Learning by Doing:The Power of Professional

Learning Communities11.01.08

Rosemary SeitelFacilitator

Foundation: Work of DuFour & Eaker

Outcomes/Objectives

Participants will:• Explore the elements of Professional

Learning Communities• Deepen their understanding of

collaboration as the context for substantive school improvement

• Have new leadership tools and skills• Engage in powerful learning

strategies

Conceptual Framework

A solid foundation of collaboratively developed and widely shared mission,

vision, values and goals.

Collaborative teams who work interdependently to achieve common

goals linked to the purpose of learning for all.

A commitment to continuous improvement and a constant focus on

results.

Six Essential Elements of A Professional Learning

Communities• Focus on Learning for Each Student; Shift

from Teaching to Learning• Collaborative Culture with Focus on Learning

for All• Collective Inquiry into Best Practice and

Current Reality• Action Orientation: Learning by Doing• A Commitment to Continuous Improvement• Results Orientation

If visitors came to your school for the very first time, what

behaviors would they observe that would indicate learning was

indeed the central, overriding purpose of the school?

Large Post-ItsDiscuss (write) the ways in

which the essential element is evident in your school.

Vision, Mission, Values and Goals

Through New Eyes

Wrap-Up

Is every teacher in your school clear on what each student

should know and be able to do as a result of each grade level, course, or unit of instruction?

Professional DevelopmentProfessional Learning

http://www.spike.com/video/cat-herding/2666557

Factory Model: Focus on Procedures Rather Than Results

N S DC

NSDC’s purpose is ensuring that every educator engages in effective professional learning every day so that every student achieves.Creating the

Building Blocks for Professional

Learning

N S DC

From the Editor:

Enabling teachers to meet together everyday does not make them a professional learning community. Becoming a professional learning community requires intention, a focus on learning, a focus on results, a commitment to collegiality, an a willingness to reshape the school’s culture. Tracy Crow, JSD, Summer 2008

N S DC

N S DCTHE VISION FOR THE VISION FOR PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL

LEARNINGLEARNINGResults-drivenStandards-basedJob-embeddedSustainable Intentional

• All educators can make a difference with all students.• Our schools will be more effective learning

environments when we commit to learning about and improving upon our teaching practices and intervention structures.

• Supporting and helping educators to improve should be a key function of leadership in the schools.

• School-wide collaboration focused on improvement and the needs of students will have a significant impact on teaching and learning.

• ALL STUDENTS CAN LEARN TO HIGH LEVELS.

acher behaviors that ensure student achievement? What do we mean when we say we are committed to high levels of learning for all students?– What are the school leader behaviors that ensure student

achievement?– What are the teacher behaviors that ensure student

achievement?– What are the student behaviors we expect?

• How can commitment for high levels of student learning be demonstrated (by teachers, leaders, and policymakers) ?

– What are the student behaviors we expect?

• How can commitment for high levels of student learning be demonstrated (by teachers, leaders, and policymakers) ?

• Collaborative professional learning: learning for educators based on common core principles that guide the expectations for the learning of all students

• Communities of practice: teams of educators (in or across schools) focused on continuous school improvement efforts based on the needs of students

• Professional learning communities• Collaborative learning teams• Learning teams

N S DC

• Professional Professional LEARNINGLEARNING -- what -- what individual educators engage in to:individual educators engage in to:““improve the learning of all students”improve the learning of all students”

vs.vs.

• Professional Professional DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT – the – the plan or system created by the district or plan or system created by the district or school to facilitate school to facilitate professional professional learninglearning

Principles shape our thoughts, words, and actions. They influence our decisions. They guide us in problem-solving. They serve as touchstones that we continually return to when we face conflict, dilemmas, or challenges. They set a common foundation shared by members of a community.

The Learning Educator, Stephanie Hirsh and Joellen Killion, NSDC, 2007

What are the principles that should guide the learning experiences of the educators in the

district?

What is a Professional Learning Community?The purposes of this session are:

• To introduce the professional learning community concept, and

• To show the cultural shifts that must occur when a school decides to take action to ensure all kids learn by becoming a PLC.

Professional Learning Communities

• Student learning focused• Honest assessment of current reality• Shared values and norms• Collaborative• Reflective• Making practice public• Better, more gratifying way to approach our

work

• Professional Professional LEARNINGLEARNING -- what -- what individual educators engage in to:individual educators engage in to:““improve the learning of all students”improve the learning of all students”

vs.vs.

• Professional Professional DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT – the – the plan or system created by the district or plan or system created by the district or school to facilitate school to facilitate professional professional learninglearning

“Schools have traditionally operated from the premise that educators have a responsibility to provide students with the opportunity to learn.

Whether or not students actually learn depends on factors educators cannot influence, such as innate ability, student motivation, a home environment that supports and encourages learning, student work habits, and so on.”

“A professional learning community is an ethos that influences every single aspect of a school’s operations. When a school

becomes a professional learning community, everything in the school looks

different than it did before.”-Andy Hargreaves

Quotes• “The ability to collaborate—on both a large and small scale—is one of the

core requisites of post modern society.” Fullan

• “The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is developing the ability of school personnel to function as professional learning communities.” DuFour & Eaker

• The most crucial questions educators can ask themselves are ‘What do we truly believe about our selves and our students?” and “Do our practices match our beliefs?”

• The moment teachers begin to closely examine their lessons and the results of those lessons, instruction improves and competence increases.

• “Sometimes we forget that the purpose—the real agenda—of a team meeting is not to cover a set of topics, but more importantly to continuously generate solutions to instructional problems in order to get better results.” Mike Schmoker from Results Fieldbook, 2001

Quotes• “Great urban teachers share a common belief: It’s their job to make sure that all students achieve.”

Corbett, Wilson & Williams, Education Leadership, March 2005

• “In essence, the message is that our schools need to teach learning processes that better fit the way work is evolving. Above all, this means teaching the skills and habits of mind that are essential to problem-solving, especially where many minds need to interact.” Elmore, 1995

• “The image of the future would be a group of teachers sitting around a table talking about their student’s work, learning and asking, what do we need to do differently to get the work we would like from the kids?” Sparks, 1998

• “Doesn’t anyone know what works? Well yes, someone does. After decades of tracking school reform efforts and producing millions of pages of reports, researchers all over the country have emerged with answers about what does and does not work in improving student achievement.” American School Board Journal, April 1998

• “Culture is the underground stream of norms, values, beliefs, traditions, and rituals that build up over time as people work together, solve problems, and confront challenges. This set of informal expectations and values shapes how people think, feel, and act in schools.” Dean and Patterson, 1998

Outcomes

Participants will:

• Deepen their understanding of collaboration as the context for school reform

• Explore the elements of Professional Learning Communities

• Engage in powerful learning strategies

Agenda12:30 Opener: Corners Quotes and Quiet Signal12:50 Outcomes, Agenda, Establish Norms, Parking Lot, and Triple-Track

Agenda1:10 Professional Learning Communities:

The Context for School Improvement1:30 Backwards Planning Conversation1:50 Connections to Relationship,

Relevance, and Rigor2:15 Summarize Strategies

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that does.

-Margaret Mead

A Focus on Results-facilitator’s manual pg. 4

What kind of data do we receive at our school?”questions on page 5

Tracking and Assessing Cultural Shifts-Where do our schools currently stand on these issues?-pg 5

Section 2

A Shift in the Response When Students Don’t

Learn• From individual teachers determining the

appropriate response that ensures support for every student.

• From fixed time and support for learning…to time and support for learning as variables

• From invitational support outside of the school day…to directed (that is, required) support occurring during the school day.

• From one opportunity to demonstrate learning…to multiple opportunities to demonstrate learning.

Section 2

A Shift in the Work of Teachers

• From isolation…to collaboration• From each teacher clarifying what students

must learn…to collaborative teams building shared knowledge and understanding about essential learning.

• From each teacher assigning priority to different learning standards…to collaborative teams establishing the priority of respective learning standards.

• From each teacher determining the pacing of the curriculum …to collaborative teams of teachers agreeing on common pacing.

The Charles Darwin School“We believe all kids can

learn…

Section 2

A Shift in the Work of Teachers

• From individual teachers attempting to discover ways to improve results…to collaborative teams of teachers helping each other to improve.

• From privatization of practice…to open sharing of practice

• From decisions made on the basis of individual preferences…to decisions made collectively by building shared knowledge of best practice.

• From “collaboration lite” on matters unrelated to student to student achievement…to collaboration explicitly focused on issues and questions that most impact student achievement.

• From an assumption that these are “my kids, those are your kids”…to an assumption that these are “our kids.”

A Culture of Collaboration

How teams work in a professional learning community:

how they are organizedwhat their purpose is, &

what steps will help a group of teachers become a collaborative team.

Session 3

Collaboration or Coblaboration?

Session 3

Collaborative team: A group of people working

interdependently to achieve a common goal for which members are mutually

accountable.“These are my kids, my room, and I

am the ruler of my room.”

Session 3

• The fact that teachers collaborate will do nothing to improve a school. The pertinent question is not, “Are they collaborating?” but rather, “What are they collaborating about?”

• Building a collaborative culture is a means to an end, not the end itself.

• The purpose of collaboration-to help students achieve at higher levels-can only be accomplished if the professionals engaged in collaboration are focused on the right things.

Team norms: Protocols or commitments developed by each team to guide

members in working together. Norms help team members clarify expectations regarding how they will work together to

achieve shared goals.

Mission Statement

The Mission of the Englewood School District is to provide educational excellence by creating a learning environment that empowers all students to achieve the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and to master the academic and social skills necessary for success as individuals and as members of a global community.

Priorities to Goals

• Mathematics: PK – 8– By June 2011

• At least 60% of 8th grade students will pass HS algebra I exam• At least 75% of the remaining students will be ready for algebra I

– By June 2014• At least 75% of 8th grade students will pass HS algebra I exam• Remainder of 8th grade students will be ready for algebra I

– Spring State Assessment• Average mathematics score per grade level will exceed 235 or rise by

at least 5 points for each cohort. (Same students year to year)• By June 2014 at least 45% of the students in grade 3-5 and 35% in

grades 6-8 will score Advanced Proficient

Priorities to Goals

• Language Arts: PK – 8– By June 2011

• At least 70% of 8th grade students read at or above grade level*• At least 70% of 8th grade students will complete a research paper

scoring at least a 6 on an 8 point standards-based rubric.– By June 2014

• At least 85% of 8th grade students read at or above grade level*• At least 80% of 8th grade students will complete a research paper

scoring at least a 6 on an 8 point standards-based rubric.– Spring State Assessment

• Average LA/L score per grade level will exceed 230 or rise by at least 3 points for each cohort. (Same students year to year)

• By June 2014 at least 18% of the students in grade 3-5 and 20% in grades 6-8 will score Advanced Proficient

*DRA2 assessment

Priorities to Goals

• Student Behavior: PK-12 (Average 2006-2008 as base line)

– By June 2011 • Reduce all suspensions by 50%• Reduce teacher perception of classroom disruptive events by 35%• Reduce student unexcused absences (daily and Pd-by-Pd) by 20% at

each school• Reduce student passive resistance indicators by 30%

– By June 2014• Reduce all suspensions by 70%• Reduce teacher perception of classroom disruptive events by 50%• Reduce student unexcused absences (daily and Pd-by-Pd) by 50% at

each school• Reduce student passive resistance indicators by 50%

Task Forces

• One per goal

• District-wide

• Cross role participation

• Problem solving focus

PLC

• Small problem solving group

• Designers are implementers

• Problems and solutions reflect the group and its priorities

Goal Execution

• Structure the process• Establish measurable goals• Design plan• Establish leading indicators• Implement plan• Establish and maintain accountability to indicators

and goals• Helping process• Frequent updates and leading indicator review

Structure

• Top Down– District sets goals– District leadership

organizes and monitors progress

– District leadership team connects task force work to district operations

– District sets reporting structure for WIGS

• Bottom Up– School based PLC address

components of WIGS

– Task forces create district level PLC to address components of WIGS

– Task forces organize and monitor work of PLCs

– Reports up to district team

Our ModelDistrict Leadership Team

Math Task Force St. Behavior Task ForceLA/L Task Force

School PLCs

Task force leaders & Rep from each school

Critical Understanding

Enabling teachers to meet together everyday does not make them a professional learning community. Becoming a professional learning community requires intention, a focus on learning, a focus on results, a commitment to collegiality, and a willingness to reshape the school’s culture.

Tracy Crow, 2008

Goals Distribution

• All Goals belong to all schools even if they are not in the statement.– To get to the goal, all schools need to

contribute.

• Key Question: For the district to reach its goal, what must we do in our building and on our team to advance the work?

Suspension Reduction

• Below middle school there were just 37 suspensions PK-5. Why should the elementary schools work on this?– From grades 6-12 there were 246 out-of-schools

suspensions and about double that for in-school and suspension alternatives removals.

– What can the lower grades do to prepare students to avoid the negative behaviors later?

Algebra 1 in 8th Grade

• Students cannot learn algebra if they do not have a command of arithmetic.

• Student cannot conceptualize algebraic formulas if they do not have basic numeracy concepts and relationships.

• What are the standards for algebra 1 in the high school and how do we verify that students have really met the goal, not just covered the book?

PLC Design

• Designated leader* (appointed or group selected)

• Designated data expert*

• Designated record keeper*

• 2 to 4 other members

* Training will be provided for these specific roles

Process - Formation

• District Goals broken into annual goals

• School leadership team breaks each goal into its grade level terms

• School forms PLC’s to address the school level description

• Each PLC designates individuals for the specific roles

Process – Getting It Done

• Each PLC defines its project and its lag indicator

• Each PLC identifies its lead indicators and designs its reporting graphic(s)

• Each PLC designs and implements its plans with the target population

• Each PLC monitors its progress through lead indicators on a weekly basis and takes appropriate action

Process - Communications

• Each PLC reports to the task through its designated person on a monthly basis

• Task Force monitors progress of all reporting PLCs and provides feedback

• Task Force leader reports to District leadership team on status

• District team reviews reports and provides support as needed.

Process - Outcomes

• SLCs assess lag indicator and reflect on process, outcome, and next steps

• SLCs report to school leadership team• School leadership team reports to task

forces on outcomes and reflections• Task Forces reports district outcomes

and summarized reflections to District leadership tem

Meaning for You - 1

• Create a school leadership team that will– Apply district goals to programs and grades in

your school– Establish PLCs to address these goals– Nurture PLCs and implement the Covey reporting

structure on leading indicators (predictive, visible, frequent) and reflective processing

– Keep the groups on task and meeting regularly.

Meaning for You - 2

• Use the process to educate your faculty on the PLC as its avenue to school improvement.

• Made the process and final data public within the school.

Summary

• Every school will use the PLC model to involve staff members in addressing the district goals.

• Every district goal related PLC will implement the “4 Disciplines of Execution” methodology.

• Meeting schedules are to be implemented at the building and district level to make the leading indicator reports routine and frequent.

“4 Disciplines of Execution” and Professional Learning Communities aligned district-wide using the task-force organizational structure

Your choice in how you address your schools other improvement goals and urgent tasks.

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC

N S DC