PLCs for Singletons* Jeremy Koselak Tom Fleecs & Teri McNeil Tom Hunt & Scott Fuller August, 2015

Overview  Setting the Parameters around PLCs  Bringing Everyone into the fold to make PLCs meaningful and impactful for all teachers and students  Design Thinking: Crafting “Solutions” together

Setting the Parameters around PLCs Recent Developments that are encouraging this type of gathering:  We are investing heavily into “rebooting” PLCs across the district and intending to be more clear and supportive this time around.  Additionally we are looking to reboot/reimagine RtI as a natural extension of the PLC process and more connected to the whole child. (A new shift is underway towards “MTSS”)  Strong responses from the trainings in June and during school visits suggest the time is right to improve the capacity of those that don’t have a natural seat at the PLC or RtI table because of current attempts with implementation.

Setting the Parameters around PLCs This is also about honoring those that have historically put the whole child first, but haven’t found an easy connection to PLC and RtI. We want to be more intentional this time around… and it will take some creative thinking, risk taking, and responsible innovation. Because a PLC is not a meeting….

Setting the Parameters around PLCs Professional Learning Communities are “the ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve.” (Dufour, DuFour, Eaker & Many: Learning by Doing, 2010). They provide the ideal environment for professional learning, purposeful collaboration around student work, and responsible innovation. Working as a Professional Learning Community ultimately builds a team’s collective capacity to deliver upon the promise that all students can learn at high levels when provided the opportunity, extra time, support and enrichment.

Setting the Parameters around PLCs In reading the rest of the Quick Reference Guide for Professional Learning Communities, What areas present the greatest challenge? The greatest leverage point?

Your Experience?  Write down your Best PLC Experience on one side of a sheet of paper.  On the other side, write down your Worst PLC Experience. Stand up, make eye contact with 1 other person not at your table; share with them and reverse. Repeat with 1 other person. Return to your table and discuss themes What Conditions led to either the best or worst?

Using a Design Process From those Best and Worst PLC experiences, and the conditions that were in place, and from the Parameters we reviewed… We will work through the design process to ensure our prototype solution addresses these areas proactively.

Design Thinking

Norms  Defer judgment  Look to rule things in rather than rule them out  Rule things in that are both comfortable and uncomfortable  Listen to receive  Push the thinking….get radical  Bias toward action  “Yes and…”

Design Thinking Norms: “Yes and…” Example of Yes, but Vs Yes and… There is a time for “Yes but” thinking… and isn’t it nice to know that today isn’t one of those times?

Design Thinking Norms: Bias toward action The goal is for you to walk out of here today with a prototype that  Makes PLCs more meaningful and impactful upon your practice  Provides support to PLCs in your setting  Improves results for the students you teach

Design Thinking And the “solution” won’t be perfect… Because we don’t have the answers… This is about action research and responsible innovation done collaboratively (sound familiar?”)

What Could the PLC Journey look like? Craft a prototype that will address 3 major things:  Improve Professional Practice  Improve Student Learning  Provide Support to PLCs in your setting

Gift for you!  Time to dig in and wrap our minds around a solution we can field test.  Feel Free to use the graphic organizer and additional resources to support your collaborative efforts

What Could the PLC Journey look like? Possible Approaches  Vertical teaming  Cluster Teaming  Interdisciplinary teaming  Virtual Teaming and Face to Face  Structural Changes

Keep the target simple  Find Common Ground  Focus on Essential and Enduring Skills and or Competencies that set our students up for lifelong success  Maintain a “Yes, and…” orientation and a bias towards action

Divide up, use space around us, seek out other spaces as needed, including (? ?):  Read, reflect, research and seek out  Others with common ground  Additional resources and support  Tom or Scott*, Jeremy or Tom or Teri  Text us if you need support and are in a different location  Develop a Prototype that you can share out to the group with a specific goal around PLC “time”.

Report Back Describe your Prototype (at whatever state of development). We will collect these ideas and amplify them.  Teams provide open, positive feedback: Yes, and…  Who else should know about this and connect to your effort?  What supports will you need to make this work? Be honest about potential obstacles that we need to work on as a group: share on comment sheets.

Please provide us with feedback and ideas for supporting your efforts.