PROFESSIONAL LEARNING cOMMUNITIES

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PROFESSIONAL LEARNING cOMMUNITIES

• The Finishing Pieces
• ACSD Summer Conference 2008

Karen Sullards Principal Bayou Meto Elem PCSSD
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• Professional Learning Communities A Cultural
  Shift
• Getting Started
• Reculturing Schools to Become
• Professional Learning Communities
• by Robert Eaker, Richard Dufour,
• Rebecca B. Dufour

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FOUR TYPES OF SCHOOLS

• The Charles Darwin School
• We believe all kids can learnbased on their
  ability
• The Pontius Pilate School
• We believe all kids can learnif they take
  advantage of the opportunity we give them to
  learn

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• The Chicago Cubs Fans School
• We believe all kids can learnsomething , and we
  will help all students experience growth in a
  warn and nurturing environment.
• The Henry Higgins School
• We believe all kids can learnand we will work to
  help all students achieve high standards of
• learning

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• PLCs are educations best hope of reculturing
  schoolsa schools culture involves how we do
  things around here
• changing how schools are organized is the
  primary way to change behavior.
• this shift in culture necessitates altering the
  belief system.

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What They Are Saying

• In Schools, treading water is no longer an
  option. School People must either propel
  themselves in some direction, be towed or sink.
  
  --Roland Barth

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Professional Learning Communities

• Focus on learning
• A collaborative working culture
• Inquiry into best practices and current reality
• Learn by doing
• Commitment to continuous improvement
• Results oriented

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Focus on Learning

• The very essence of a learning community is a
  focus on and a commitment to the learning of each
  student..
• Shifts focus of school from teaching to learning
• Adult Learning in order for a school to be
  effective the adults must be continually learning

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Building a Collaborative Culture

• Research Says

• It is the single most important factor for
  successful school improvement and the 1st order
  of business for those seeking to enhance the
  effectiveness of their school.
• --Eastwood and Lewis

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Collaborative Working Culture

• A Professional Learning Community is composed of
  collaborative teams whose members work
  interdependently to achieve a common goal linked
  to the purpose of learning for all
• Without collaborative teams and relationships it
  is not possible to learn and continue to learn as
  much as you need to know to improve.
• --Michael Fullen

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Inquiry into Best Practices and Current Reality

• Where we are
• Sharing Craft Knowledge
• Develop new skills, teaching strategies and
  capabilities
• Which over time becomes a heightened awareness
  which over time transforms the culture of the
  school.

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Action orientation

• Members of PLCs are action orientated
• They move quickly to turn aspirations into
  actions and visions into reality.
• Research show the most powerful learning always
  occurs in the context of taking action (Kids and
  Adults)
• Avoids paralysis by analysis and overcomes
  inertia with action

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Need for Continuous Improvement

• Evidence of the current levels of student
  learning
• Develop Strategies to address weaknesses and
  build on strengths
• Implement those strategies
• Analyze the impact of the changes to see what was
  effective
• Apply new knowledge in next cycle of continuous
  improvement

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Professional Learning Community Key Questions

• What exactly do we expect students to learn?
• What does it look like?
• How will we know when each student has acquired
  these skills?
• How does the PLC respond when the student does
  not learn?

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Curriculum

• Traditional Schools
• Each teacher independently decides what to teach.
• Curriculum overload is common.

• Professional Learning Communities
• Collaboratively agreed upon curriculum focuses on
  what students are expected to learn.
• Reduced content means meaningful content is
  taught at greater depth.
• Assessment is developed through collaboration.
• A plan for responding to student who are not
  learning is developed through collaboration.

• TRADITIONAL

• PLC

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Collective Inquiry

• Traditional Schools
• Decisions about improvement strategies are made
  by averaging opinions.

• Professional Learning Communities
• Decisions are research-based with collaboration
  teams of teachers seeking out best practices

• TRADITIONAL

• PLC

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Research and Results

• Traditional Schools
• Effectiveness of improvement strategies is
  externally validated. Teachers rely on others
  outside the school to identify what works.
• Emphasis is placed on how teachers like various
  approaches.

• Professional Learning Communities
• Approaches are internally validated. Teams of
  teachers try various approaches and collaborate
  on how the approaches affect student learning.
• The effect on student learning is the primary
  basis for assessing various improvement
  strategies.

• TRADITIONAL

• PLC

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Leadership

• Traditional Schools
• Administrators are viewed as being in leadership
  positions while teachers are viewed as
  implementors or followers.

• Traditional Schools
• Administrators are viewed as being in leadership
  positions while teachers are viewed as
  implementors or followers.

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Teacher empowerment

• Traditional
• Leadership is top down with teachers taking a
  secondary role to the principal

• PLC
• Teachers share the leadership by
• Reading
• Action Research
• Analyze Data
• New Strategies
• Work Collaboratively
• with others by
• Planning
• Modeling
• Sharing Craft
• Knowledge

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Leaders of PLCs

• Energize others to join the leadership process
• Develop talent and commitment of others
• Teachers view themselves as empowered because of
  the shared responsibilities
• Dont have all the answers
• Display a collaborative nature
• Rely on leadership rather than authority
• Comfortable with WIN/WIN with staff

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Professional learning communities Leaders

• Promote a common vision
• Maintain focus on learning and instructional
  matters
• Acknowledge the challenges and rewards of shared
  leadership
• Open to feedback
• Learn from Experience
• Listen to requests from teachers to provide
  materials, time, and the opportunity to assume
  leadership
• Work with teachers to provide staff development
  needs that have been identified

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Professional Learning Communities Teachers

• Hold as a group a clear, shared mission/vision of
  the school
• Use Action Research to improve instruction
• Strong teacher leadership
• Effective instructional programs
• Shared craft knowledge among teachers
• Are collaborative
• Are reflective

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Power of PLCs

• Bayou Meto Elementary Before PLCs 2005
• After PLCs 2006 and 2007

YEAR 3RD MATH 3RD LIT 4TH MATH 4TH LIT 5TH MATH 5TH LIT
05 69 51 74 53 43 54
06 75 63 79 77 53 68
07 86 75 79 74 77 75
08 89 67 89
77 80 81
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Power of PLCs

• Arnold Drive Elementary Before PLCs 2005
• After PLCs 2006 and 2007

YEAR 3RD MATH 3RD LIT 4TH MATH 4TH LIT 5TH MATH 5TH LIT
05 66 68 55 60 53 60
06 75 68 70 68 72 72
07 80 68 97 69 81 89
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Professional Learning communities and Change

• To Change Others..1st Change Yourself
• Create small collaborative, committed and
• empowered groups
• Focused on learning and results
• Margaret Mead, noted anthropologist, states
• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful
  committed people can change the world indeed
  its the only thing that ever has.
• PLCs are helping us make those changes in some
  Arkansas Schools.

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PLCsThe Finishing Pieces

• PLC