Professional Learning Community Secondary Leaders September 15 & 16 2009

About the Facility

    Rest Rooms Fire Exits Coffee & Water Hotel will be attached

• Welcome & Big Picture • PLC Overview •PLC Leader Role •Creating a Collaborative Culture •Team Time

Change in the Mission of Education

Old Mission  Every Student CAN  learn Assessment OF Learning (Summative)    Select and Sort Students Winners and Losers Focus on Teaching New Mission  Every Student WILL  learn Assessment FOR Learning (Formative)    Pyramid of Intervention Failure is Not an Option Focus on Learning

Myths and Legends

   Jot down some of your ideas related to the questions in the boxes Share with your elbow partner and have a brief discussion about the ideas. Be prepared to report out to the larger group .

Activity 5 minutes

The Foundation of Professional Learning Communities  Three Big Ideas  Six Characteristics  Four Corollary Questions

PLC Big Ideas & Core Values

 Ensuring that students learn

-Learning for all

 A Culture of Collaboration

- Teamwork

 Focus on Results

- Data-Driven Decisions

Big Idea #1

Focus on Learning

The ultimate purpose of schools is to ensure high levels of learning for ALL students.

If this is true, then schools will: Clarify what each student is expected to learn Monitor each student’s learning on a timely basis Create systems to ensure students receive support if they are not learning

Big Idea #2

Collaborative Culture

“We can achieve our fundamental purpose of high levels of learning for all students only if we work together. We cultivate a collaborative culture through the development of high performing teams.” DuFour, DuFour and Eaker

PLC Team Structures

Course alike teams Grade level teams Vertical teams Similar responsibility teams (Learning Supports, PACT) Interdisciplinary teams District teams

Big Idea #3

Focus on Results

We assess our effectiveness on the basis of results rather than intention. Individuals, teams, and schools seek relevant data and information and use that information to promote continuous improvement.

What do the data tell us?

A Shift in Response

 Frequent common formative assessments to:  Inform student decisions      Assess frequently Developed jointly by PLC teams Collaborate on response to interventions Monitor student proficiency Respond when kids don’t learn

Pyramid of Interventions

R T I Response to Intervention

6 Characteristics

 Focus on Learning  Collaborative Culture  Collective Inquiry  Action Oriented  Commitment to Continuous Improvement  Results Oriented

4 Critical Questions

What do we want each student to learn, know, or be able to do?

What evidence do we have of the learning?

How will we respond when some students don’t learn?

How will we respond to those who have already learned?

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Student Questions

Student Learning Expectations What do I need to know ?

 Where am I?

Data Center & Folder   How do I get there?

SMART Goals & Action Plan What happens if I struggle or fail?

“I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.” Socrates (BC 469- BC 399)

What is Collaboration?

 A systematic process in which we work together, interdependently, to analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve out individual and collective results.

- DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker (2002)

Mark Buehrle White Sox Perfect Game July 23, 2009

Trust

“Trust is …cultivated through speech, conversation, communication and action.” Building Trust by Solomon & Flores

The relationship among the adults in the schoolhouse has more impact on the quality and character of the schoolhouse – and on the accomplishments of youngsters – than any other factor.

-- Roland Barth, Learning by the Heart

Relational Trust

  Focuses on distinct role relationships AND the obligation & expectations associated with them

Results

 Enhances trust or diminishes trust

Someone’s Behavior My belief about the behavior Feelings Outcome/Reactions

Enhanced Trust Diminished Trust Expectations Met Expectations Not Met

Trusting Relationships 4 Key components

    Respect Personal regard Personal integrity Competence  Built through day-to-day routines and life in the school Researchers Anthony Bryk and Barbara Schneider

Trust has been defined as

…

..

…

the shared understanding by the entire staff that both the staff and the individuals within the staff are reliable and that they can be counted on to do what they say they will do.

The Wright Family

Question to Consider…   The most critical question to consider when reflecting on the collaboration in your school is not, “Do we collaborate?” The far more important question is, “What do we collaborate about?”

What Evidence Do We Have That Our Team Collaboration…

    Focuses on the critical questions of learning?

Leads to changes in classroom practice?

Increases the teams ability to achieve its SMART goals?

Helps individual teachers, the team at large and the school do a better job of helping all students learn at high levels?

One Step at a Time

       Stage 1: Filling the Time Stage 2: Sharing Personal Practices Stage 3: Planning, Planning, Planning Stage 4: Developing Common Assessments Stage 5: Analyzing Student Learning Stage 6: Differentiating Follow-Up Stage 7: Reflecting on Instruction Parry Graham & Bill Ferriter www.nsdc.org

Learning by Doing

 Capacity building… is not just workshops and professional development for all. It is the daily habit of working together, and you can’t learn this from a workshop or course. You need to learn it by doing it and having mechanisms for getting better at it on purpose.

-Michael Fullan (2005)