Transcript Slide 1

Limestone Coast
District Retreat 2007
Developing Professional
Learning Communities
Margot Foster & Katrina Spencer
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Professional Learning
Communities
What are our professional
expectations of each other?
District non-negotiables
Involvement
Commitment
Focus
Outputs
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working as professionals
working as learners
working as communities
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Even the most ambitious
reforms amount to
adjustments to the present
system rather than a new and
more fundamental way of
working.
Fullan 2004
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Adaptive challenges
go beyond our current
capacity or current
way of operating.
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Learning is not just increasing the store
of knowledge, taking in and retaining
more and more information, it is about
searching for meaning, developing
understanding and relating that
understanding to the world around us.
Quality learning is about conceptual
change – seeing the world differently is
the essential outcome.
Willis 1993
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The ‘feelings’ of
learning are key
and
‘intelligence’ arises in
relationship
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2 days for
thinking and
designing
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Left Hand Column Process
What I am hearing,
thinking and feeling
…….
What is being said and
delivered
……
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Defining a PLC
A professional learning community is:
an inclusive group of people,
motivated by a shared learning vision,
who support and work with each other,
finding ways, inside and outside their
immediate community,
to enquire on their practice and together learn
new and better approaches
that will enhance all pupils’ learning.
Stoll et al 2006
JIGSAW & XCHART GIZMOS
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Reid’s Flower Diagram
Broader External Environment
Policy
Curriculum
& Pedagogy
Teachers’
Work
Flow of power &
relationships
Professional
Relationships
PLC
Professional
Identity
Governance
Norms &
Culture
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Threads, knots and nets
TRIANGLES are connected by THREADS of
communication and relationship.
The threads give the network its life.
These threads come together in KNOTS of
activity to realise a common purpose.
The NET emerges created by the relationships
and activities.
It allows communities of diversity to come
together, a structure which participants
create, contribute to and benefit from.
The structure provides solidarity without losing
identity, and is dynamic enough to
incorporate new participants and expand
without losing its common purpose.
The structure is light, flexible and adaptive, not
fixed and constraining.
NCSL Networked Learning Communities 2006
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What we know about PLCs
There is no blueprint for an effective
network
No one set of arrangements or one
particular type of organisation is
necessarily better than another
However, we do know some things that
seem to work
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A Design Process
Why are we coming together, taking
all this time, energy and risk for this
work?
– Looking for something bigger
– These 2 days - design & shape rather
than ‘show ‘n’ tell
– An artistic not a technical process
Adaptive learning model
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Building learning community. . .
1. What is the quality of the experience you wish to have at
this conference?
2. How much risk are you prepared to take?
3. What level of engagement will you commit to?
4. How surprised are you prepared to be?
5. How responsible will you be for building community?
6. How prepared are you to contribute to other people’s
learning?
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Working as learners
Children remind us of the ‘stuck’
perceptions
Moving to adaptive learning –
beyond ‘old thinking’ with Russell
Ackoff
Reflecting with Dr Julia Atkin
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When we observe
children ‘playing
school’ – what do we
see them doing?
- What
does it sound like?
- What does it feel like?
- What memories does it
bring up for you?
Share with someone near you for 2 minutes
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the legacy of telling
- learned helplessness
- eroding of self efficacy
- belief that experts have
the answer – not you
- externalising locus of
control
- disengagement
Learning to Learn found that
Unravelling this ‘identity’ of
teaching and schooling is the
biggest challenge in school reform
because everything works to
maintain it as the dominant story.
Coming to know learning
for the first time.
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Working as learners
Children remind us of the ‘stuck’
perceptions
Moving to adaptive learning –
beyond ‘old thinking’ with Russell
Ackoff
Reflecting with Dr Julia Atkin
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Working inside the prevailing
paradigm is the secure,
accepted, and rewarded way to
live.
We become so comfortable
within our paradigm that it
becomes ‘functionally invisible’
to us.
How does a fish know it’s in water?
Prof Patrick Duignan, 2004
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Learning is not just increasing the store of
knowledge, taking in and retaining more and
more information, it is about searching for
meaning, developing understanding and
relating that understanding to the world
around us.
Quality learning is about conceptual change
– seeing the world differently is the essential
outcome.
Willis 1993
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A conundrum!
We need to change what we do and how
we do it, but educators are just as much
‘victim’ of the meta learnings/legacy of
schooling as the rest of us – so how do we
‘disturb’ enough, to not just accommodate
the new information – (eg we’ve been
doing this for years, this too shall pass)
and create the safety needed to dig deep
into assumptions and beliefs - identity?
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But for leaders it’s
double whammy!
• own thinking that the
answer is out there –
legacy of ‘telling’
• expectation that you’re
the answer
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Leader - biggest teller of them all
Trying to be an effective leader in this machine story is especially
exhausting. He or she is leading a group of lifeless, empty
automatons who are just waiting to be filled with vision and direction
and intelligence. The leader is responsible for providing everything:
the organisational mission and values, the organisational structure,
the plans, the supervision.
The leader must also figure out, through clever use of incentives or
coercives, how to pump energy into this lifeless mass. Once the
pump is primed, s/he must then rush hither and yon to make sure that
everyone is clanking along in the same direction, at the established
speed, with no diversions. It is the role of the leader to provide the
organising energy for a system that is believed to have no internal
capacities for self-creation, self-organisation, or self correction.
Margaret Wheatley, 2005.
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Pressures on Leaders
Because of increased fear, many people turn to leaders
with unreasonable demands. We want someone to
rescue us, to save us, to provide answers, to give us firm
ground or strong life rafts. We push for a strong leader to
get us out of this mess, even if it means surrendering
individual freedom to gain security. But the causes of
insecurity are complex and systemic. There is no one
simple answer, and not even the strongest of leaders can
deliver on the promise of stability and security. We seldom
acknowledge that. Instead, we fire the leader and
continue searching for the perfect one.
Margaret Wheatley, 2005.
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What is sustained
change?
There is evidence to suggest
that without a period of
turbulence, successful, long
term change is unlikely to
occur.
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Adaptive
leadership
•Curiosity more valued than obedience
to rules
•General dialogue neutralised
hierarchical power
•A variety of perspectives were
appreciated
•Confidence in peoples ability to work
together across organisational
boundaries
•Respect for curious minds and
interesting questions
•Encouraging and supporting people to
lead at any level in the organisation
•Encouraging strategic alliances
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Adapted from Harpaz 2002
Working as learners
Children remind us of the stuck
perceptions
Moving to adaptive learning in
our PLCs
Reflecting with Dr Julia Atkin
Paired reflective walk‘n’talk
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Appreciative
Inquiry works on
the assumption that
whatever we want
more of already
exists in all
organisations.
The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry
Hall and Hammond, 1996 www.thinbook.com
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Appreciative Inquiry
Social systems have a natural tendency to
evolve towards the most positive images
held by their members.
David Cooperrider.
DISCOVER
Appreciate
what is
DESTINY
Create what
will be
Compelling
idea
DESIGN
Decide what
should be
DREAM
Imagine
what could be
APPRECIATIVE
INQUIRY GIZMO
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A gift
Guy Claxton’s book
Wise Up: Learning to Live the learning life
Chapter Two – The Feelings of Learning
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DAY 2 – Working as a PLC
Reflections from yesterday
Truth
or
Lies
?????
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Developing Protocols
The kind of talking needed to educate ourselves cannot arise
spontaneously and unaided from just talking. It needs to be
carefully planned and scaffolded.
McDonald et al, 2003
Without a doubt - TRUST is vital…..
By having another principal observe my
conversation with one of my teachers, I can only
hope for improvement on my part, or better yet, on
both our parts. Principals need to take an approach
that says, "I have nothing to loose", by inviting
constructive criticism from a colleague.
….I am hopeful that your networked learning groups
prove beneficial. With principals truly working
together in this manner, you cannot go wrong.
Sean Fitzgerald, Principal - Woodland School, Appleton, Wisconsin USA
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Collaboration
Learning is at the heart of school reform… an
important aspect of this learning is that it
occurs in collaboration as people work
together to make sense of their world.
Ershler et al, 2001
Individual
Knowledge
Shared
Knowledge
What are the essential
elements of collaboration
for you?
Left Hand Column
Appreciative Inquiry
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Learning
Learning is best when it is participatory,
proactive, communal, collaborative,
and given over to constructing
meanings rather than receiving them.
Bruner, 1996
How do you best
share and receive
knowledge?
Individual
Knowledge
Shared
Knowledge
eg through conversation
by reading, reflection
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Safety
Although not all members of the group felt
themselves to be taking risks, those who
did felt that they would have found it really
helpful to have access to the experience of
others who had tried something innovative.
Courage to take risks needs to be
underpinned by a sense that the risk is
worth taking….
Dadds & Hart, 2001
Individual
Knowledge
Shared
Knowledge
What rules and protocols
need to be in place to
support learning and risk
taking for you?
eg airtime, contribution
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Inquiry
Reflection is a fundamental necessity, because
there are no simple prescriptions concerning
what ‘best’ educational practice might be.
That is what makes the job both so interesting
and challenging.
Berlak & Berlak, 1981
Inquiry
What processes will best
support your PLC to
develop an inquiry stance?
Individual
Knowledge
Shared
Knowledge
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Actions
Protocols demand an equity of voice,
contribution and benefit for learners.
Protocols ensure that collaborative
learning and reflection is followed by
action.
NCSL 2005 Network Facilitation: the
power of protocols
Individual
Knowledge
Shared
Knowledge
Action /
Growth
How will you incorporate
this learning into you work?
What commitments will you make?
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Successful PLC
Form around a compelling issue
Focus on student learning
Create new opportunities
for adult learning
Plan and manage for
success
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If my site was a…..
Magazine- which one would it be?
Restaurant- what would be it’s signature dish?
Athlete- in what event would you excel?
Dance- what style would you choose?
Artwork- what masterpiece or form would it be?
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Compelling Ideas
What are they?



Do we want one?
How do we get one?
Is mine as good as theirs?
Cautionary Tales


Quick fix and blame- L2L
Never fall in love with your first idea- Inquiry
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Finding our compelling idea
What wakes you up in the middle of the night?
How confident are you in the quality of learning
experienced by learners across your site?
What one thing do you believe would make the
most difference for your learners at this time?
What one thing do you believe would make the
most difference for your staff at the moment?
How do you change cultural norms? How do
you deal with resistance?
We’ve come this far as a site, now what?
Choose 1 to share with your PLC
What themes, issues, commonalities emerge?
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From compelling idea
 framing a question
What is it we want to explore and why?
 What assumptions sit beneath this issue?
SYSTEMS
Criteria:
INQUIRY GIZMO
Is this a worthwhile question?
Is it relevant to all network members?
Am I personally committed to it?
Will it support learners, my site, and my own learning?
Does it have the capacity to impact upon my practice?
Will this stretch me as a leader (does it feel scary)?
Be ready to share ‘initial’ group questions at 12:30
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Messages from ‘Everyday Creativity’
Change your perspective
There’s never one right answer
Reframe- problem as opportunities
Break the pattern
Train your technique
You’ve got to care
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A possible model for site visits
1.
Agree on focus- what do we want to learn about?
What process will best achieve this? [discussions, study group,
observations, shared readings, review processes, mentoring]
2.
Schedule visits – put dates in diaries today
Host to coordinate the day’s program and activities
Do we need any other contact? (emails, phone, coffee)
3.
Develop visit program- a possible model:
Tour site with host, clarify focus and processes
Team undertake observations, meet together to discuss
Team provide feedback and comment. Discussion time with host
Problem posing, group inquiry process or discussion time
Debrief and feedback , plan next contact and visit
4.
5.
Provide pre-reading, data or information for first visit
Provide feedback after the visit to the DD / IC
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Final Bits
Resources and support
District Team
Each other
Websites eg NCSL
Tools
DECS Self Review
Tool & Rubrics
FOLLOW A
STUDENT GIZMO
Sharing the Journey
End of year expectations
Ideas and tools
PHOTO VOICE
GIZMO
MOST SIGNIFICANT
CHANGE GIZMO
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Final Thoughts
Touchstones:
Will this make a difference for learners?
Am I learning?
Is this reflected in my practice/actions?
Any others??
Coming together is the beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.
Henry Ford (1863-1947) American industrialist
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