A HANDBOOK FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AT WORK CHAPTERS 1-3 Learning by Doing

A GUIDE TO ACTION FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AT WORK Chapter One

What are Professional Learning Communities? The essence of a learning community includes: Commitment to the learning of each student Collaborative teams Collective inquiry into best practices in teaching and learning Action oriented: quickly turn aspirations into action

Ongoing Cycle Evidence of current levels of student learning Develop strategies to build on strengths and address weakness Analyze the data to determine what is effective Apply new knowledge in the next cycle of continuous improvement

Four objectives to close the disconnect between knowledge and action Develop a common vocabulary and consistent understanding of key PLC concepts. (Glossary p. 213) Present a compelling argument that the implementation of a PLC will benefit both students and teachers Help teachers assess the current reality Convince educators to take purposeful steps to develop their own PLC

Format for each chapter 1. The Case Study 2. Here’s How 3. Here’s Why 4. Assessing your place on the PLC journey 5. Tips for Moving Forward 6. Questions to Guide the Work of your PLC

A CLEAR AND COMPELLING PURPOSE Chapter Two

Case Study: Clarifying our Purpose Mission Statement

Process to build consensus Leadership team acts as a guide Build consensus one small group at a time Spend time up front to build shared knowledge Schools are most effective when staff members define their purpose as helping students learn rather than ensure that they are taught.

Action Initiate structures to foster qualities and characteristics consistent with the school they are trying to create. Create processes to monitor conditions and goals Reallocate resources Pose the right questions Model what is valued Celebrate progress Confront violations of commitments

“Research has found a correlation between clarity of purpose and effective schools.” Mission: Pillar One of Successful Schools Vision: Pillar Two of Successful Schools Values: Pillar Three of Successful Schools Goals: Pillar Four of Successful Schools (There are videos in PD 360 about each one of the pillars.) cfm?

Celebration Is a powerful tool for communicating what is valued. Four Keys for incorporating celebration into the culture of the school  Explicitly state the purpose  Make celebration everyone’s responsibility  Establish a clear link between the recognition and the behavior you are encouraging  Create opportunities to have many winners

Assessing your place on the PLC Journey Pre-Initiation Stage Initiation Stage Developing Stage Sustaining Stage (Use the “Where do we go from here? Planning worksheet)

Tips for Moving Forward Move quickly to action Build a shared knowledge when asking for a decision Use the foundation to make day-to-day decisions Use the foundation to identify existing practices that should be eliminated Translate the vision into a teachable point Write value statements as behaviors Focus on yourself Recognize the process is nonlinear It is what you do that matters not what you call it

Questions to guide the work Use the worksheet provided in the book and on the CD

CREATING A FOCUS ON LEARNING Chapter Three

Case Study What do we want our students to learn and how will we know when they have learned it? What are we going to do if they do not learn it?

Here's How What is it we want our students to learn?  Align with district standards and benchmarks Four part test to consider as to the significance of a standard  Does it have endurance?  Does it have leverage?  Does it develop student readiness for the next level of learning?  What current content can we eleminate? Students must be able to demonstrate proficiency

Guaranteed and viable curriculum Marzano concluded that the single most powerful impact a school can have on student achievement is providing students a guaranteed and viable curriculum that: (What Works in Schools) Chapter 3  Gives students access to the same essential learning regardless of who is teaching the class  Can be taught in the time allotted

Collaborative Study of Essential Learning Promotes clarity Promotes consistent priorities Is crucial to the common pacing required for formative assessments Can help establish a curriculum that is viable Creates ownership of the curriculum among those who are asked to teach it

Common Assessments Are more efficient than assessments created by individual teachers Are more equitable for students Represent the most effective strategy for determining whether the guaranteed curriculum is being taught and, more importantly, learned Inform the practice of individual teachers Build a team’s capacity to improve its program Facilitate a systematic, collective response to students who are experiencing difficulty

Assess your place on the PLC journey Use the worksheets provided on the CD and in the book

Clarifying and Monitoring Essential Learning 1. Less is More 2. Focus on proficiency, rather than coverage, in key skills 3. Recognize that common assessments might create teacher anxiety 4. Use technology as a tool to support the process 5. Districts can play a role 6. Create shared understanding or the term ”common assessment” 7. Use assessments as a means rather than an end

Questions to Guide the Work of Your PLC See the reproducible guide on the CD or in the book on page 68-69