Transcript MSTA Grant PLC Leaders Training

MSTP PLC
Facilitator’s Training
Linda Harvieux
Cristy Bloch
Fortune Cookie Warm-Up

How does your fortune relate to your
experience working in a team?
 Professional
learning community
 Grade-level or content-area team
 Leadership team
Agenda


Introductions and structure
“Evolution of the Professional Learning Community”




Technical vs Cultural Change
First and Second Order Change
The Role of the PLC Leader and The Four PLC
Questions
Structure of the PLC



Agendas
Learning Logs
Weekly plan
Professional Learning Communities

PLC’s operate under the assumption that
the key to improved learning for students
is continuous, job-embedded learning for
educators.
DuFour, et. al, 2006
What’s Different About a PLC?
Read, “Evolution of the Professional
Learning Community.”
 Discuss the article using the “talking chips”
strategy
 In small groups list differences between a
PLC and a “traditional team meeting”.
 List on chart tablets

Roadblocks



Using the set of road
signs on your table,
reflect on the
roadblocks you have
experienced in the
past.
“What barriers have
you experienced in
implementing your
PLC?”
Brainstorm solutions.
Teamwork
Teams bring together
complementary
skills and
experience that
exceed those of
any individual on
the team.
Teams are more effective with problem
solving.
Teams provide a social dimension that enhances
work.

Teams motivate and
foster peer pressure
and internal
accountability.
Teams have more fun!
-Wisdom of Teams, Katzenbach and Smith
Scheduling

How will your team schedule your 4 – 1
hour meetings?
 Ideas,
suggestions, support from leadership
The Four Questions




What is it we expect the students to learn?
How will we know when they have learned it?
How will we respond when they don’t learn?
How will we respond when they already know
it?
-DuFour, DuFour, Eaker 2008
Six Characteristics
Shared Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals
 Collective Inquiry
 Collaborative Culture
 Action Orientation and Experimentation
 Continuous Improvement
 Focus on Results

Technical Change (First Order)

Developing Team
 Full
participation
 Rotating jobs
 Collecting and sharing data
Cultural Change (Second Order)

The Believers

The Tweeners

The Survivors

The Fundamentalists
The Principal/Leader’s Role
Initiate structures and systems
 Pose the right questions
 Model what is valued
 Celebrate progress
 Lead for change

In order to influence change…
Change in values, beliefs, practice
 Change
in student achievement
*In reality….
 Change
in practice
 Change in student achievement
 Change in beliefs
 Thomas Guskey
Group Process Facilitator
One who contributes structure and process to
interactions so groups are able to function effectively. A
helper and enabler whose goal is to support others as
they achieve exceptional performance.
Group Process Facilitation
A way of providing leadership without taking the reins. A
facilitator’s job is to get others to assume responsibility,
to take the lead, and engage in meaningful collaboration.
-Facilitation At A Glance
Group Process Facilitators:












Do not have all the answers, are not content experts
Stay neutral, if you must move out of facilitator role and into role as
participating member of group identify that move.
Are responsible for room set up that supports effective teams
Listen; demonstrate that you are by using verbal and non verbal cues.
Paraphrase or clarify for the benefit of all members of the group.
Watch the time (or appoint a timekeeper)
Play “ping pong” redirect questions by sending to others rather than
answering yourself
Use humor – appropriate humor!
Call and identify sidetracks
Encourage all group members to acknowledge dysfunctional behaviors as
they occur!
Park it sheets – record all sidetrack items
Use the imaginary spell check button – spell creatively
Facilitators At A Glance
Processes for Groups
Everyone participate: Round Robin, Talking Chips
Set the stage
Focus Attention: How do you feel about being here today?
Check in: Something positive that happened in your professional life since the last meeting?
Check the group to see where it’s at: Round Robin
Check for agreement: Thumbs Up, Fist to Five
Get unstuck:
Look for commonalities, agreement
Identify polar points – What would it take for this to work for you?
Take a break – get up and stretch
Move on and come back to issue
Check to see if it can hold until the next meeting. Perhaps the group needs more information.
A team is people doing something
together.

The something that a team does isn’t what
makes it a team. . .
the together part is.
Facilitator Role Process
The Job of a Facilitator is…
The Job of a Team Member is…
The Job of a Facilitator is not…
The Job of a Team Member is not…
Developing Norms

What are norms and why are they
important?

Who should set the norms?

How should we enforce our norms?
Norms

Non-Negotiables
 Define
essential learnings and use common
assessments
 Everyone participates and works toward the
common goal – achievement for all students
 Teams make individual norms and honor their
team norms
-adapted from DuFour, et. al.
Team Agenda and Log

Guides the meeting
 Norms
 Topics
 Questions
 Reflections

Provides information for next meetings
 For
next time…
Meeting Reflections/The Log
What was the focus of our discussion?
 What did we learn about teaching our
content?
 What did we learn about our students?

Action Plan
Norms
 Meeting time
 Agenda
 Jobs
 Others


Example is not the main thing in
influencing others, it’s the only thing.
Albert Schweitzer
Contact Information
Linda Harvieux
 [email protected]
 612-638-1548
