Professional Learning Communities

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Professional Learning Communities

• BEYOND THE TERM

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PURPOSE OUTCOMES

• To explore our understandings of Professional
  Learning Communities and how they can support you
  and your students
• To stimulate discussion regarding educational
  focus and practices

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EXERCISE 1

• CHOOSE A PARTNER TO WORK WITH FOR THIS EXERCISE.
  
• TASK TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION
• Which IB principles most inform my
  practice(Mission, values, LP)

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REPORTING OUT

• John Ralston Saul ..any wilful undermining of
  universal public education..would be a flagrant
  betrayal of the basic principles of middle-class
  representative democracy.
• September 2004

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EXERCISE 5 minutes

• (GROUP A) List from your perspective the
  characteristics of an effective school
• (GROUP B) List from your perspective the
  characteristics of an ineffective school

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Merging IB and PLC

• Given the principles of effecive/non effective
  schools-and what you know from IB ,determine a
  principle which guides your practice-
• -Discuss common features of IB and school
  effectiveness

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Merging IB and PlC

• Design a study which will measure the degree of
  implementation for one of the IB Standards
• Design an action project which will enhance the
  effectiveness of that chosen standard in your
  setting

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Merging IB and PLC

• Ensure that you design a study which will
• gtTell what you are trying to measure (define)
• gtUnderstand how you will know what it is
  (evidence)
• gtUnderstand how you will measure its success
  (data )
• gtUnderstand when you will know if it is
• (sustainable)

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THE ORIGINS

• Peter Senge, originator of the Learning
  Organizations model, postulates that the future
  success of our public education system lies in
  empowering students. With reference to the
  students comments Appendix 1 what points do
  you agree with? Which do you disagree with?

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RESEARCH Effective Schools

• Focus on student learning
• Effective classroom instruction
• High expectations
• Basic skill acquisition
• Frequent monitoring of student progress
• Focused feedback to students

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RESEARCH Effective Schools

• Emphasis on writing
• Multiple opportunities to learn
• Accountability for performance
• Collaborative planning
• Collegial relationships
• Student time on task

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RESEARCH Effective Schools

• Guaranteed and viable curriculum
• Distributed leadership
• Regular collection and analysis of data
• Clear goals
• Common vision and mission
• Parent involvement

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RESEARCH Effective Schools

• Home school relations
• Sense of community
• Trusting relationships
• Safe and orderly climate
• DuFour et. al. 2002

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RESEARCH Ineffective Schools

• Lack of vision
• Unfocused leadership
• Dysfunctional staff relationships
• Ineffective classroom practices
• - Teddie Springfield, 1993 Reynolds, 1995
  Stoll Fink, 1996

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The Six Components of the PLC Framework

• Shared purpose
• Collaborative teams
• School community and capacity
• Focus on student learning
• Safe, orderly climate
• Distributed leadership

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SHARED PURPOSE

• Commonly held MISSION, VISION
• Clear, challenging SMART goals
• Commonly held VALUES

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COLLABORATIVE TEAMS

• Team norms guide collaboration
• Collaboration embedded in routine practice
• Time built into school day
• Teams focused on critical questions associated
  with student learning

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SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY CAPACITY

• Parent and Community Involvement
• Relationship Building
• Leadership Developed Throughout Community
• Student Involvement Leadership
• Home-School Links

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FOCUS ON STUDENT LEARNING

• Opportunity to learn
• Student learning (what do we know about learning
  and what are we doing about it?)
• Guaranteed and viable curriculum
• Equitable access to learning
• Individual and collaborative interventions for
  students not meeting with success

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FOCUS ON STUDENT LEARNING

• Effective classroom practices and strategies
• Formative assessment which helps inform teaching
  and learning

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SAFE AND ORDERLY CLIMATE

• SENSE OF BELONGING FOR ALL INCLUSIVE
  ENVIRONMENT
• SAFETY A HIGH AND EVIDENT PRIORITY PHYSICAL AND
  INTELLECTUAL
• SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY EMPHASIZED

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DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP

• Shared leadership with staff, parents and
  students
• Communal responsibility for school direction and
  successful attainment of school goals
• Instructional Leadership

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KEY QUESTIONS ON STUDENT LEARNING

1. What is it we wish all students to learn?
2. What strategies do we employ to teach students?
3. How do we know when they have learned it?
   (assessments)
4. What do we do (individually and collectively)
   when they havent learned it? What are our
   interventions?

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PROFESSIONAL LEARNINGCOMMUNITIES FRAMEWORK

• Shared purpose
• Collaborative teams around student learning
• School community and capacity
• Focus on student learning
• Safe, orderly climate
• Distributed leadership

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PREPARING

• Determine shared values
• Develop shared vision
• Define current reality
• Identify critical evidence
• Identify needs or opportunities
• Establish common direction and focus
• Define roles

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PLANNING

• Consider critical evidence
• Determine goals
• Plan for collaboration

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ACTING

• Determine strategies
• Develop an implementation plan
• Define support
• Collect and review critical evidence
• Monitor progress

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RENEWING

• Reaffirm direction
• Maintain momentum
• Review/Revise goals
• Monitor critical evidence
• Celebrate successes
• Renew vision