Professional Learning Professional Learning CommunitiesCommunities

A Framework to Focus on Student A Framework to Focus on Student Learning by Turning Up the Learning by Turning Up the

H.E.A.T.H.E.A.T.

No Teacher (or Team Leader) is an No Teacher (or Team Leader) is an IslandIsland

Educators must stop working in isolation and Educators must stop working in isolation and hoarding their ideas, materials, and strategies hoarding their ideas, materials, and strategies and begin to work together to meet the needs and begin to work together to meet the needs of all students –(DaFour, 2004)of all students –(DaFour, 2004)

We We are a Professional Learning Community are a Professional Learning Community (PLC) that will go back to our schools and (PLC) that will go back to our schools and lead other PLCs.lead other PLCs.

What is a Professional Learning What is a Professional Learning Community?Community?

?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????????

What are the norms you have taken What are the norms you have taken back to your Professional Learning back to your Professional Learning

Community?Community? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????????

What is a “Big Ideas” of a What is a “Big Ideas” of a Professional Learning Community?Professional Learning Community?

1.1. Ensuring that Students Ensuring that Students LearnLearn

2.2. A Culture of CollaborationA Culture of Collaboration

3.3. A Focus on ResultsA Focus on Results

Ensuring that Students LearnEnsuring that Students Learn

““core mission” of education is to ensure core mission” of education is to ensure students are learning and not just taughtstudents are learning and not just taught

““learning for all” – taken literally it can learning for all” – taken literally it can be a pledge to ensure the success of each be a pledge to ensure the success of each studentstudent

Multiple questions will come about…Multiple questions will come about…

Ensuring that Students LearnEnsuring that Students Learn

What practices and characteristics have been most What practices and characteristics have been most successful at helping students achieve at high successful at helping students achieve at high levels at other schools?levels at other schools?

How can we adopt those successful practices and How can we adopt those successful practices and characteristics to fit the needs of our school?characteristics to fit the needs of our school?

What commitments do we have to make to each What commitments do we have to make to each other?other?

What are the indicators we could monitor to What are the indicators we could monitor to assess the progress?assess the progress?

Ensuring that Students LearnEnsuring that Students Learn

What will drive the work of the PLCs?What will drive the work of the PLCs? What do we want the student to learn?What do we want the student to learn? How will we know when each student has How will we know when each student has

learned it?learned it? How will we respond when a student How will we respond when a student

experiences difficulty in learning?***experiences difficulty in learning?****** - what separates PLCs from other committees*** - what separates PLCs from other committees

Ensuring that Students LearnEnsuring that Students Learn

PLCs response to students having difficulty PLCs response to students having difficulty learning is:learning is:

Timely – quickly identify students who need Timely – quickly identify students who need additional time and supportadditional time and support

Based on intervention rather than remediationBased on intervention rather than remediation Directive – systematic plan requires students Directive – systematic plan requires students

devote extra time and receive extra help to devote extra time and receive extra help to master the necessary conceptsmaster the necessary concepts

A Culture of CollaborationA Culture of Collaboration

Teacher collaboration represents Teacher collaboration represents “best practices” but in many schools “best practices” but in many schools teachers work in isolation….why??teachers work in isolation….why??

PLCs vs. “other” committees – this PLCs vs. “other” committees – this goes back to PLC “norms” – what are goes back to PLC “norms” – what are or should be the focus of PLCsor should be the focus of PLCs

Are we removing barriers to success?Are we removing barriers to success?

A Culture of CollaborationA Culture of Collaboration

Are we removing barriers to success?Are we removing barriers to success?

Presenting teachers with state Presenting teachers with state standards and district curriculum standards and district curriculum guides will not guarantee students guides will not guarantee students will have access to a common will have access to a common curriculum.curriculum.

A Culture of CollaborationA Culture of CollaborationEven school districts that devote Even school districts that devote tremendous time and energy to designing tremendous time and energy to designing the the intended curriculumintended curriculum often pay little often pay little attention to the attention to the implemented curriculumimplemented curriculum (what teachers actually teach) and even (what teachers actually teach) and even less to the less to the attained curriculumattained curriculum (what (what students learn) students learn)

(Marzano, 2003).(Marzano, 2003).

A Culture of CollaborationA Culture of Collaboration

Ultimately PLCs are a question of Ultimately PLCs are a question of will…will…

According to Roland Barth (1991), According to Roland Barth (1991),

“…“…God did not create self-contained God did not create self-contained classrooms, 50-minute periods, and classrooms, 50-minute periods, and subjects taught in isolation. We subjects taught in isolation. We did…”did…”

A Focus on ResultsA Focus on Results

PLCs focus measure effectiveness by results… PLCs focus measure effectiveness by results… (Formative Assessment “for” and “of” (Formative Assessment “for” and “of” Learning and Summative Assessment)Learning and Summative Assessment)

Goal attainment through measured progressGoal attainment through measured progress:: Adopting book programs?Adopting book programs? Adding a new computer lab?Adding a new computer lab? Increase number of proficient students in Increase number of proficient students in

science by 5%?science by 5%? Reduce failure rate by 8%?Reduce failure rate by 8%?

A Focus on ResultsA Focus on Results Do you suffer from aches and pains Do you suffer from aches and pains

of the DRIP syndrome?of the DRIP syndrome? Data Rich/Information PoorData Rich/Information Poor PLCs welcome not only welcome PLCs welcome not only welcome

data but also turns it into useful and data but also turns it into useful and relevant informationrelevant information

A Focus on ResultsA Focus on Results Common formative assessment Common formative assessment

practices will provide useful data for practices will provide useful data for comparison of all students…comparison of all students…

……thus leading PLCs to call on each thus leading PLCs to call on each other’s experiences and talents to other’s experiences and talents to reflect and address concernsreflect and address concerns

A Focus on ResultsA Focus on ResultsThe rise or fall of any PLC depends not on the The rise or fall of any PLC depends not on the

merit of the concept but the commitment and merit of the concept but the commitment and persistence of the educators.persistence of the educators.

“…“…if we want to change what we if we want to change what we areare, we , we must begin to change what we must begin to change what we dodo…” …”

(Allen Wheeler)(Allen Wheeler)