Supporting Schools and District Improvement in Massachusetts Building Professional Learning Communities to Improve Instruction and Raise Achievement ` February 2014

CCE Facilitation Team Meg Robbins, PLC Consultant Richard Dubuisson, PLC Project Lead Carlton Carter, PLC Team Stacy Young, PLC Team Frank DeVito, PLC Consultant Meg Maccini, PLC Consultant

Institute Goals To help schools consider how the power of PLCs can create a culture of equity that supports equitable teaching and learning To continue to develop the knowledge and skills needed to create and sustain effective school and district-wide PLCs To share best practices of evolving PLCs To model and teach a process for creating structures and norms for successful peer observations

Today’s Agenda - Morning Welcome, Introduction & Framing Connections – Maassai Greeting Equity Cards Making Meaning Protocol Break Peer Observation Protocols Morning Reflections Lunch

Today’s Agenda - Afternoon Microlab Protocol Team Planning Time & Gallery Walk Team Reports Debrief & Reflections Closure

How we work together We use norms to create safe spaces for working together We make use of protocols to structure discussions and keep the focus on student and teacher work as a means to improving teaching and learning We model tools and practices for PLC implementation, group activities to promote learning from each other, gradual release of responsibility as we go through the work, and sharing of our learning through presentations and peer critique We use the website: http://plcexpansionproject.weebly.com/ to share our work, and resource tools to facilitate PLC work.

How we work together Our Norms: Listen Actively Recognize that everyone is a learner Check your assumptions Trust the process Respect all voices Start and end on time

Connections: Maasai Greeting

Connections: Maasai Greeting “Karibu!” (Swahili Welcome) “Hamjambo!” (Hello) “Hatujambo!” (Hello return)

Connections: Maasai Greeting Kasserian Ingera! (How are the children?) Sepati Ingera! (The children are well!)

Connections: Maasai Greeting Reflections journal brief quiet write Popcorn share Nashanga (Thank you)

Equity Cards Our Working Definition of Equity: Equity Exists when all groups have access to the resources and opportunities necessary to eliminate opportunity and resource gaps, and thereby improve the quality of their lives

Equity Cards Select a card Take a minute to consider a response Find others with the same number or letter card (not suit) Each person takes a minute to share his/her response Group discussion for two minutes Share out with the large group

Making Meaning Protocol In Groups – Select a facilitator and a time keeper Use article: Myth of the Culture of Poverty Follow Protocol Don’t skip the debrief Large group share out

Break – 10 minutes

Bringing collaborative Looking at Student and Teacher Work into the classroom: Connection Think about a time you learned from a colleague. Think about a time when feedback hurt. Pair—share Popcorn share

Building a community of trust among faculty Critical Elements of Teacher Collaborative Observation as Professional Development Ensuring school leaders advocate and support teacher non- evaluative peer observation as a valid form of professional development Building a community of trust among faculty Establishing a school-wide commitment to the approach Separating observation from the teacher evaluation process Declaring the purpose for teacher observation and a commitment to its outcomes

Inviting teachers to first participate in the process as volunteers Critical Elements of Teacher Collaborative Observation as Professional Development (Continued…) Inviting teachers to first participate in the process as volunteers Allowing time for teachers to observe other teachers Organizing scheduled meetings, coaching sessions, and follow- up conversations Selecting specific strategies and skills on which to focus during an observation session Instituting a way to measure the impact of observation

Why do highly effective PLCs use the practice of peer observation? Video clip: Innovations in Professional Collaboration: Video Protocol Prompt: As you watch, be prepared to share: 3 things I heard or saw, that made me think Pair -Share

Using peer observation protocols to structure the conversation: Remember—just as in Looking at Student Work, these protocols require us to look at “evidence” and to avoid judgment or assumption. Three Protocols to practice: Focus Point Video Camera Interesting Moments

Focus Point Peer Observation Protocol

Video Camera Peer Observation Protocol

Groups will work with one of the three protocols Read over the protocol together and identify the key features of the protocol. You will be seeing a very short clip of a first grade bi-lingual classroom doing literacy activities. Groups using the Focus Point Protocol will be looking at the observed teacher’s question: Are my students clear about what I am asking them to do? Groups using Interesting Moments and Video Camera will be “Discovering something about the events you have seen.”

Review your observations from the video-taped lesson together. What did each of you see? Imagine what the debriefing of this observation would be like if you were the observed teacher. Were your observations similar or vastly different? How did your do in keeping your observations to “evidence”? Was it difficult to with hold judgment?

After completing the debrief—talk together using these queries: What do I want to remember about peer observation and debriefing? What more do I want to know about using these protocols in our practice at my school? What is one question I have about my practice that peer observation might be valuable to really learn about it? What would someone observe? Which of the peer observation protocols we used today could I use? What norms do we need to have in place for peer observations to be of value?

Morning Reflections What new questions, or insights came up for you from this morning’s work? What are your thoughts on bringing this work back to your schools? What are the implications? Additional Reflections?

Lunch & Team Planning Time

Afternoon Agenda Microlab Protocol Team Planning & Twitter Gallery Team Reports Debrief & Reflections Closure

Microlabs What is a fear you’ve had with your PLCs Create triads with members of other school/team – Each person is either a 1, 2 or 3 Respond to following questions: What is a fear you’ve had with your PLCs What is a challenge you’ve experienced with your PLCs What is a success you’ve had with your PLCs

Team Planning Time Use tools provided (planning template) to structure a conversation about next steps Focus on Successes your team can build on to sustain the work Target challenges your team can work together to solve What could a PLC coach help you with? Create “Twitter Page” on Flipchart paper to post on the wall (see attached examples)

Gallery Walk Use post-it notes to write some feedback, suggestions, etc, for your colleagues Leave your email address if you want them to contact you about your suggestion

Final Reflections & Closing Please complete evaluations Learnings and thoughts from the day Download materials including PPT on our weebly site – link is on your agenda