We’re Meeting…Now What?A Look Inside a Learning Team

Bill FerriterSolution Tree AuthorDigital Learning ConsultantPLC AssociateFull-time Classroom Teacher.

Session Website:http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/Now-What

Checking In:

Working with the participants at your table, share what brings you to this particular session. What individual experiences or

expertise do you bring to the conversation?

What are you hoping to walk away having learned?

Because of the inherent difficulty of working with others, and because most

teachers are used to working independently, when professional learning

teams are put together and members suddenly asked to work in cooperation—

to make collaborative decisions about what will happen in their classrooms—

many teachers experience considerable frustration.

(Graham & Ferriter, 2010, p. 70)

Activity: Carousel Brainstorming

In the center of your table, you’ll find an index card with a number written on it. That number corresponds to one of the

stories hanging on the outside walls of this meeting room. Please move with the other

participants at your table to this story. Spend 5-7 minutes silently reading the

story when you get there.

Activity: Carousel Brainstorming

After reading, work with your partners to answer the following questions:

•Story One: From the evidence that you can gather in this story, what is this

learning team doing well? What kinds of professional learning team behaviors

have they mastered? What are they most likely to be ready to tackle next?

Activity: Carousel Brainstorming

After reading, work with your partners to answer the following questions:

•Story Two: From the evidence that you can gather in this story, what is this

particular learning team struggling with? What challenges might they face in the

future? How do you know?

Activity: Carousel Brainstorming

After reading, work with your partners to answer the following questions:

•Story Three: How would teachers in this stage of development likely feel towards

professional learning communities?

Activity: Carousel Brainstorming

After reading, work with your partners to answer the following questions:

Story Four: What kinds of skills does this team need to develop in order to take

their work further? If you were in charge of supporting this learning team, what

would your next steps be?

Activity: Carousel Brainstorming

After reading, work with your partners to answer the following questions:

Story Five: Make a prediction about what will happen next to this particular learning team. Explain the factors that will cause

your prediction to come true.

Activity: Carousel Brainstorming

After reading, work with your partners to answer the following questions:

Story Six: Create a metaphor or a graphic image that represents the learning team

in your narrative story OR that represents the kinds of support that this team needs

to move forward together.

Filling the Time

"What are we supposed to do?"

Rambling meetings

High Frustration

Simple and scattered activities.

Filling the Time

Set clear work expectations.

Provide sample agendas to define team's work.

Assign specific roles to members.

Sharing Personal Practices

Teamwork = Sharing

Standardization of instruction.

Less experienced colleagues benefit.

Delegation of planning.

Sharing Personal Practices

Require consensus around curriculum and assessment.

“Push beyond planning.”

Require shared mini lessons.

Structure efforts to use student learning data in planning.

Common Assessments

"What does mastery look like?"

Emotional conversations about quality instruction and the importance of

individual objectives.

Pedagogical controversy.

Common Assessments

Training in conflict management.

Moderate early conversations.

Training in developing effective assessments.

Library of sample assessments.

Analyzing Student Learning

Shift from teaching to learning.

Teachers publicly face learning results.

Teachers can be defensive and can grow competitive.

Analyzing Student Learning

Provide tools for data analysis.

Repurpose positions/ Hire data experts.

Separate person from practice.

Model.

Differentiating Follow Up

Teachers respond instructionally to data.

Teams take collective action rather than respond as individuals.

Principals serve as collaborative partners.

Differentiating Follow Up

Demonstrate flexibility as teams identify and then pursue novel approaches.

Identify relevant professional development opportunities.

Redesign positions to focus additional human resources on struggling students.

Reflecting on Instruction

"What practices work with our students?"

Learning connected to teaching.

Deep reflection on instruction.

Action research.

Reflecting on Instruction

Create opportunities for teachers to observe each other.

Carefully monitoring every imitative.

Celebrate and publicize findings of team studies.

Task for School Leaders

Consider three different professional learning teams in your building. Identify the stage of development that they are

most likely in.

What does each team do well? What mistakes do they make? How can you best

support their development?

Task for Classroom Teachers

Consider your professional learning team. Identify the stage of development that you

are most likely in.

What does your team do well? What mistakes do YOU make? What support do

YOU need to move forward?

Bill FerriterThe Tempered Radicalhttp://snipurl.com/temperedradical

Twitter Username: @plugusinDelicious Username: plugmeinEmail: wferriter@hotmail.com

Bill Ferriter has about a dozen titles—Solution Tree PLC author and Associate, ASCD Columnist, Senior Fellow, the Teacher Leaders Network—but he checks them all at the door each morning when he walks into his sixth grade classroom!