AQIFGA Conference 2013

Professional Learning Communities: The Place Cartier Experience

Presenters:

Claudine Turnbull — Assistant Director

Gail Gagnon — Educational Consultant

Matthew Kennedy — Teacher

Other members of Place Cartier’s PLC Committee:

Michael Grumberg, Jonathan Hullar, & Janice Newton

Focus Questions

Q1: Why do schools exist?

Q2: What makes a great teacher?

Q3: What does an effective meeting look like?

Q. 1: Why do schools exist?

Q. 2: What makes a great teacher?

Q. 3: What does an effective meeting look like?

Workshop Objectives

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) defined

Overview of the Place Cartier experience

Guidelines for implementation

PLC Defined

An ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve.

— Dufour et al., 2006

Rebecca Dufour

3 Big Ideas of a PLC:1. Focus on learning

2. Build a collaborative culture

3. Focus on results

Video: Rebecca Dufour's 3 Big Ideas of a PLC

Richard DufourGroups vs. Teams

Video: Richard Dufour on Groups vs

Teams

Four Critical Questions of a PLC

1. What do we want students to learn?

2. How will we know if each student has learned?

3. How will we respond when some students do not learn?

4. What will we do for students who already know it?

— adapted from the document “A Big Picture Look

at Professional Learning Communities”

The Place Cartier Experience

• The PDIG

• Solution-Tree conference

• Decision to model PLC

• Deciding on a focus: behaviour

Why Behaviour?

Behaviour and academic achievement are

inextricably linked. A student’s academic success

in school is directly related to the student’s

attention, engagement, and behaviour.

— Buffum, Mattos & Weber, 2009

Red Zone: Students with chronic/intense problem behaviour

Yellow Zone: Students at risk for problem behaviour

Green Zone: Students without serious problem behaviour

5%

15%

80%

Seven Keys to a Positive Learning Environment

Common expectations

Targeted instruction

Positive reinforcement

Support strategies and interventions

Collaborative teams

Data-driven dialogue

School-wide systems approach

• Behavioural assessment and individual behavioural plans

• Collaboration with parents, student’s physician or mental health professional

• Intensive academic support

• Target social skills instruction• Simple behaviour plans• Alternatives to suspension• Increased academic support• School-based mentors• Classroom management

support

• Teach & model school-wide positive behaviour expectations and procedures

• Positive reinforcements for all students

• Consistent consequences for problem behaviours

• Effective procedures & supervision in non-classroom areas

• Effective instruction & classroom management

1st 3 Hour Committee Meeting

1. Established norms

2. Pyramid of Behaviour Interventions: Book

review

3. Agreed to meet once a week

4. Decided to use Edmodo to share ideas

amongst ourselves and Weebly to share ideas

with our colleagues

January 7: Ped. Day

We presented a brief introduction to PLC

• Explained the PDIG

• Showed videos

• Asked two questions:

1. What are our common expectations for

how students behave?

2. What are our common expectations for

how staff work and interact?

2nd 3 Hour Committee Meeting

1. Behaviour matrix

2. Proposed Place Cartier culture students’ survey

Our survey questions:

1. What are the three most important behaviours you expect from the administrators of Place Cartier?

2. What are the three most important behaviours you expect from your teachers?

3. What are the three most important behaviours you expect from other students?

4. What are the three most important behaviours you expect from yourself?

3rd 3 Hour Committee Meeting

1. Finalize survey questions

2. Plan for April 2nd Ped. Day

April 2: Ped. Day

1. 2.5 hr. interactive presentation

2. Used the The World Café to frame workshop

3. Simulated a PLC

4. Focus on responding to 8 questions about

teacher behaviour expectations

5. Look at data, discuss results and possible

interventions

Possible Obstacles and Solutions

1. Time for collaboration

• Build time into existing schedule

• Exam time

2. Ineffective use of meeting time

• Role cards at each meeting

• Norms created and posted at each

meeting to foster trust and ensure

accountability

Possible Obstacles and Solutions

Exclusivity (at beginning of process)

• Share via Weebly & Edmodo

• Invite everyone to weekly meetings

Data Collection

• Research options

• Data team in place

• Professional Development (Frank

Buck, Ainsley Rose, etc.)

Possible Obstacles and Solutions

No money to attend Solution Tree

conference; conference not close by

• Watch and discuss webinars at:

http://www.solution-tree.com/plc-at-wo

rk

• Look for grants to purchase materials

• Reading/book club

Possible Obstacles and Solutions

Resistors

• Present material using a cooperative

learning style. See

http://www.theworldcafe.com/

• Invite everyone to participate in the

process

• Establish norms and respect them

How to begin?

Use our toolkit for success

Anthony Muhammad(Solution Tree) on PLCs:

Video: Anthony Muhammad on Transforming School Culture

Bibliography Buffum, A., Mattos, M., & Weber, C. (2009). Pyramid response to intervention: RTI, professional learning

communities, and how to respond when kids don’t learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Dufour, R., Dufour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2006). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Dufour, R., Dufour, R., & Eaker, R. (2008). Revisiting professional learning communities at work: New insights for improving schools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Fullan, M. (2010). Motion leadership. The skinny on becoming change savvy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Graham, P., & Ferriter, W.M. (2010). Building a professional learning community at work: A guide to the first year. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Hierck, T., Coleman, C., & Weber, C. (2011). Pyramid of behavior interventions: Seven keys to a positive learning environment. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Hord, M.S., Roussin, J.L., & Sommers, A. (2010). Guiding professional learning communities: Inspiration, challenge, surprise and meaning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lencioni, P. (2005). Overcoming the five dysfunctions of a team: A field guide. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass.

Muhammed, A. (2009). Transforming school culture: How to overcome staff division. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Focus Questions

Q1: Why do schools exist?

Q2: What makes a great teacher?

Q3: What does an effective meeting look like?

Thank you!