Professional Learning Communities Benefits of Implementation Rachel Back & Vincent Sherpinsky

Describe how you feel about PLCs in ONE WORD:

Benefits of Participating in PLC You Are Not Alone! Everyone works together on the tasks at hand Even when they do not have direct knowledge of curriculum Sharing strengths: Offer sounding boards, sharing opinions, and providing feedback Greater Knowledge About Teaching & Learning (2 heads better than 1, 3 heads better than 2, etc.) Nobody does it better than all those people with classroom experience and subject knowledge Building a culture of continuous improvement You do not have to do everything yourself! PLCs are collaboration^2

Benefits of Participating in PLC Complete Understanding of the End Game: Higher Levels of Student Learning You will: Share Responsibility for Success You will: Have Visible Evidence of Learning Everyone contributes, everyone shares Dump pride of ownership and replace it with pride of contribution Opportunity to problem solve as a team See evidence of your effectiveness in classroom Overall higher performance, overall less time on remediation, anticipate problems with greater accuracy It works for any subject!

Known Issues with PLCs Time (PLCs take effort and effort means time, energy, and work) Finding this time is a challenge within the current schedule Reclaim any time NOT taken for mandatory responsibilities Sharing work product (Some people will not or do not contribute) Be prepared for some to do more than others, eventually this changes Homework (Every meeting led to doing something for the next meeting) I left almost every meeting with having to do something more Attitudes change with the level of benefit each person receives The more I got back… the more I was willing to give... and the higher tolerance I had for investing my time and energy Do Not Make or Take it Personally! Stay professional, focused, and willing to seek the good in everyone!

4 Essential Questions 1. What do we expect our students to learn? (Goals/Expectations) 2. How will we measure our success and student learning? (Assessment) 3. How will we respond when they do not learn? (Intervention) 4. How will we respond if they already know it? (Enrichment)

What do we expect our students to learn? (Goals/Expectations) Building and Class Expectations (rules) Teach Learning Expectations Meet or Exceed Expectations in all curricular areas required by the state such as, state goals, benchmarks, and core standards at grade level or above grade levels. Increased vocabulary in all academic areas Communication skills – Verbal/Written Enhance Students Skills in Application and Comprehension

How will we measure our success & student learning? (Assessment) Formative/Summative/Common Assessments Work/evaluations (WE)/Analysis of student work (ASW) Class participation Pre/Post Testing Unit/Weekly Test/Quizzes Rubric/Checklists Teacher Observations Student Reflections/Journals District Assessments Grades/Midterms/Report Cards

How will we respond when they do not learn? (Intervention) Differentiated Instruction Flexible Grouping Additional time Target Specific skills Data Item Analysis Graphic Organizers Manipulatives Immediate Feedback Leveled Materials (below, on level, above) Teacher shared strategies Responses to Intervention Ideas Small Group Instruction 1 -1 Re-teach – different ways Repeat-Practice!!!! Modify – backtrack, build background knowledge Computer Intervention Referral to Problem Solving Team Conferencing (student – teacher; peer –peer)

How will we respond if they already know it? Enrich learning with "good to know" standards Peer Tutoring Group Leaders Independent Projects Separate Curriculum (Differentiation of Lessons) Incorporate a learning center for higher levels

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