Building Collaborative Teams

The traditional school often functions as a collection of independent contractors united by a common parking lot. Robert Eaker

How might we address the challenges to adult learning communities? What experiences foster close examination of practice and the effects on student learning? Essential Questions How might we use the CCSS as a means for strengthening our adult learning communities?

. Team Builder – Fold the Line Think about where you were born. Form a line in order of birthplace beginning with the person born closest to our current location. End the line with the person born furthest from our current location.

Team Builders Inside Outside Circle Line Ups Forced Choice What others can you suggest?

Mere collegiality won’t cut it. Even discussions about curricular issues or popular strategies can feel good but go nowhere. The right image to embrace is a group of teachers who meet regularly to share, refine and assess the impact of lessons and strategies continuously to help increasing numbers of students learn at higher levels. Mike Schmoker

. What are the challenges to building community among the adults in your building/district?

Express their true opinions? Consider points of view different from their own? Change their minds? Agree as well as disagree? How can we develop adult learning communities where members… Push one another’s thinking?

Set Norms How do you feel about being a part of your team? What do you like about the way the team works together and treats one another? What would you like to be different? Think about driving to school in the morning.

Set Norms What would help you voice that opinion? How do you want your idea to be treated? In a meeting you want to voice an opinion that differs from the majority opinion.

Set Norms How would you want them to handle this? How would you want to respond? Someone has a problem with something you have done.

Set Norms What would help you voice that opinion? How do you want your idea to be treated? In a meeting you want to voice an opinion that differs from the majority opinion.

Set Norms Your teaching methods differ radically from those of a colleague with whom you are planning. How would you want to interact with that person?

What kinds of things will you do to contribute to a feeling of safety and community on this team? We will… What kinds of things will you do to contribute to a feeling of safety and community on this team? We will…

Focus conversations around what teachers see happening with students Support inquiry Encourage collaboration outside of scheduled PLC time Create a Culture of Learning Allow time for gradual but steady improvements

Use Questions to Foster a Culture of Learning What are you looking forward to learning with your team/PLC? What would you like for others to notice and learn by watching how you interact with your team and other adults in the building? In what areas do you think our students tend to struggle? Are those things hard or easy for you to teach? Why? What does our data show about this? Of these things, which would you want to focus on during our PLC time this year?

Focusing the Learning What worked well during this lesson/unit? What in your instruction made that happen? What challenges or difficulties did your students have? What did you learn from this? What might you do differently the next time you teach this lesson/unit? What will you need to think about as you plan for your next lesson/unit? Think about the writing lesson/unit you just completed.

. Think about approaches we might take to learn more about how to improve our teaching effectiveness in this area? Going Deeper

Video Experience What do you notice about students’ thinking and learning? How does the teacher support students? Work with a partner and decide who will focus on the students and who will focus on the teacher.

Grade 4/5 NF Writing Marketing Video Day

Video Discussion What got you thinking in this video? How might you use video experiences to deepen the work of your adult learning communities? What other shared learning experiences have you found meaningful? What are your plans for next steps?

The most successful learning occurs when teachers find solutions together. In such schools, teachers operate as team members, with shared goals and time routinely designated for professional collaboration. Under these conditions, teachers are more likely to be consistently well informed, professionally renewed, and inspired so that they inspire students. Shirley Hord, Professional Learning Communities Communities of Continuous Learning and Improvement

Thanks for your participation! What questions do you have?