1. Building a Framework to Support the Culture Required for Student Centered Learning
Jeff McCoy, Executive Director of Academic Innovation & Technology
Secondary Session, Fall 2015
DeeDee

2. Student Centered Learning
Framework Components:
Culture
Session 2: Professional Learning
Curriculum/Instruction/Assessment
Data-Driven Decision making
Leadership
Session Goals:
Work-time with school teams
Strategic planning
Program planning
Protocols

3. The Student Centered Learning Wiki

4. Professional Learning that Supports Teachers in a Student Centered Learning Environment
What professional learning opportunities do we need in order to create a student centered learning environment?

5. How does our Professional Learning focus shift in a student-centered culture?
From…
To…
External Training
Job-embedded Learning
Expectation that learning occurs infrequently (on few days devoted to PD)
Expectation that learning is ongoing and occurs as part of routine work practice
Presentation to entire faculties
Team-based action research
Learning by listening
Learning by doing
Learning individually through courses and workshops
Learning collectively by working together
Assessing impact on the basis of teacher satisfaction
Assessing the impact on the basis of evidence of improved student learning
Short-term exposure to multiple concepts and practices
Sustained commitment to limited focused initiatives

6. Planning Guide Work 15 Minutes
Complete the Progression Rubric under the Professional Learning Section of your Planning Guide
Each team member should individually determine where they believe the school is based on the rubric (Be thinking of evidence or lack of evidence to support your justification).
As a team, come to consensus as to where your school is based on the rubric.
5 Minutes
10 Minutes
Questions for Thought
How do teachers communicate area of needs for professional growth?
What data can admin/teacher leaders collect to help inform professional development plans (whole group, small group, etc.)
What are our next steps to creating, implementing or sustaining our PLCs?
How do we make professional learning meaningful to teachers?

7. Common Terminology: What is a Professional Learning Community?
Activity:
As a group, brainstorm the functions of a PLC as it relates to your experience in your school (if you are implementing) or as it relates to your knowledge of a PLC (if you have not yet implemented). Revisit the “Questions for Thought” from the Planning Guide.
Questions for Thought
How do teachers communicate area of needs for professional growth?
What data can admin/teacher leaders collect to help inform professional development plans (whole group, small group, etc.)
What are our next steps to creating, implementing or sustaining our PLCs?
How do we make professional learning meaningful to teachers?

8. PLCs: Improved Student Achievement
Are…
Are Not…
Focused on student learning
Highly collaborative around student learning
Intentional when it comes to unit planning as a group
Inquiry-based around best practice strategies to support student learning
Focused on results
Unfocused
Operational
A book club
Time to complain
Individual work time
Prep time
One-shot experiences
Only test-driven (SCPASS, ACT, ACT Aspire, EOCs)

9. Successful PLC Structure
Establishing
Create a schedule for PLC meetings
Create your norms for the meetings
Create your structure
Operating
Focus on student achievement (unit planning, lesson planning, creating common assessments, analyzing student work, brainstorming strategies, etc.)
Agenda-driven, guided by clearly established norms
Meaningful and focused on student outcomes
Supporting
Model for emerging PLCs
Co-teaching when necessary or allow for the opportunity for co-teaching
Planning with teams when implementing/learning new concepts, skills or strategies
Observe PLCs and provide feedback
Successful PLC Structure

10. Key Components for Effective PLCs
Focus on Learning
Collaborative culture, including shared beliefs, values, and vision and an atmosphere of trust and respect
Collective inquiry into best practices
An action orientation
A commitment to continuous improvement
A results orientation
DuFour (2006)

11. Building on DuFour…
Shared and supportive leadership involving administrators and teachers
Supportive conditions, including adequate time, suitable spaces and access to needed resources
Shared personal practice in which community members give and receive feedback to improve individually and collectively
Hord and Sommers (2008)

12. And finally…
Collective responsibility by all staff members for all children, which nudges teachers to truly collaborate, to stay involved and informed about the children with whom they interact, and to stay actively involved in school functions
Appreciate diversity
Positive role modeling; encouraging administrators and teachers to model learning for students
Stoll and Louis (2007)

13. Functions of a PLC: Questions to Guide their Work
What do we want each student to learn? [Rubicon Atlas, Unit/Lesson Planning]
How am I going to know when each student has learned it? [Designing and Analyzing Common Assessments/Ongoing Formative & Summative Assessments]
How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? [Strategies that work for struggling students-Intervention]
How will we address the needs of students who have already mastered the key concept? [Strategies for enrichment]

14. The State of Our Learning Team Survey
Complete items 1 – 10 (Personal Dynamics) in “The State of Our Learning Team Survey” as individual team members.
Discuss and chart the following as a team (items 1 – 10 only):
What are we already doing well across the school?
What are we not doing, but are ready for this year?
What professional learning needs do we have based on this data that will help us get to the next level?
Homework:
Complete the remainder of “The State of Our Learning Team Survey” as individual team members.
As a team, discuss and chart responses to the above questions.
Discuss this question: How do we determine our PLC professional learning needs? (See PD needs assessment in Wiki)

15. Creating a Coaching Culture
Does your PLC have the Markers of a Coaching Culture?
Open the Markers of a Coaching Culture Survey document under the Establishing a Coaching Culture Section.
Individually, assess where your team currently is based on the coaching markers.
As a group, discuss your findings and brainstorm some ways your teams could move towards a more coaching culture
What could we start doing to help our teachers become more supportive of coaching?

16. Homework Individually…
complete the remainder of “The State of Our Learning Team Survey”
As a team…
“The State of Our Learning Team Survey:”
discuss and chart responses to these questions:
What are we already doing well across the school?
What are we not doing, but are ready for this year?
What professional learning needs do we have based on this data that will help us get to the next level?
discuss this question: How do we determine your PLC professional learning needs? (See PD needs assessment in Wiki)
Planning Guide:
Reach consensus on the “Professional Learning” indicators of your Planning Guide
Complete the “Where do we go from here?” section under the Professional Learning Session

17. Remember: Bring Planning Guide with you to each session!
Next Sessions
December 8th
January 19th
February 9th
All sessions begin at 3:30 pm!
Remember: Bring Planning Guide with you to each session!

18. Planning Guide Work 20 Minutes
Reach consensus on each indicator the Professional Learning Progression Rubric.
Use the data from your activities to complete the Next Steps under the Professional Learning Section.
Consider what steps you want to take to move your school towards a student centered culture. These steps may by long term (multiple years).