Presented by Barbara Sutterlin

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Examining the Professional Circle Model of Staff
Development to Promote Teacher Collaboration in
First Grade

• Presented by Barbara Sutterlin
• Montgomery Township School District
• Faculty Advisor Dr. R. J. Palmer
• Summer 2005

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Statement of the Problem

• The growth of the first grade team in Orchard
  Hill Elementary School hinders relationships
  among the whole team both professionally and
  socially.
• Because of the size of the first grade, it is
  very difficult for families of teachers to speak
  with other families.
• This inability to have common time prevents the
  sharing of ideas and creates isolation between
  the three families.

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Purpose of the Research

• To examine the implementation of the professional
  circle, a model of staff development.
• To evaluate its effectiveness in terms of
  providing an opportunity for first grade teachers
  in Montgomery Township to collectively discuss
  student progress, share successful literacy
  plans, and error analysis.

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Research Questions

• This research was guided by the following four
  questions
• How did the professional circle model sustain
  itself over a period of time in Montgomery
  Township First Grade Classrooms?
• What types of conversations and lesson planning
  developed during the course of this professional
  circle and what were their foci?
• How did the participating teachers perceive their
  involvement in the circle regarding their
  (self)-efficacy, (teacher) isolation, and
  collaboration?
• How did the participating teachers view their
  classroom practice over the course of the
  implementation?

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What Does The Literature Say?

• Teachers need professional development that
  extends far beyond the one-shot workshop they
  need opportunities to learn how to question,
  analyze, and change instruction to teach
  challenging content (Darling-Hammond
  McLaughlin, 1995).
• One model of professional development that has
  several synonymous names in Education such as
  Networks, Professional Circles, and Quality
  Circles emerged in recent years and it
  incorporates many of these essential
  characteristics.

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The History of the Professional Circle

• The Quality Circle was first adopted in the
  1960's as a way to improve American Industries
  and find ways to keep up with Japan's
  manufacturing.
• The original design was based on work colleagues
  selecting a common focus or issue within their
  organization or profession and then using one
  another to explore ways of effecting improvements
  in work practices (Lovett Gilmore, 2002).

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Benefits of the Professional Circle

• The circle provides a media for reflection and
  the setting decreases isolation.
• Continuous dialogue helps to cultivate collective
  efficacy at schools.
• Teachers develop a strong professional community.
• Lev Vygotsky first articulated the idea that
  knowledge is not only constructed independently,
  but also through shared experiences in human
  relationships.
• For all the emotional support the group provides,
  participants remain focused on their larger goal
  improving student achievement (Carver, 2004).
• Decreased isolation by bringing a group of
  colleagues together.

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Method of Implementation

• This study took place within the context of
  Orchard Hill Elementary School in Montgomery
  Township, NJ.
• The community has successfully merged rural and
  suburban lifestyles in a cosmopolitan region.
• Orchard Hill is a school of roughly 1400 students
  and 75 teachers.
• It is one of the fastest growing districts in the
  state.

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Participants
There were 19 teachers in total. Fifteen were
first grade teachers and four were reading
recovery/literacy support teachers.
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Research Design

• Since this implementation would be studied over a
  period of five months, it would be best examined
  through the use of a Qualitative Case Study.
• ADVANTAGEBy using scales and surveys to assess,
  I was able to gain the data I needed to answer my
  research questions.
• DISADVANTAGEBecause it was the only model being
  studied in this research, it did not offer the
  chance to make a comparison with another model of
  professional development.

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Data Collection

• First a survey went out to determine who wanted
  to be a part of the circle.
• This is how I got the 19 participants for the
  professional circle.

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Data Collection

• Data was also collected through a designed scale
  to measure topics of focus in order of
  importance, to identify goals of the circle, and
  to assess the teachers perceptions of current
  collegial relationships.

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Results of Survey for Focus
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Professional Circle Begins

• The first circle focused on Book Choice.
• Observational notes were taken at every meeting.
• Meetings were every two weeks in the morning.
• The Circle ran through February.
• After that, it became a book study group until
  May.

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Data Analysis

• The observations were analyzed in a chronological
  order .
• The final scale was organized and averaged by
  assigning values to the Likert scale, summing up
  the total amounts in each section, and finding
  the percentage for each value.
• The final scale was designed to measure the
  outcomes of the circle according to the research
  questions.

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The Final Survey
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Results and Findings

• Question 1
• How did the professional circle model sustain
  itself over a period of time in Montgomery
  Township First Grade Classrooms?

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Question 1
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What do the numbers mean?

• While fifty six percent of those surveyed agree
  that the circle sustained in attendance over the
  five months, the attendance sheet depicts that
  the professional circle averaged fourteen to
  sixteen members.
• The sharing of ideas and materials, and the
  listening and questioning of one another, were
  shown to represent a strong agreement by
  participants as the most substantial reason of
  how the circle sustained itself.

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Results and Findings

• Question 2
• What types of conversations and lesson planning
  developed during the course of this professional
  circle and what were their foci?

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Question 2
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What do the numbers mean?

• It is evident that there was strong agreement
  that participants felt the circle remained on
  focus of Early Literacy.
• The only area of Literacy that received any
  disagreement was on phonics and the observations
  show that participants had opted to replace that
  topic with spelling.

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Results and Findings

• Question 3
• How did the participating teachers perceive
  their involvement in the circle regarding their
  (self)-efficacy, (teacher) isolation, and
  collaboration?

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Question 3
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What do the numbers mean?

• Ninety percent of the teachers agreed that their
  belief in their abilities was effected due to the
  circle.
• When the initial survey was conducted, on a scale
  of 1-10, teachers rated feelings of isolation at
  a 4.
• On the final survey, fifty six percent agree that
  isolation was addressed, the forty four percent
  remained neutral on this subject.
• All teachers surveyed agreed that collaboration
  was effected due to the circle.

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Results and Findings

• Question 4
• How did the participating teachers view their
  classroom practice over the course of the
  implementation?

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Question 4
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What do the numbers mean?

• Writing topics and guided reading has the most
  agreement with seventy percent feeling their
  classroom practice changed.
• When these topics were the focus, the
  observational data shows the meetings to be very
  collaborative.
• Teachers agree overall that classroom practice
  improved due to the topics discussed in the
  Professional Circle.

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Discussion of Results/Findings

• The results of the study indicated that
• The circle sustained itself over a period of five
  months through participants attendance,
  participation, listening and collaboration
• The teachers wanted to participate in a
  professional circle that focused on multiple
  topics within early literacy
• Self efficacy and collaboration improved while
  feelings of isolation remained unchanged
• Classroom practice improved in all areas as a
  result of the professional circle.

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Some Recommendations

• Perhaps a more supportive structure for new
  teachers needs to be in place to keep interest
  level up.
• Increase the flexibility of the scheduling to
  accommodate all teachers.
• Distribute reminders to the participants the day
  prior to the meeting.
• Use professional text to spark conversations and
  common threads.
• Maintain a focus at each meeting.

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Implications

• The implications of this research demonstrate
  that continued professional growth and learning
  are critical to a teachers career.
• The structure of the implementation of the
  professional circle is an effective form of
  development for a teacher that is aligned with
  how teachers learn.
• It empowers educators to become metacognitive in
  their teaching, contributive in their
  experiences, and receptive to new knowledge.

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Further Research

• Further research around these suggested
  guidelines should prove successful in
  implementing the Professional Circle again in the
  future.
• The Professional Circle be replicated.
• Other professional development options need to be
  made available for the lonesome/isolate teachers.
• Measures must be taken to accommodate teachers
  schedules.
• The foci remained connected to text.

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References

• Collay, M., Dunlap, D., Enloe, W., Gagnon, G.
  (1998). Learning Circles. California Corwin
  Press, Inc.
• Darling-Hammond, L., Falk, B. (1998). Teacher
  Learning that Supports Student Learning.
  Educational Leadership, 55, (5), 6-11.
• Lovett, S. Gilmore, S. (2003). Teachers
  Learning Journeys The Quality Learning Circle
  as a Model for Professional Development. School
  Effectiveness and School Improvement, 14, (2),
  189-211.
• Carver, C. (2004). A Lifeline for New Teachers.
  Educational Leadership, 61, (8), 58-62.

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Any Questions?