When dealing with colleagues in PLC’s…

Welcome Professional Learning Communities Presenters: Pam Hughes & Kristin Magee or

QUIET SIGNALS Kagan research indicates we lose 18 days requesting silence. The goal should be to obtain silence from students within 3-5 seconds. This allows students to complete their last thought or idea. Examples: 1.Chants 2.Signs 3.Hand Signals/Claps

Today’s Signal for Attention/Quiet: Request: “Listen Up!” Response: “We’re listening!” and cup your ear with your hand. Addresses auditory, visual and kinesthetic!

Learning Target Today, I will understand how a PLC provides focus and clarity around the four critical questions so that effective instructional practices are implemented. (Standards & Objectives: this indicator is the foundation for all others – both the teacher and the student should understand what is to be accomplished during EACH lesson!)

A Compelling Question What do effective schools and educators do to achieve dramatic results in student learning?

Answers * Create a culture of Collaboration: As evidenced by strong and purposeful PLC’s. *Ensure that ALL students learn. *Focus on Results Note: All work is focused around the Four Questions AND all of this is on a continuing basis. (Fullan, 2000)

What is a PLC? A professional learning community is an extended learning opportunity to foster collaborative learning among colleagues, often used as a way to organize teachers into working groups.

Richard and Becky DuFour are in agreement: “The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is building the capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community. The path to change in the classroom lies within and through professional learning communities.”

Shift in the Work of Teachers & School Culture FROMTO Private teaching practice “These are my students, those are your students.” Open sharing of teaching practice “These are our students.” Each teacher determines what they will be taught and how to assess. Collaborative PLCs establish what will be assessed and how it will be taught based on student assessment.

Possible PLC Teams Grade- ‐ level team: three to five days a week Content- ‐ area team: weekly &/or professional development opportunities Job - ‐ alike team: monthly Problem- ‐ solving team: Leadership, PBIS, Crisis Management, SBLC, Sped Department Share out: Any other PLC experiences?

Possible PLC Times School day: Common prep; weekly grade level testing days Early release Adjust start & end time of instructional day Before and after school Staff development meetings Conferences Summer Share out: Any other ideas or suggestions for when?

Set up Group Norms and Expectations: Time and Place: *What is our beginning & ending time? *Where will we meet? *Who determines these? Listening: *How will we encourage listening? *How will we discourage interrupting? Decision Making: *How will make decisions? *How will we deal with conflicts? Expectations: *What we do expect from members? *What data or student work MUST be brought to meetings for group analysis? *How will we adjust our instructional practice? *How will we keep record of our meetings?

Write SMART goals for each PLC? S – Strategic and Specific M - Measurable A - Attainable R – Results Oriented; Relevant and Rigorous T – Time Bound and includes Everyone

What do effective schools and educators do to achieve dramatic results in student learning? *Create a culture of Collaboration: As evidenced by strong and purposeful PLC’s. * Ensure that ALL students learn. EACH students unique potential is considered and fostered. *Focus on Results Note: All work is focused around the Four Questions AND all of this is on a continuing basis. (Fullan, 2000)

PLC’S support these Instructional Shifts: From a focus on teaching a focus on learning From emphasis on a fixation on what what is taught students learn From a coverage of content a demonstration of proficiency (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010) TO:

Ensure that ALL students learn: Does all mean all? Can we all agree? Our focus must be on students learning. No one person can meet the needs of every single child. It takes the collaboration of everyone. Hoping children learn is NOT good enough. …Effective Practice and Popular Practice are very likely two different things. (Douglas B. Reeves)

Question 1: What do we want each student to learn? When shifts happen… Open sharing of teaching practice “These are our students.” Collaborative PLCs establish what will be assessed and how it will be taught based on student assessment.

Question 1: What do we want each student to learn? PLC Process: ‘Unpack’ or Examine the standard. Formulate answers to questions: What does mastery look like? What is the level of rigor required by this standard? Determine the concepts and skills students must already have? Design Assessments for standard. Develop possible learning targets (small chunks)? Deliver Clear, Concise, Consistent instruction.

What do effective schools and educators do to achieve dramatic results in student learning? *Create a culture of Collaboration: As evidenced by strong and purposeful PLC’s. *Ensure that ALL students learn. * Focus on Results Note: All work is focused around the Four Questions AND all of this is on a continuing basis. (Fullan, 2000)

Question 2: How do we know when our students have learned? Data IS our Authority. Without Data, it is just your Opinion. What gets Measured, gets Improved!

Question 2: How do we know when our students have learned? PLC Process: Pretest (informal or formal) Quick checks throughout the lesson. Give formative assessments to monitor student progress, determine flex grouping and drive tomorrow’s lesson. Give summative assessment. Compile data and conduct an item analysis to use for reteaching through flex grouping.

What do effective schools and educators do to achieve dramatic results in student learning? *Create a culture of Collaboration: As evidenced by strong and purposeful PLC’s. *Ensure that ALL students learn. * Focus on Results: Change instructional practices accordingly to get better results. Note: All work is focused around the Four Questions AND all of this is on a continuing basis. (Fullan, 2000)

Question 3: How will we respond when a student experiences initial difficulty in learning ? Remediate Quickly! Develop a sense of urgency! Individualized instruction using daily formative assessments.

PLC’s Importance “The reason professional learning communities increase student learning is that they produce more good teaching by more teachers more of the time. Put simply, PLCs improve teaching, which improves student results, especially for the least advantaged students.”— Saphier, 2005

Question 4: How will we enrich and extend the learning of the student that is already proficient? Extend or Enrich Quickly! Develop a sense of urgency! Individualized instruction using daily formative assessments.

Questions 3 and 4: The students that do not have it and those that do. PLC Process: Score student work collectively. Chart data and determine goals students will set. Analyze strengths and obstacles utilizing data and plan next steps for mastery. Get instructional strategies feedback during PLC. As a PLC, anticipate challenges of 3 and 4 students during the lesson to differentiate instruction.

Questions 3 and 4: The students that do not have it and those that do. Evidence-based practices are those that have been researched thoroughly and promote higher levels of student achievement in the classroom. (Robert Marzano 2001)

A Compelling Question: What do effective schools and educators do to achieve dramatic results in student learning?

Answers *Create a culture of Collaboration: As evidenced by strong and purposeful PLC’s. *Ensure that ALL students learn. *Focus on Results: Change instructional practices accordingly to get better results Note: All work is focused around the Four Questions AND all of this is on a continuing basis. (Fullan, 2000)