Using PLCs to Build Expertise Community of Practice October 9, 2013 Tammy Bresnahan & Tammy Ferguson

 Why Differentiate PD? Does this look like your faculty??? It doesn’t look like ours either!!

 1.Focus on academic content 2.Develop pedagogical knowledge and skills 3.Align with standards, curriculum, and assessments 4.Involve active learning by participants 5.Area applied in the context of teacher practice 6.Are participatory and collaborative 7.Occur over a sustained period of time 8.Require teacher to direct their personal professional development 8 Characteristics of High- Quality Professional Learning McRel (2012). An analysis of Florida’s professional development system. Denver, CO

  School Community Professional Development Act:  Increased opportunities for professional collaboration among and between teachers, guidance counselors, instructional leaders, postsecondary educators engaged in preservice training for new teachers, and the workforce community. Why PLCs?

  According to Rick DuFour  The most promising strategy for helping students to achieve at the highest levels is to develop the capacity for educators to function in a Professional Learning Community.  And PLCs  Require school-wide effort  Have a “pervasive and ongoing impact” on the school culture  Require the participants to act on their new learning PLCs 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.

 How Can I Organize PLCs to Support Deliberate Practice and Build Expertise? The purpose of this session is to: Provide a context for successful PLCs Offer organizational tools to monitor implementation and evaluate for effectiveness Share positive outcomes from our experiences

  Teachers have to have an understanding of  The framework  The scale  The purpose  Teachers have to be empowered to organize and plan for their own learning by providing:  Time  Resources  Support Context

  Commitment to continuous improvement  Evidence of current learning  Develop ideas and strategies  Implement those strategies  Analyze impact  Apply new knowledge Building Internal Capacity 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.

  A cohort of 12  Domain 1: 3-day Institute  iObservation technical training  Domain 1 Refresher  Inter-Rater Reliability: 3-day Institute  Professional Development Days,  Whole faculty Domain 1  Professional development days (PDDs) focused on DQ1 and DQ 5 The Art & Science of Teaching Framework: Our Professional Development

  Teachers wanted “Differentiated PD”  Overview of Deliberate Practice in September  Set-aside time for PLCs October – February Professional Development

  Keep a clear focus on deliberate practice elements  Domain 3: Reflecting on teaching  Using an action research model for implementation  Domain 4: Collegiality and Professionalism  Working together toward a common goal Connections to the Framework

  Plan – Identify the area for growth and develop a plan using:  Administrative observation data  Self- evaluation data  Student data  Act – Implement deliberate practice  Analyze – Work with PLC to plan, observe, and provide feedback  Reflect – What was the effect of the DP? What new changes can be made? Collaborative Action Research Approach within a PLC

Getting Ready  Completed a self- evaluation across Domain 1  Created a “Google Form”  Chose DP elements based on  Self-evaluation  Past observation/ evaluation  Discussion with principal  Completed prior to October PDD

Organizing  Selected groups by similar focus  Approved by the principal (some discussions occurred)  Met to begin planning  Wrote action steps Example

  Becoming a Reflective Educator  The Handbook for the Art and Science of Teaching  Observation protocol forms/learning map  iObservation resources  Teaching Channel Videos  Hunt Institute Videos  New this year:  Using Common Core Standards to Enhance Classroom Instruction & Assessment (Marzano, et al 2013)  PD360/CC360 Planning Resources

 Planning

  Met every Professional Development Day and during common planning (1.2.1)  Investigated strategies for implementation (1.2.1)  Focused on deliberate practice elements based on set goals (1.2.3)  Observed peers (1.2.4)  Watched videos (online and own) to identify ways to improve practice (1.2.5) Learning

Accountability

  Tried new strategies in classroom (1.3.1)  GATE mentors observed mentees to provide feedback (1.3.2)  Mentors use iObservation to provide peer to peer feedback Implementing

Group Examples DQ 2 Element 13: Reflecting on Learning DQ 2 Element 6: Identifying Critical Information

Grade 4 Implementation DQ1, Elements 1 & 2Revising Knowledge (#20)

 Student Evidence, Grade 5 Revising KnowledgeLearning Goals and Scales

  Used teacher observation data in iObservation (1.4.1)  Analyzed teachers’ self-reported feedback from their PLC experience (1.4.2)  Tracked student progress toward established learning goals (1.4.3)  Evaluated student outcomes using FCAT or other summative assessment (1.4.4) Evaluating

Evaluation  Self-reported evaluation of learning:  Content  Delivery  Learning  Support  Implementation  Outcomes

  Teachers’ feedback was positive about the benefits of managing their own professional development  97% of teachers want PD to continue in this format  86% of teachers believed that their learning is having a positive impact on student performance Reflecting

 Reflecting as a District  Mixed groups, common focus  Create own plan, implement & reflect  Relevant to own classroom/work  Providing time  Autonomy  Choice  More time to work together  Help identifying resources  More time to observe each other  More feedback from administration “ This is the most worthwhile professional development I've had.”

  Create a seamless connection: CCSS and the Marzano Framework  Develop CCSS unit plans that identify strategies addressing content (DQ 2-5)  Document learning through blogs or wikis and through video  Reflect on changes in practice using peer observations and video recordings Goals for PLCs