the year? How will you measure success? Share plans between groups.

Plenary What are our next steps? When will we address the use of the web to support Subject Learning Communities? How can facilitators support each other? Evaluation...