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Professional LearningCommunities At Work
Union Township School SystemLinda Hrevnack
Mary Ellen Patricco
Joan Pikula
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Professional Learning Community(PLC) Defined
Educators committed to workingcollaboratively in ongoing processesof collective inquiry and action
research in order to achieve betterresults for the students they serve.
PLCs operate under the assumption that
the key to improved learning for studentsis continuous, job-embedded learning foreducators.
(Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, Many 2006)
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Consider the following:
A collaborative community wherestudents are grouped into teams offour or five. Much learning takesplace as a result of the teamsbrainstorming, engaging incollaborative research and reporting
to the larger group. Teachers arefacilitators. Groups are restructuredfour times a year.
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Make the Connection
Families are invited to a workshopconference prior to Open House.
Books are available, homework
process is explained, and personalquestions answered.
Parents are invited to take an active
role in the learning process. Parents understand what they need to
do at home to help students meetsuccess.
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Let Them Learn!
Learning centers include SuccessMaker,science lab, writers corner, readingroom, math challenge and a research
lab. Students rotate through the activities on
a daily basis for three weeks.
The fourth week is reserved forassessments.
Students complete and presentalternative assessments and share
research projects.
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Let Them Learn! (continued)
Direct instruction may take place ina whole group or small groupsetting.
Much learning takes place as aresult of the teams brainstorming,engaging in collaborative research
and reporting to the larger group. Groups are reassigned four times a
year or for special assignments.
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Make Learning Relevant
Essential learning is identified.
Students read a common novel.
Lessons and coursework are
designed using the novel as a basisfor study.
Students engage in collaborative
study to determine what it is goodauthors do.
Interdisciplinary activities connectlearning to self, other text, andworld.
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Make Learning Relevant (continued)
Learning reaches across the gradelevels.
Fourth grade and second gradestudents collaborate using units ofstudy.
Students read a common novel.
Essential learning is identified andstudents work collaboratively tosolve problems, complete activities,
and present research.
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The most promising strategy for sustained,
substantive school improvement is
developing the ability of school personnel to
function as professional learningcommunities.
(DuFour 1998)
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If schools are to be transformedinto learning communities, educatorsmust be prepared first of all to
acknowledge that the guiding modelof education is no longer relevant in a
post industrial, knowledge basedsociety. Second, they must embrace
ideas and assumptions that areradically different than those thathave guided schools in the past.
(DuFour 1998)
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Todays Educational Goals
All students master rigorous content
Learn how to learn
Pursue productive employment
Compete in a global economy
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The rationale for any strategy forbuilding a learning organizationrevolves around the premise thatsuch organizations will producedramatically improved results.
(Peter Senge 1996)
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Professional LearningCommunities
The challenge for educators is to create acommunity of commitment - a ProfessionalLearning Community.
The very essence of a learning community is a
focus on and a commitment to the learning ofeach student. Embrace high levels of learning for all students Create a Vision Collective Commitments (results-oriented goals
to mark progress) Clarify what each student must learn Monitor students learning Provide systematic interventions Extend/enrich learning
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Characteristics of PLC
Shared mission, vision and values
Collective inquiry
Collaborative Teams
Action orientation andexperimentation
Continuous improvement
Results oriented
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Mission / Purpose
Why do we exist?
What are we here to do together?
The most successful schools function
as professional communities: When teachers pursue a clearshared purpose for all studentslearning.
Engage in collaborative activityto achieve that purpose.
Take collective responsibility forstudent learning.
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The VisionWhat Do We Hope To Become?
Shared Vision:
Motivates and energizes people
Creates proactive orientation Gives direction to the people within
the organization
Establishes specific standards ofexcellence
Creates a clear agenda for action
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Values
The clarification and promotion ofvalues have been cited as keyfactors both for effective schoolsand for successful principles.
While all of the building blocks ofschool improvement are significant,implementing values represents thecritical cornerstone of the process.
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Collective Inquiry / Collaborative Teams
Collective Inquiry enables teammembers to develop new skills andcapabilities that in turn lead to new
experiences and awareness.
People who engage in Collaborative
Team Learning are able to learn fromone another, thus creatingmomentum to fuel continuedimprovement.
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Action Orientation andExperimentation
Willingness to experiment, to develop and testhypotheses.
PLC members reflect on what happened andwhy, develop new theories, try new tests,
evaluate the results.
Continuous Improvement What is our fundamental purpose? What do we hope to achieve?
What are our strategies for becoming better? What criteria will we use to assess our
improvement efforts? Members of a PLC realize that all of their efforts
must be assessed on the basis of results rather
than intentions.
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Visions may inspire,
but goals foster ongoing accountability.
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Goals
Measurable milestones that can beused to assess progress inadvancing toward a vision.
It is the identification and pursuit ofexplicit goals that fosterexperimentation, resultsorientation, and commitment tocontinuous improvement thatcharacterize the PLC.
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Four Pillars of PLC
MISSION VISION VALUES GOALS
WHY?Why do we exist?
WHAT?
What must ourschool become
to accomplish
our purpose?
HOW?
How must webehave to
achieve our
vision?
HOW WILL WEMARK OUR
PROGRESS?
FUNDAMENTAL
PURPOSE
COMPELLING
FUTURE
COLLECTIVE
COMMITMENTS
TARGETS AND
TIMELINES
Clarifies
Priorities and
Sharpens Focus
Gives
DirectionsGuides
BehaviorEstablishes
Priorities
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What is the Focus?
The three BIG questions
1. What is it that we want our
students to learn?2. How will we know when each
student has learned it?
3. How will we respond whensome students dont learn?
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What is it we want our studentsto learn?
Essential Learning is
Aligned with state standards and
district curriculum goals.Must ensure students are wellprepared to demonstrate proficiencyon state, district and national
assessments.
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Resources made available byprincipal/facilitator for use in
determining essential learning
State standards Recommended standards District Curriculum Guides
Pre-requisite Skills Assessment Frameworks Data on past assessments Examples of student work
Recommendations for workplace skills Released test items from the state Recommendations from Research
(Reeves, Jacobs, Marzano, Wiggins,McTighe)
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Selecting Essential Learning
The Three Part Test
(Doug Reeves, 2002)
1. Does it have endurance?
2. Does it have leverage?
3. Does it develop studentreadiness for the next level oflearning?
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How will we know if our students arelearning?
Why common assessments?
Efficiency
FairnessEffective monitoring
Informs individual teacher practice
Builds team capacityCollective response to interventions
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Intervention
(rather than remediation) takes placein many ways:
Small group instruction (in class)
Grade level interventions
Students join another class forinstruction
Enlisting the assistance of special areateachers and support staff
Designing an at home strategy
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Summary of the Day
Need for Change
Definition of PLC
Characteristics of PLC
4 Pillars of Learning
3 BIG questions
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PLC at Work!
Read the Connie Donovan Scenario:
Is the school culture in which she isworking desirable, preferable, feasible
or possible? Review the different elements in this
scenario. Which would require
additional funding before a schoolcould move forward withimplementation? Which could beinitiated without substantial new
funding?
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Teaching in a Professional LearningCommunity
The willingness to examine issues
outside of individual classrooms and
to seek solutions together is a majorfactor in the success of a
professional learning community.
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Welcome Back!
Professional LearningCommunities
Day 2
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Collaboration
To build Professional LearningCommunities, meaningful collaborationmust be systematically embedded into
the daily life of the school.
Collaborative Teams
The best structures for fosteringcollaboration is the team-the basicbuilding block of the intelligentorganization.
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Collaborative Culture
A Professional Learning Community iscomposed of collaborative teams whosemembers work interdependently to achievecommon goals linked to the purpose of learningfor all.
Characteristics of Professional LearningCommunities
Shared Mission, Vision, and ValuesCollective Inquiry (referred to as the
team learning wheels)
Public ReflectionShared MeaningJoint PlanningCoordinated Action
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How Can We Find Time forCollaboration?
Provide common preparation time.
Use parallel scheduling.
Adjust start and end times. Share classes.
Schedule group activities, events,and testing.
Bank time.
Use in-service and faculty meetingtime wisely.
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The degree to which people areworking together in a coordinated,focused effort is a major determinantof the effectiveness of anyorganization.
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One of the most effective strategiesfor bringing district goals to life is toinsist that all schools create goalsthat are specifically linked to districtgoals.
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SMART GOALS
S trategic and specific
M easureable
A ttainableR esults - Oriented
T imebound
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District Goals
1. All students will successfullycomplete every course and everygrade level and will demonstrateproficiency on local, state andnational assessment.
2. We will eliminate the gaps in
student achievement that areconnected to race, socioeconomicstatus, and gender.
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School Goals
Our reality: Last year 14% of the gradeassigned to students were failing grades.
Our goal: This year we will reduce the % offailing grades to 7% or less.
Our reality: Last year 76% of students metthe proficiency standard on the state mathtest.
Our goal: This year we will increase the %of students meeting the proficiency standardto 80% or higher.
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A team is a group of peopleworking interdependentlyto achievea common goalfor which membersare held mutuallyaccountable.
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Short Term Goals
Create short term goals that serve asbenchmarks. Example: 23% ofstudents demonstrate proficiency on
a pre-assessment instrumentadministered at the beginning of aunit.
Establish a short term goal: 90% ofthe students will demonstrateproficiency by the end of the unit.
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Helping Teams Translate long-termpurpose into specific, measurableshort term goals and then helping
members develop skills to achievethose goals is one of the mostimportant steps leaders can take in
building the capacity of a group tofunction as a high performingcollaborative team.
(Katzenbach & Smith, 1993)
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The Role of the Principal in theProfessional Learning Community
Principles of PLC: Lead through shared vision and
values.
Involve members in the schoolsdecision-making processes andempower individuals to act.
Provide staff with the information,training, and parameters they need to
make good decisions. Establish credibility by modeling
behavior that is congruent with thevision and values of their school.
They are results-oriented.
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Community begins with a shared vision. Itssustained by teachers who, as school leaders,bring inspiration and direction to the institution.Who, after all, knows more about the classroom?
Who can evaluate, more sensitively, theeducational progress of each student? And whobut teachers create a true community for learning?
Teachers are, without question, the heartbeat of asuccessful school.
(Ernest Boyer 1995 p.31)
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The bottom line is that there isjust no way to create good
schools without good teachers.
(What Matters Most: Teaching for
Americas Future 1996 p.9)
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Every member of the teaching andclassified staff must have an activerole in restructuring school
improvement.
(Donahue 1993)
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John Gardner (1986) observes:
Every Great Leader is clearlyteaching- and every great teacheris leading.
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Good teaching is not just a matter ofbeing efficient, developingcompetence, mastering technique,
and possessing the right kind ofknowledge.
Good teaching involves emotionalwork. It is infused with pleasure,
passion, creativity, challenge, andjoy. It is a passionate vocation.
(Andy Hargreaves 1997)
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Kanter (1995) writes,
Change is always a threat when it isdone to people, but it is an opportunity
when it is done by people.