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This presentation explains the importance of professional learning communities as a whole school approach to growth. www.thinkbeyond.co.nz
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Powerful Professional Learning Communities
NZPF Conference 3 July 2008
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WHAT IS A PLC?WHAT IS A PLC?
When members of your school collaborate in an intentional and consistent manner to support student learning.
Adapted from Joan Dalton and David Anderson www.plotpd.com
Working together,
sharing ideas and being
supported to update
knowledge and skills
To raise student achievement
through evidence based learning conversations
occurs in the context of your school environment
LearningA Professional Community
•decreased teacher isolation•increased commitment to mission•shared responsibility•more powerful learning•higher likelihood of fundamental system change
Why bother?
DuFour, DuFour & Eaker (2002)
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COLLABORATIVE CULTURE
Working together, sharing ideas and being supported
to update knowledge and
skills
Diversity
Systems
SUPPORT
Yeah RIGHT!
Develop the key competencies in your adults
Staff feedback - induction, satisfaction, and exit
This is an easy way to initiate a PLC
What are we currently doing in our school?
What connections have you made?
FOCUS ON RESULTS
CHALLENGE
To raise student achievement
through evidence based
learning conversations
Building capacity
Professional Inquiry
Implementing a PLC - beyond support
Q1 I’ll decideC
olle
ague
’s jo
b ef
ficie
ncy
leve
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Extent of leader’s control over colleagues’ decisions and actions
Q2 We’ll discuss
I’ll decide
Q3 We’ll discuss
We’ll decide
Q4 You decide
Wilf Jarvis - Four Quadrant Leadership
School Talk
Non-learning Talk Learning TalkTeacher practice, student learning and so what?
Non-teaching TalkEg organisation, resourcing
Teacher Practices TalkDescribes practice without attached analysis or learning
Professional InquiryAdapted from Annan, Lai & Robinson 2003
With recognition to Roween Higgie,
Principal of Remuera School
Human systems move in the
direction of what they most
frequently and persistently ask
questions about.
What you study
GROWS
Yeah RIGHT!
Firebox - Auger - Tuyere
What are the things you persistently ask questions about in your school?
Are these the most important things?
What one area do you want to work on next in order to bring about the next step of your challenge?
If you’re not moving forward you’re going backward.
RELATIONSHIPS
CULTURE BUILDING
Sustaining the change
Sustaining a PLC - beyond support and challenge
Shared norms values and beliefs about learning
WiderInvolvement
"Don't let this be a onetime thing.”
"It would be good if teachers have this conversation with us on the first day. But often, they don't change anything."
Reflecting on our meeting time…
Which aspects of our team charter are we using well?
What’s not working so well, that we need to focus on more?
What resources/informaton do we need to help us?
Increased Trust =
Increased speed + Decreased cost
Increased focus on learningAdapted from The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey
DWWSWWD
Decreased Trust results in…
decreased speed + increased cost
Decreased focus on learning
When the safety and well being of students is compromised
challenge comes before support.
Adapted from The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey
Yeah
RIGHT!
Embed feedback systems for students, staff and parents into your ‘way of doing things’ - never assume!
Find safe ways of getting feedback about yourself and take action
You can’t do it alone.
It’s messy.
It’s moral.
It’s everyone’s responsibility!
Trust….credibility…
….Shared norms….
…whose voices….
What would your staff say about the relationships you have?
FOCUS ON LEARNING
What do we want each child to learn?
WHY?How will we know when each child has learnt it?
How will we respond when students experience difficulties in learning?
DuFour et al, 2004
http://twentyfivedays.wordpress.com/
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach http://www.21stcenturycollaborative.com/
INTO THEIR FUTURE…
Role of other voices - all staff, students and parents
Google -Docs, Groups, Alerts www.google.com/
Blogs http://www.blogger.com/
Wikis www.wetpaint.com
FaceBook www.facebook.com Skype www.Skype.com
Online Surveys www.freeonlinesurveys.com www.surveymonkey.com
http://thinkbeyondltd.blogspot.com/
Knowledge Cafes www.gurteen.com/
http://communityengagement.wetpaint.com/
A Professional
Working together:
-within your schools
-between schools
--with external agencies
LearningCommunity
Focus on teachers,
students and the interaction
between them - get into the
learning environment
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Relationships
www.thinkbeyond.co.nz
What’s the smallest change that could make
the biggest impact?
1. Identify where you are at now - what you can change or influence.
2. Once you know this aim to close the gap between what you know and what you do.
3. Build shared knowledge and understanding to gain commitment.
4. Eliminate practices that don’t align.
5. Make small, powerful changes that translate the vision into action…
6. “It’s what you do that matters, not what you call it.”
How do we get started?
Eaker, DuFour & DuFour (2004)
Reference ListBoyd, S. (2005). Teachers as lifelong learners. A paper presented at NZARE, Dunedin, 2005. NZCER:New Zealand. Downloaded from http://www.nzcer.org.nz/pdfs/14717.pdf
Eaker, DuFour and DuFour, 2002). Getting Started: Reculturing Schools to Become Professional Learning Communities. Bloomington, Indiana: National Education Service.
DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R. & Many, T. (). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work. Bloomington: Solution Tree.
Robinson, V. & Lai, M.K. (2006). Practitioner research for educators: A guide to improving classrooms and schools. Australia: Hawker Brownlow.
National College of School Leadership and Louise Stoll - pdfs can be downloaded from http://www.ncsl.org.uk/networked/networked-o-z.cfm
Timperley, H., & Parr, J. (2004). Using evidence in teaching practice: Implications for professionallearning. Auckland: Hodder Moa Beckett.
Timpereley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H., & Fung, I. (2207). Teacher professional learning and development: Best evidence synthesis iteration (BES). Wellington: Ministry of Education. Can be downloaded from http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/2515/15341
McKinsey Report (2007).How the world’s best performing school systems come out on top.Can be downloaded from www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/socialsector/resources/pdf/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf
Other researchers/writers to explore include - Lorna Earl. Andy Hargreaves, Karen Seashore Loiuse, Bill Mulford and Jan Robertson.
It’s not just about what students are taught…
it’s about ensuring that they learn
- no matter who their teacher is.
Learning uncomfortable enough to keep you on your toes
Learning comfortable enough to engage with it - Wenger
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