mrec principal leadership series professional learning communities jim stenehjem, nd lead director

MREC Principal Leadership SeriesMREC Principal Leadership SeriesProfessional Learning CommunitiesProfessional Learning Communities

JIM STENEHJEM, ND LEAD DIRECTOR

MREC McLean CoPrincipals’ PLC

MREC SE Principals’ PLC

NORMS FOR THIS WORKSHOPNORMS FOR THIS WORKSHOPStay on schedule; be on time.Participate actively:If you think it, say it.Ask questions.Take care of your neighbor. (cellphones on

vibrate)Take care of yourself.It’s OK to have FUN!Suffering is optional!

AgendaAgenda LEADING a PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (LPLC)

What: Goal for the YearBy the end of the year• Working knowledge of PLC• How to support development of them in

school and amongst schools.• 3 Big Focus• 4 Critical Questions

Website at ND LEAD• http:ndlead.org/Page/884


HOW: Function as a PLC and practice process

Follow the PLC Learning/Assessment Cycle on line using Fuze

Discuss what is expected of PLC Leaders

Lessons Learned in the process


Today and Yearly Meetings:

Page 1.4

IntroductionsIntroductions

PLEASE STAND AND SHARE

• Your Name

• Where you work and your position

• What you hope to learn in this series

• Where are you presently in the PLC Process?

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: Learning Learning TargetsTargets

1. Participants will develop a common vocabulary and understanding of the three big ideas of professional learning communities (PLC), the six essential characteristics, and the four critical questions.

1. Can you list the three big ideas?2. Can you list the six essential characteristics?3. Can you give the four critical questions?

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: Learning Learning TargetsTargets

2. Participants will have the knowledge of where to get additional resources and support for implementing PLCs in their schools.

Can you list two additional resources?

ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS: Learning TargetsLearning Targets

3. Participants will have the skills and resources to assess the current reality about professional learning communities in their own schools and districts.

Do you know about surveys and rubrics to give you this data?


4. Participants will know and be able to use different models of the change process to plan effective implementation strategies to PLCs, as well as identify the causes of resistance and reluctance to implementation plans during the process.


5. Participants will demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and desire to work with educators in their schools/districts to take purposeful steps to function as a PLC.

1. Do you feel you have the knowledge to take the next step in the process?

2. Do you feel you have the skills to take the next step in the process?

3. Do you have the desire to lead your school to become a professional learning community?


6.Participants will develop an action plan to begin implementing professional learning communities in their schools/districts.

Do you have an action plan to begin implementing professional learning communities?


7.Participants will develop an ongoing collaborative leadership network to support their ongoing efforts in implementing professional learning communities in their schools/districts.

Are you interested in continuing to work with others from this class on the implementation process?

Make AppointmentsMake Appointments

Make an appointment with someone not at your table for

1:00 ________________2:00 ________________3:00 ________________

Vision Skills Incentives

Resources ActionPlan

Leading Complex ChangeLeading Complex Change

Skills Incentives


Vision Incentives


Vision Skills Resources ActionPlan

Vision Skills ActionPlan

Incentives

ResourcesVision Skills Incentives

ConfusioConfusionn

ChangeChange

AnxietyAnxiety

GradualGradualChangeChange

FrustratioFrustrationn

False False StartStart

© Enterprise Management Ltd., 1987.

With a partner, share your

thoughts on the change theory

related to implementing the

PLC Concept?19

The Right Problem

• 1959 British industry magnate by the name of Henry Kremer

• build a plane that could fly a figure eight around two markers one half-mile apart

• £50,000 $1.3 million and $2.5 million• 10 years no success

20

http://www.raes.org.uk/cmspage.asp?cmsitemid=SG_hum_pow_kremer

“The problem is we don’t understand the problem.”

Paul MacCready

21

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_MacCready

Solution• The problem was the problem.• How can you build a plane that could be rebuilt

in hours not months?• Fix in hours, and he was able to quickly iterate.• 18 years had passed since Henry Kremer

opened his wallet for his vision• Half a year later, 1977, MacCready’s

Gossamer Condor flew 2,172 meters to win the prize.

• A bit over a year after that, the Gossamer Albatross flew across the channel. 22

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_Condor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_Albatross

“The problem is we don’t understand the

problem.” Paul MacCready,

23



How can we get all students, regardless of background, proficient on the common core

standards?

24

How can we get all students, regardless of

background, college and work ready?

25

Number one influence on student

performance at school is an effective teacher.

26

Number one influence on student

performance at school is effective teaching.

27

Increase the number of iterations to weekly.

Have 36 iterations a year instead of 1,2,3 or 4.

28

Professional Development once or twice a year,

may take 10 years!One or Two Iterations a

year.

29

Collaboration is King!

“We is better then Me!”

But not Collaboration Lite!

30

Focus on the Right Stuff!

Not PLC lite!

31

Does your school provide for time for collaboration?

32

Relationship Between Levels of Impact and Components of TrainingJoyce & Showers 1995

BOOK WALKBOOK WALK

• http://go.solution-tree.com/plcbooks/

http://go.solution-tree.com/plcbooks/

Professional Learning Professional Learning Community (PLC) DefinedCommunity (PLC) Defined

Educators are committed to working Educators are committed to working collaborativelycollaboratively in in ongoing processes of ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action collective inquiry and action researchresearch in order to achieve better in order to achieve better results results for the for the students they serve.students they serve.

PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators.embedded learning for educators.

~DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many (2006)~DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many (2006)

Professional Learning Professional Learning Community (PLC) DefinedCommunity (PLC) Defined

It’s Not a Meeting; It’s a Way of Being!September 29, 2009By Brian Butler, PLC associate

Robert Eaker says, go from knowing to doing to being

What is a PLC?What is a PLC?

A professional learning community is an A professional learning community is an

ethos that infuses every single aspect ethos that infuses every single aspect

of a schoolof a school’’s operation. When a school s operation. When a school

becomes a professional learning becomes a professional learning

community, everything in the school community, everything in the school

looks different than it did before.looks different than it did before.

~Andy Hargreaves (2004)~Andy Hargreaves (2004)

Collective ResponsibilityCollective Responsibility

The best organizations are places

where everyone has permission,

or better yet, the responsibility to

gather and act on quantitative and

qualitative data, and to help

everyone else learn what they

know.--Pfeffer & Sutton (2006)

The Power of Professional The Power of Professional Learning CommunitiesLearning Communities

The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is building the capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community. The path to change in the classroom lies within and through professional learning communities.

~Milbrey McLaughlin (1995)

Highly Effective SchoolsHighly Effective Schools

An analysis of An analysis of researchresearch conducted over a conducted over a thirty-five thirty-five

year year period demonstrates that period demonstrates that schoolsschools that are that are highly highly

effective produce results effective produce results that that almost entirely almost entirely overcomeovercome the the

effects of effects of student student backgroundsbackgrounds..

~Robert Marzano (2003)~Robert Marzano (2003)

What is a PLC?What is a PLC?

The Three Big Ideas of a PLC The Three Big Ideas of a PLC

Focus on LearningFocus on Learning

Build a Collaborative CultureBuild a Collaborative Culture

Focus on ResultsFocus on Results

Paradigm Shift

6:42

Traditional School StructureTraditional School Structurevs Collaborativevs Collaborative

Independent Kingdoms by grade level in the elementary school or by subject area in the secondary school.

Richard DuFour

Independent Kingdoms

Pseudo PLC StructurePseudo PLC Structure

Individual Kingdoms organized into isolated groups on an infrequent basisRick DuFour

Individual Kingdoms

The PLC StructureThe PLC Structure

Interdependent Collaborate Teams united by PLC FoundationRichard DuFour

SharedPurpose

SharedVision

CollectiveCommitments

SharedGoals

Ve

rtic

al D

ialo

gue

Independent Collaborative Teams

Focused on ResultsFocused on Results

Collaborative cultures, which by Collaborative cultures, which by definition have close relationships, definition have close relationships,

are indeed powerful but are indeed powerful but unless unless focused on the right things focused on the right things may end may end

up being up being powerfully wrong. powerfully wrong. ~Michael Fullan~Michael Fullan

Professional Learning Professional Learning CommunitiesCommunities 3 Big Ideas

Focus on LearningFocus on Learning

Build a COLLABORATIVE CULTUREBuild a COLLABORATIVE CULTURE

Focus on ResultFocus on Result

Six Essential Characteristics Six Essential Characteristics

of a PLCof a PLC Shared mission, vision, values, goalsShared mission, vision, values, goals

Collaborative teams focused on learningCollaborative teams focused on learning

Collective inquiryCollective inquiry

Action orientation and experimentationAction orientation and experimentation

Commitment to Continuous improvementCommitment to Continuous improvement

Results orientationResults orientation

1. What are 1. What are students students

supposed to supposed to know and know and

do?do?

2. How do 2. How do we know we know

when when students students

have have learned?learned?

3. What do 3. What do we do when we do when

students students HAVENHAVEN’’T T learned?learned?

4. What do 4. What do we do when we do when

students students HAVE HAVE

learned the learned the content?content?

The Four Critical The Four Critical Questions of PLCQuestions of PLC’’s s

PLC Year Long Flow ChartPLC Year Long Flow Chart

C. Align Curriculum and Select “Power”

Standards

Repeat 4/5 times per

year

A. Establish Norms

B. Set/Revisit SMART Goals for PLC

D. Unit Planning ( Use backward design template)

E. Write or Revise Common Formative Assessments

F. Collaboratively Analyze Student Work

www.allthingsplc.com

Expert Endorsements of PLCExpert Endorsements of PLC Organizations That Endorse PLC Organizations That Endorse PLC

ConceptsConcepts Studies That Support PLC ConceptsStudies That Support PLC Concepts Educational Researchers Who Endorse Educational Researchers Who Endorse

PLC ConceptsPLC Concepts(Another Resource!!)(Another Resource!!)

Research on PLC HandoutResearch on PLC Handout

http://www.allthingsplc.com/

Assessing the Current Assessing the Current RealityReality

Educators do not have school cultures, but rather school cultures have them.

Taking ActionTaking Action

The challenge is to take The challenge is to take action, to close the action, to close the knowing-doing gap!knowing-doing gap!

Put a good person in a bad system and Put a good person in a bad system and the system wins every time, no contestthe system wins every time, no contest..

~W. Edwards Deming~W. Edwards Deming

ConfuciusConfucius

““I hear and I forget, I see and I I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understandremember, I do and I understand””

Learning by DoingLearning by Doing

Learning by DoingLearning by Doing

Capacity building . . .is not just workshops Capacity building . . .is not just workshops and professional development for all. It is and professional development for all. It is the daily habit of the daily habit of working togetherworking together, and , and you can’t learn this from a workshop or you can’t learn this from a workshop or course. You course. You need to learn it by doing need to learn it by doing it it

and having mechanisms for getting better and having mechanisms for getting better at it on purpose.at it on purpose.

--Michael Fullan (2005)

Four Pillars PLC built onFour Pillars PLC built on

Mission Vision Values Goals

Why? What? How? How will we mark

our progress?

PURPOSE FUTURE COMMITTMENTS

TARGETSTIME LINE

Mission StatementMission Statement

Not just words, but the Not just words, but the way of doing things.way of doing things.

60

Mission Statement School 1Mission Statement School 1

““It is our mission to help all students learnIt is our mission to help all students learnifif they are conscientious, responsible, they are conscientious, responsible, attentive, developmentally ready, fluent in attentive, developmentally ready, fluent in English, and come from homes with English, and come from homes with concerned parents who take an interest in concerned parents who take an interest in their education.their education.””

Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, 2008Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, 2008

61


““Our mission is to create a school with an Our mission is to create a school with an unrelenting focus on learning; failure is unrelenting focus on learning; failure is not an option. not an option.

But ultimately it will be the responsibility But ultimately it will be the responsibility of the student and his or her parents to of the student and his or her parents to take advantage of the opportunities for take advantage of the opportunities for learning.learning.””

Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, 2008Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, 2008

62


Our mission is to take credit for the Our mission is to take credit for the accomplishments of our highest accomplishments of our highest achieving student and to assign blame achieving student and to assign blame for low performance of others.”for low performance of others.”

Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, 2008

63


““Our mission is to ensure success for all Our mission is to ensure success for all our students. We will do our students. We will do whatever it whatever it takestakes to ensure their success to ensure their successprovided we donprovided we don’’t have to change the t have to change the schedule, modify any of our existing schedule, modify any of our existing practices, or adopt any new practices.practices, or adopt any new practices.””

Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, 2008

64

Mission StatementMission Statement

To Provide Opportunities . . . .To Provide Opportunities . . . .

OrOr

To Ensure Learning?To Ensure Learning?

65

Collective CommitmentsCollective Commitments

What are some What are some key commitments key commitments each each staff member staff member must honor in order must honor in order to to become the school the staff has become the school the staff has envisioned?envisioned?

Why do Why do the authors emphasize the authors emphasize these these commitmentscommitments should be stated as should be stated as behaviorsbehaviors rather than beliefs? rather than beliefs?

67

LeadershipLeadership

Leadership is not something you do to people, but something you do with people.

K. Blanchard, Leading at a Higher Level

1:68

Leading with a WHIP!Leading with a WHIP!

Collaborative TeamsCollaborative TeamsDefining teams:

A group of people working interdependently to achieve a common goal for which members are held mutually accountable.

The must rely on each other to accomplish a goal that none could achieve individually.

1:70

V

G X R

M W E V

Z N R P L W M U

S R W Q P D R I D W

B F M P W L V E B C R A Q T P S

A X V T Y P W O N L

NOT FAIR !!!

No Alignment with what was expected

and what was taught.

B

F M P

W L V E

B C R A Q T P S

A X V T Y P W O N L

TeamsTeams

Grade level or Common Content Vertical teams Across schools Interdisciplinary Teams Electronic Teams

1:79

Vertical TeamsVertical Teams

Clarify the essential outcomes in K-2 Develop assessment for each grade Analyze the results for each

assessment Offer suggestions for improving

results

1:80

Interdisciplinary TeamsInterdisciplinary Teams

Identify overarching curricular goal What criteria will be used in

assessing quality of student work? How will we know if we are applying

the criteria consistently? What are the most effective ways to

teach the goal area?1:81


Do we have staff members who have expertise in the area?

How will we know if our students are becoming better at the goal?

How will we know if the goal is impacting achievement in respective areas.

1:82


How do we work with students who are struggling with the new goal area?

How do we enrich for those who are already successful?

1:83

Electronic TeamsElectronic Teams Use Google Hang Out, Skype, Adobe Connect Pro, Fuzebox, etc.

to meet. Use chats to meet Use phones to meet. Use blogs.

1:84

TeamsTeams

Special Education Teachers Counselors Media Specialists (Collaborate 21)

1:85

TimeTime LineLine

Week Two, team norms

Week Four, SMART Goals

Week Six, list of essential knowledge, skills, dispositions for semester

Week eight, first common assessment

Week ten, analysis of results, strengths and areas of concern

1:86

PrincipalsPrincipals

Must establish clear parameters and priorities that guide the work toward the

goal of improving student learning.

Insist that products are produced to relate to the teams efforts.

1:87

Importance of Explicit Importance of Explicit Team NormsTeam Norms

1. Create own norms.

2. Stated as commitments to act or behave, and not beliefs.

3. Reviewed at beginning and end of meeting.

4. Evaluate the effectiveness twice a year.

5. Focus on a few essential norms.

6. Violations must be addressed.

1:88

Why Should We Why Should We Collaborate?Collaborate?

Gains in student achievement Higher quality solutions to problems Increased confidence among all staff Teachers able to support one another’s strengths

and accommodate weakness Ability to test new ideas More support for new teachers Expanded pool of ideas, materials, and methods.

--Judith Warren Little (1990)

Hand in Hand, We All Hand in Hand, We All LearnLearn

Ultimately there are two kinds of schools: learning enriched schools and learning-improvised schools. I have yet to see a school where the learning curves . . .of the adults were steep upward and those of the students were not. Teachers and students go hand

and hand as learners. . . or they don’t go at all.~Roland Barth, (2001)

School and Teacher Scenario Achievement Percentile After Two Years

Average School and Average Teacher 50th

Least Effective School and Least Effective Teacher

3rd



Least Effective School and least Effective Teacher

3rd

Most Effective School and Least Effective Teacher

37th

Least Effective School and Most Effective Teacher

63rd

Most Effective School and Most Effective Teacher

96th

Most Effective School and Average Teacher

78th

Effects on Student Achievement of School and Teacher Effectiveness with Student Entering School at the 50th percentile




3rd


37th


63rd

Most Effective School and Most Effective Teacher

96th




3rd


37th




3rd


37th


63rd



Time Time

1. Shortened day once a week with teams of parents and /other business partners.

2. Classes start 30 minutes late and teachers come in 30 minutes early. Then get 30 released 30 minutes Friday.

3. Meet while students are in PE, music, art.

4. Teachers are paired and cover other teachers classes to provide release time.

1:92

TimeTime5. Arrange assemblies and other types of

school-wide events to release some teachers.

6. Faculty meeting once a month, teams three times.

7. Take part of 90 minute planning time once a week.

8. Early release 2 hours every Wednesday.

1:93

TimeTime9. Monday modified with early out for

students, and Tues-Friday are longer by 10 minutes.

10. Extended lunch periods11. College Students12. Robbing student time, so need to inform

parents, etc. Tell students what happens and why good.

1:94

Collaborate Teams: Collaborate Teams: 10 Reasons to Collaborate10 Reasons to Collaborate

1. RESEARCH: Student Performance2. TEACHER MOTIVATION:3. ADVANTAGE OF LARGE SCHOOL IN A SMALL SCHOOL:4. POWER OF FULL COLLABORATION:5. COST EFFECTIVE:6. DEVELOPING FUTURE CAPACITY:7. DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP:8. DEVELOP SKILLS FOR VERTICAL TEAMS IN BUILDING:9. DEVELOP SKILLS IN USING VIDEO CONFERENCING TOOLS (ADOBE CONNECTS PRO):10.OPEN THE DOOR TO OTHER POSSIBILITIES:

Collaborate Teams: Collaborate Teams: Seven Steps to Seven Steps to

Building High-Performing TeamsBuilding High-Performing Teams

1. Embed collaboration in the routine practices of the school by organizing teachers into relevant and meaningful teams.

“We are better together in groups than we are one-by-one”



2. Create time for teams to collaborate during the regular contractual day.



3. Focus the work of teams on the eighteen “Critical Issues for Team Consideration” linked by research to gains in student achievement and/or high-performing teams.



4. Monitor the work of teams through the products they generate as they engage in the collective inquiry of a team doing the “right work” in a professional learning community.



5. Help members of teams clarify their expectations of one another by establishing team norms—that is, the collective commitments they make to one another regarding how they will work together.



6. Insist that every team identify and pursue SMART goals.

SMART GOALSSMART GOALS

SStrategic and specifictrategic and specific MMeasurableeasurable AAttainablettainable RResults-orientedesults-oriented TTime-boundime-bound

~Conzemius & O’Neill (2002)



7. Provide each teacher and each team with relevant and timely information on student achievement. Provide the basis of comparison essential to converting data into information.

Collaboration on the “right stuff”

“After two years of teachers working in collaborative teams to clarify essential outcomes and discuss preferred instructional strategies, none of the schools in this longitudinal study showed any gains in student achievement.

—Gallimore, et al. 2009

104

Collaboration on the “right stuff”In the third year, teams created common assessments and used the results to (1) discuss which strategies were effective and to (2) identify areas and students needing the team’s attention. Every school experienced dramatic gains in student achievement for three consecutive years.”

—Gallimore, et al. 2009

105

Create Time to Collaborate Create Time to Collaborate

Parameters for Creating Time for Collaboration Students must remain on campus during collaboration. It can’t increase costs. It won’t result in a significant loss of instructional time.

• —Adapted from Learning by Doing (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2006)

Teacher Collaboration Year Long

Flow Chart – Year One

A. Establish Norms

B. Select a Power Standard

C. Unwrap the Power Standard to Learning

Targets in Student Friendly Terms or “I Can” Statements

D. Write or Revise Common Formative and Summative

Assessments

E. Share Effective Teaching Strategies

F. Collaboratively Analyze Student Work and Make

Adjustments Repeat 2 times per year

mrec principal leadership series professional learning communities jim stenehjem, nd lead director

Documents

learning targets

process slide

orgpage884 slide

essential learnings

plc process

agenda agenda

knowledge of plc

mrec se principals plc