Empowering a Learning Community Transforming Our World

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Empowering a Learning CommunityTransforming Our
World

• NMUSD Adult School
• 2007-08 Professional Growth Plan Goals
• Empower a professional learning community to
  improve ALL learning (staff and students alike)
• Deepen our understanding of how to use technology
  to enhance instruction and improve learning for
  all.
• Martha Rankin
• November, 2007

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Why are We a PLC?

• Look at our May, 2007
• NMUSD Professional Development Survey
• results
• to understand
• how and why we choose to be a

A Professional Learning Community
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2007 NMUSD Staff Development Survey Question

• Of the following professional development best
  practices, which one would you like emphasized
  most at your site?

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2007 NMUSD Staff Development Survey Results
Professional Development Best Practices Response Percent Response Total
Using student data to plan professional development
Use of time to improve instructional practices
Leadership
Content and pedagogy
Inquiry and reflection
Collaboration
Accountability
Adult learning
Broad-based support for teacher learning
Planning
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2007 NMUSD Staff Development Survey Results
Professional Development Best Practices Response Percent Response Total
Using student data to plan professional development 3.1 1
Use of time to improve instructional practices 28.1 9
Leadership 3.1 1
Content and pedagogy 0 0
Inquiry and reflection 0 0
Collaboration 28.1 9
Accountability 0 0
Adult learning 37.5 12
Broad-based support for teacher learning 0 0
Planning 0 0
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2007 NMUSD Staff Development Survey Question

• What one suggestion do you have that will help
  improve teacher learning?

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2007 NMUSD Staff Development Survey Results

• More staff development and technology training
• More in-services on technology in the classroom
• Share lessons Websites on specific skill
  strategies
• More training in specific areas
• Hands-on instruction
• Short strategic workshops or online courses

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2007 NMUSD Staff Development Survey Results

• Attend to the individual needs of our students
  as well as the entire group
• I need new strategies to teach the content
  standards.
• The classroom visits sparked a lot of discussion
  about what everyone was doing in their classes.
• Collaboration, observation of other teachers
  strategies, just dialogue

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2007 NMUSD Staff Development Survey Results

• We do this, but others would benefit by time
  together to bounce ideas and reflect among peers
  e.g., at lunch, especially after class.
• More collaboration time between all adult
  education teachers to exchange ideas, teaching
  strategies, assessment models, and classroom
  management
• Provide more opportunities to collaborate
• Peer coaching
• Share experiences

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2007 NMUSD Staff Development Survey Results

• Better communication between staff as a whole
  group Meetings with AM PM staff together
• More staff development by levels
• More time to meet with other faculty
• more staff meetings where we could address a
  topic collectively I feel this can improve our
  teaching.
• Create professional learning communities

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2007-2008 Professional Growth PlanNMUSD Adult
School

• Based on our survey results, our plan has two
  foci
• 1. Empower a professional learning community to
  improve ALL learning (staff student learning
  alike).
• 2. Deepen our understanding of how to use
  technology to enhance instruction and improve
  learning for all.

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Professional Growth Plan Components

• electronic learning community Adult Education
  Matters Weblog
• peer coaching
• small group trainings (differentiated and
  needs-based)
• PLC program teams
• PLC site teams
• PLC level teams
• PLC shared-goal teams

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Words of Vision

• Education is not the filling of a pail, but a
  lighting of a fire.
• William Butler Yeats

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Words of Vision

• Education either functions as an instrument
  which is used to facilitate integration of the
  younger generation into the logic of the present
  system and bring about conformity or it becomes
  the practice of freedom, the means by which men
  and women deal critically and creatively with
  reality and discover how to participate in the
  transformation of their world.
• Paulo Freire

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Words of Vision

• Education either functions as an instrument
  which is used to facilitate integration of the
  younger generation into the logic of the present
  system and bring about conformity or it becomes
  the practice of freedom, the means by which men
  and women deal critically and creatively with
  reality and discover how to participate in the
  transformation of their world.
• Paulo Freire

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Words of Vision

• Education becomes the practice of freedom, the
  means by which men and women deal critically and
  creatively with reality and discover how to
  participate in the transformation of their world.
  
• Paulo Freire

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Reframing a Professional Learning Community

• 5 Simple Steps for Transforming Our World
• Newport-Mesa Adult School
• 2007-2008 Professional Growth Plan

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Goals of a Learning Community

• Ensuring all students learn
• Creating a culture of collaboration
• Focusing on results
• Taken from www.allthingsplc.com

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Attributes of a PLC

• Supportive and Shared Leadership (Prestine, 1993)
• Collective Creativity (Sergiovanni, 1994)
• Shared Values and Vision (Isaacson Bambur, 1992)
• Supportive Conditions (Boyd, 1992 Louis Kruse,
  1995)
• Shared Personal Practice (Louse Kruse, 1995)

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Outcomes for Staff

• reduction of isolation of teachers
• increased commitment and vigor
• Shared responsibility
• Creation of new knowledge about teaching and
  learning
• Hord, 1997

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Outcomes for Staff

• Increased understanding of roles played in
  helping all students learn
• Greater satisfaction, higher morale, lower
  absenteeism
• More likely to undergo fundamental change
• Hord, 1997

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Outcomes for Students

• decreased dropout rate and "skipping"
• lower absenteeism
• increased learning
• greater academic gains
• smaller achievement gaps
• Hord, 1997

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Step 1 Collaboration

• Create team norms
• Sample team norms
• Begin and end the meeting on time
• Assume positive intentions
• Engage in active listening
• Be courageous

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Step 1 Collaboration

• Establish protocols for team work
• Formalized agendas
• Focus on results
• Focus on learning
• Detailed minutes
• Collective commitment to action

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Step 2 Common Curriculum

• Define essential knowledge and skills
• state and district standards
• assessments required of students
• Identify prerequisite knowledge and skills
• Agree on pacing guides
• Agree on and apply criteria for judging work
• Teach students criteria for judging their work

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Step 3 Common Assessments

• Develop common assessments
• Analyze common assessment data
• Collectively build upon strengths address
  weaknesses to ensure all students learn

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Step 4 Instructional Practices

• Reflect upon and refine instructional practices
  to meet student learning needs
• Establish best practices
• Collectively commit to using best practices
• Commit to establishing using
• Collaboration
• Common curriculum
• Common assessments

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Step 5 We step forward

• sharing to impart, impact, improve and
  empower. Martha Rankin
• lighting a fire William
  Butler Yeats
• participating in the transformation of our
  world.
  Paulo Freire