WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY? What is a professional learning team?

Read first before looking at picture. The attached picture was used in a case study on stress levels at St.Mary's Hospital. Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. Both dolphins are identical. The researchers concluded that a person is under stress if he/she finds both dolphins look different. If there are many differences found between both dolphins, it means that the person is experiencing a great amount of stress. So, if you see too many differences between the two dolphins, you are advised to pack your bag, Go home immediately and take a rest. Have a nice day.

RULES FOR WOMEN TEACHERS (1915) 1.You will not marry during the term of contract. 2.You are not to keep company with men. 3.You must be home between the hours of 8p.m. and 6 a.m., unless attending a school function. 4.You may not loiter downtown in Ice-Cream parlours. 5.You may not travel beyond the city limits without the permission of the Chairman of the Board. 6.You may not ride in a carriage or an automobile with any man unless he is your father or your brother. 7.You may not smoke cigarettes. 8.You may not dress in bright colours. 9.You may under no circumstances dye your hair. 10.You must wear at least two petticoats and your dresses must not be shorter than 2” above the ankles. 11. To keep the school room clean you must:  sweep the floor at least once daily  scrub the floor with hot spongy water at least once a week  clean the blackboard once a day  start the fire at 7am, so that the room will be warm by 8a.m

Misconceptions…Mythconceptions VISION : is it about all of us travelling in the same direction????

What it is not….

Winners and losers philosophy

Creating and Sustaining Effective Professional Learning Communities Project, An effective professional learning community has the capacity to promote and sustain the learning of all professionals in the school community with the collective purpose of enhancing pupil learning. Co-directors: Ray Bolam, Agnes McMahon, Louise Stoll, Sally Thomas and Mike Wallace

Going beyond show and tell… Beyond bring and brag… What's the difference between talking to each other to share practice and being part of a learning conversation ?

What do Teachers Need to Learn? Understanding learning Content knowledge Pedagogical understanding Emotional understanding Fundamentals of change New professionalism Meta-learning Stoll, Fink and Earl (2003)

No single teacher knows, or could know, the totality of the staff’s professional knowledge. David Hargreaves, 1999

Major sources of variance in student’s achievement Ref: John Hattie

Sources of influence on teachers professional practice

... is a complex blend of motivation, skill, positive learning, organisational conditions and culture, and infrastructure of support. Put together, it gives individuals, groups and, ultimately whole school communities the power to get involved in and sustain learning. Stoll, Stobart et al (2003) Capacity

What causes student achievement?  The data from our studies suggest that where there is a high degree of teacher and leadership efficacy, the gains in student achievement are more than three times greater than when teachers and leaders assume that their impact on achievement is minimal. (Reeves, 2008, p. 5)

Are You Part of a Professional Learning Community? “ Quality teaching requires strong professional learning communities. Collegial interchange, not isolation, must become the norm for teachers. Communities of learners can no longer be considered utopian; they must become the building blocks that establish a new foundation for America’s Schools.” National Commission on Teaching, 2003

A collaborative venture… “Isolation is the enemy of learning. Principals who support the learning of adults in their school organize teachers schedules to provide opportunities for teachers to work, plan, and think together.” NAESP, Leading Learning Communities: Standards for What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do

Characteristics of professional learning communities 1. Shared values and vision 2. Collective responsibility for pupil’s learning 3. Reflective enquiry 4. Collaboration focused on learning 5. Group as well as individual professional learning 6. Openness, networks and partnerships 7. Inclusive membership 8. Mutual trust, respect and support

GETTING REAL: MAKING IT HAPPEN 1. GOAL SETTING 2. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS - PROTOCOLS The Professional Learning Team The Professional Learning Community Let’s Look at the notebook!

FINAL THOUGHTS… “Our schools can be wonderful places of enchantment and creativity, opening doorways to new ways of perceiving, new ways of being; but they are most of all places of exquisite hope in the possibility of people… this means we have to choose what is seen to matter and then go out and collectively begin to move towards achieving it..” (Clarke in Stoll, Fink & Earl 2002)

STEP OUT OF THE BOX (EXAMPLE ONLY!!!) GOAL ONE: PROMOTING CAPACITY FOR DEEP THINKING (STUDENTS AND TEACHERS)  To investigate the embedding of Habits of Mind in the curriculum  To implement the Thinking domain into all aspects of the curriculum GOAL TWO: ENHANCING PEDAGOGY (STUDENT FOCUS)  To develop inquiry-based units of work (rich assessment tasks/essential questions/open-ended)  To develop strategies that extend high achieving students  To continue to integrate ICT into curriculum GOAL THREE: EMBEDDING RICH PRACTICE  To continue to improve literacy  To continue to improve numeracy  To explore ESL in the mainstream  To use Principles of Learning and Teaching as a reflection tool

Professional Design Team  You are members of a professional firm that specializes in creating opportunities for professionals to engage in on-the-job collaboration to increase their skills, develop community, and create a collaborative culture.  Your firm has been hired by Innovation School to help teachers work together regularly in teams to increase their instructional knowledge and teaching skills. How will you do this? What information, opportunities, and working conditions will teachers need in order to do this effectively?  Brainstorm ideas and jot your plan as a reply to this discussion prompt in NING.

Professional Sabotage Team  You are members of a firm that specializes in undermining attempts to allow professionals to engage in on-the -job collaboration.  Your firm has been hired to tackle a problem at Innovation School. This school plans to create teams of teachers who work together regularly to increase their teaching knowledge and expertise. The school plans to provide teachers with information, support, and working conditions that foster success.  Your job is to sabotage this plan. How will you undermine efforts to create a collaborative culture at the school? Consider addressing attitudes, information, opportunities, and the working environment.  Brainstorm your ideas and then jot your responses to the prompt in NING.

Bruckman’s Team Evolution Should these stages impact how your team works together? In what ways?

Developing an Action Plan