Agenda Overview Problems of Practice – (same triads) – Break School Visits – Personal...
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Agenda Overview Problems of Practice – (same triads) – Break School Visits – Personal reflection – Partner share Research overview On PLCs and the connection
Agenda Overview Problems of Practice (same triads) Break School
Visits Personal reflection Partner share Research overview On PLCs
and the connection to professional learning Homework Critical
reflections
Slide 2
Powerful Professional Learning
Slide 3
Professional Learning Community Teachers Improve Their Practice
in the Company of Their Peers A PLC is a particular design for
collaborative professional learning. There is no universal
definition of a professional learning community (Stoll, 2008). Key
features of PLCs date back to Dewey. A key purpose of PLCs is to
enhance teacher effectiveness as professionals, for students
ultimate benefit (Stoll, 2008). This is why our projects definition
suggests that the ultimate outcome of PLCs has to be experienced by
students. An effective professional learning community has the
capacity to promote and sustain the learning of all professionals
in the school community with the collective purpose of enhancing
pupil learning (Bolam et al., 2005, p. 145)
Slide 4
PLCs: A Review of the Literature Stoll, L.; Bolam, R.; McMahon,
A; Wallace, M.; Thomas, S. (2006)
http://schoolcontributions.cmswiki.wikispaces.net/file/view/PROFESSIONAL+LEARNING+COMMUNITIES+A+REVIEW+OF.pdf
Characteristics: Shared values and vision Collective responsibility
Reflective professional inquiry Collaboration Group, as well as
individual, learning is promoted Mutual trust and respect Inclusive
membership
Slide 5
Impact of PLCs Impact cannot be separated from purpose. Purpose
is not to be a PLC, key purpose is to enhance teaching
effectiveness as professionals, for students benefit. Greater
confidence Enhanced efficacy towards improving student learning
Enthusiasm for collaborative work with colleagues and peers
Students achieved at higher levels in schools with positive
professional communities.
Slide 6
Timperley (2007) Teacher Professional Learning and Development:
Best Evidence Synthesis http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/48727127.pdf
97 individual research studies or groups of studies
Slide 7
Timperley (Findings) Opportunities for teachers to engage in
professional learning and development can have a substantial impact
on student learning. 1.The context of professional learning and
development that impacted student outcomes: a.Extended time for
opportunities to learn was necessary but not sufficient. How time
was used was important. b.External expertise was typically
necessary but not sufficient. c.Teachers engagement in learning at
some point was more important than initial volunteering.
d.Prevailing discourses challenged. The challenge to discourses
typically involved iterative cycles of thinking about alternatives
and becoming aware of learning gains made as a result of changed
teaching approaches. e.Opportunities to participate in a
professional community of practices were more important than place.
Effective communities provided teachers with opportunities to
process new understandings and challenge problematic beliefs, with
a focus on analyzing the impact of teaching on student learning.
f.Consistency with wider trends in policy and research. g.Active
school leadership. Focused on developing a learning culture within
the school and were learners along with the teachers and created
the conditions for distributing leadership by developing the
leadership of others.
Slide 8
Timperley (Findings) 2.The Content of Professional Learning and
Development: a.Different aspects integrated. Integration of theory
and practice was a key feature. Theory provided the basis for
making curricular and pedagogical decisions. Teachers were assisted
to translate theory into classroom practice. Integration of
pedagogical content knowledge, of assessment information, and of
how students learn particular curricula was a feature of most
curriculum-based interventions documented in the core studies but
was given different emphasis in different curricula. b.Clear links
between teaching and learning and/or studentteacher relationships
established. c.Assessment used to focus teaching and enhance
self-regulation. d.Sustainability. Sustainability was dependent on
teachers acquiring both of the following: In- depth understanding
of theory, which served as a tool to assist instructional decision
making; The skills of inquiry to judge the impact of teaching on
learning and to identify next teaching steps.
Slide 9
Timperley (Findings) 3.Activities Constructed To Promote
Professional Learning a.Content and activities aligned. b.A variety
of activities needed. c.Content conveyed through the activity was
more important than any particular activity. d.Professional
instruction sequenced. e.Understandings discussed and negotiated.
Initial activities sometimes showed that there were problems with
teachers existing theories of practice. f.Student perspective
maintained. 4.Learning Processes and Teachers Responses
3.Substantive change is difficult 4.Necessary to develop new
understandings. Cueing existing knowledge was necessary for theory
engagement but insufficient to change practice. 5.Some new
understandings were consistent with current positioning. 6.Some new
understandings created dissonance with current positioning. 7.In a
few interventions, teachers learned to regulate their own and
others learning.
Slide 10
Timperley, 2007
Slide 11
Discuss What might you, as the primary school leader, do to
make the PLC in your school a more effective professional learning
environment?