Chamberlain and Beyond: Building Collaborative Teams

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Chamberlain and Beyond Building Collaborative
Teams
Tuesday, April 23, 945-1040 a.m. Room 101,
Rushmore Plaza Civic Center

• Research connects collaboration to teaching and
  learning
• Chamberlain process/background
• Elements of the effective collaborative team
• Most beneficial practices and difficulties
• Discussion of a start-up process for other
  schools

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Research shows that professional learning
communities do positively impact teaching and
learning.
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How important is the professional learning
community model? What makes the model
effective? What is essential in developing the
professional learning community?
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How important is collaborative school culture or
professional learning community?

• Two leading researchers in the field of
  educational leadership, Rick DuFour and Michael
  Fullan, argue that a professional learning
  community model is the best vehicle for school
  improvement.

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What makes the professional learning community
model effective?

• Four researchers, Hopkins, Fullan, DuFour, and
  Robbins, offer insight into the issue of
  effectiveness of learning communities.

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What makes the professional learning community
model effective?

• a focus on learning
• a collaborative culture
• collective inquiry into best practice
• an action orientation
• continuous improvement
• focus on results

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Continuous improvement

• This can be compared to the difference between
  taught curriculum and learned curriculum.
• Professional development is what is taught.
• Professional learning community is what is
  learned.

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Continuous improvement

• PLC for educators is much like an effective
  classroom.
• There is opportunity to
• learn theory
• engage in dialog
• practice new ideas
• get feedback
• differentiate learning
• assess learning
• be accountable for learning

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Focus on results

• One of the difficulties educators have with PLC
  is to move beyond the book studies and get to
  transparent teaching. Educators and schools are
  willing to engage in some safe PLC, but are
  reluctant to move to the deprivatization of
  teaching and learning.

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Tim Mitchell, Superintendent

• Chamberlain process/background

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The Three Cs of Community Building

• Confront the Brutal Facts
• Communication (Effective)
• Collaboration

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Communication

• I wonder how many childrens lives would be
  saved if we educators disclosed what we knew to
  each other"
• Roland Barth (2001)

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Collaboration

• The ability to collaborateon both a large and
  small scaleis one of the core requisites of post
  modern societyIn short, without collaborative
  skills and relationships it is not possible to
  learn and to continue to learn as much as you
  need in order to be an agent for social
  improvement
• Fullan (1993)

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Characteristics of Professional Learning
Communities

• Shared mission, vision, values, goals
• Collaborative teams focused on student learning
• Collective inquiry into best practice and our
  current reality
• Action orientation/experimentation
• Commitment to continuous improvement
• Results orientation

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MaryLou McGirr, TIE partner
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OutcomeTo gain knowledge and information
whileengaging in activities to prepare for joint
planning, team teaching, and collaborative
coaching to ensuresuccessful partnerships will
exist that affect the academic achievement of
students.
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Structure and format

• August, 2005
• Outcome Understand people are our greatest
  asset!
• 4 critical questions
• February, 2006
• Benchmark
• 4 essential questions
• August, 2006
• Outcome To deepen communication and
  facilitation skills
• 4 critical questions

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Structure and format

• February, 2007
• Outcome To understand the power of Cognitive
  CoachingSM in team work.
• 4 critical questions
• August, 2007
• Outcome To continue developing the knowledge of
  the staff to deepen their skills for successful
  collaboration which will ultimately affect the
  academic achievement of students.
• 4 critical questions

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Four Critical Questions for a Professional
Learning Community

• What do we want each student to learn?
• How will we know when each student has learned
  it?
• How will we respond when a student experiences
  difficulty in learning?
• How can we extend and enrich the learning for
  students who have clearly achieved the intended
  outcomes?

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Tami Schwartz and Jeff Tveit, teachers

• Most beneficial practices and difficulties

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(No Transcript)
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Q and A

• Discussion of a start-up process for other
  schools

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• Successful organizations do not experience fewer
  problems, they deal with them differently.

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What is essential in developing the professional
learning community?

• Fullan writes that recent development has changed
  from what makes PLC work to how to establish a
  PLC.

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Curriki

• www.curriki.org

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Essential factor is change itself

• Fullan contends that change is even more
  difficult than people think.
• Robert Marzano (2005) contends that education is
  always experiencing change and change comes in
  two shapes first order change and second order
  change.

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• Successful organizations do not experience fewer
  problems, they deal with them differently.

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Bibliography

• Bens, Ingrid (2005). Facilitating with ease Core
  skills for facilitators, team leaders and
  members, managers, consultants, and trainers. San
  Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass.
• DuFour, Richard, DuFour, Rebecca, Eaker, Robert,
  and Many, Thomas (2006). Learning by doing A
  handbook for professional learning communities at
  work. Bloomington, IN Solution Tree.
• Fullan, Michael. (November 2004). Leading
  professional learning. The school administrator.
  (pp. 10-14).
• Hopkins, Gary. (2006). Teachers teaching
  teachers Professional development that works.
  Education World. Downloaded 9.11.06.
  www.education-world.com/
• Richardson, Joan (1999). Norms put the Golden
  Rule into proctice for groups. National Staff
  Development Council. www.nsdc.org.
• Robbins, P. Alvy, H (2004). The new principals
  fieldbook Strategies for success. Arlington, VA
  ASCD.