Big Idea and Characteristic #2: Collaborative Teams

Collaborative Teams People….. Process…… Tasks “

What is collaboration? A systematic process in which we work together, interdependently, to analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve our individual and collective results. DuFour, Eaker, & DuFour

Simply being collaborative does not make change Members of a Learning Community must call on each other’s knowledge, skills, and aspirations to address their goal.

Great Teams – “What have they got?” Think about great teams you have been on. What were some of the attributes that created a great team experience? Discuss how those same attributes can be part of what we do in our collaborative teams at school.

What does it mean to it mean to collaborate? collaborate?

Horse Nose Anvil Clock “The best place to succeed is where you are with what you’ve got.” --Charles M. Schwab

Five Dysfunctions of Teams Patrick Lencioni Absence of Trust Fear of Conflict Lack of Commitment Avoidance of Accountability Inattention to Results

INATTENTION TO RESULTS ABSENCE OF TRUST Patrick Lencioni The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

INATTENTION TO RESULTS AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY LACK OF COMMITMENT FEAR OF CONFLICT ABSENCE OF TRUST Patrick Lencioni The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Handouts

Collaborative Culture “Educators who are building a professional learning community recognize that they must work together to achieve their collective purpose of learning for all. Therefore, they create structures to promote a collaborative culture.” Richard DuFour ON COMMON GROUND

NORMS The standards of behaviors by which we agree to operate while we are in this group.

Meeting Agenda and Logs Handout

Collaborate about what? If we want our school improvement efforts to have a significant impact on student learning, we should focus those efforts on the factors that significantly impact learning.

The Learning Environment Curriculum Assessment Instruction Key Areas of Focus

Four Corollary Questions – What do we want students to learn? – How will we know that they have learned it? – What will we do if they don’t? – What will we do if they do?

What does it feel like? Exciting Professional Ah Ha’s You are part of something bigger You have a hand in designing and implementing the “next best thing”

What does it look like? Creating Common Assessments Examining student work Developing SMART Goals Aligning Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Enhancing School Climate Defining Grading Practices Increasing Community Involvement

“Teachers of the same course or level should have absolute common agreement on what they expect all their students to know and be able to do.” (Reeves)

Common Assessment Agreement on essential skills Agreement on the method of assessing those skills (knowledge, reasoning, performance, product) Agreement on standard of measurement Agreement on level of proficiency Created in collaboration with team members Agreement to examine results to form instruction and design interventions for mastery.

Why Common Assessments? What are the benefits? Efficiency Fairness Effective Monitoring Informed practice Assessment literacy Raised expectations Team capacity Collective Response Modified from R. DuFour keynote address at PLC Institutes

Utilize your common assessment data to guide your targeted student interventions

Classroom Performance Summary Report Science7 - Genetics Unit Test B Classroom Proficiency Far Below Basic Below Basic BasicProficientAdvanced 0.00% 6.67%13.33%80.00%

Classroom Performance Summary Report Science7 - Genetics Unit Test B Student Name Number CorrectPercent Correct Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Student % Averages: %

Classroom Performance Summary Report Science7 - Genetics Unit Test B Student NameNumber Correct Percent Correct LS 2.d LS 2.c LS 2.a LS 2.b LS 2.e Student % Student % 100%67%100% Student % 33%0%100% Student % Student % 33% 100% Student % Student % 100% Student % 67% 100% Student % 67%100% Student % 100%33%100% Student % Student % Student % 33%67%100% Student % Student % Averages: %82%78%100%97%100%

Classroom Performance Summary Report Science7 - Genetics Unit Test B Teacher A Teacher B Teacher C Teacher D Teacher E LS2.d 82%89%90% 79%86% LS2.c 100%75%80%82%71%82% LS2.a 100% 73%95% LS2.b 97%93%96%100%82%94% LS2.e 100%83%86%91%80%88% Class Averages: 96%91%90%88%77%89%

Big Idea Number 3 Results-Oriented Don’t tell me you believe “all kids can learn”… tell me what you’re doing about the kids who aren’t learning. -- Rick DuFour Characteristics Collective Inquiry 4.Action Orientation and Experimentation 5.Commitment to Continuous Improvement 6.Results Oriented

Collective Inquiry Relentless questioning of the status quo Seeking new methods & testing them Reflecting on results Maintaining a sense of curiosity and an openness to new possibilities Recognizing that the process of searching for answers is more important than having the answers

Action Orientation and Experimentation Are students assured EXTRA TIME and SUPPORT for learning? Is our response TIMELY? Is our focus PROMPT INTERVENTION rather than sluggish remediation? Is our response DIRECTIVE rather than invitational? Is our response SYSTEMATIC?

Commitment to Continuous Improvement Writing Data-Driven Accountable Goals to Address Problem Areas

Goals Monitored continuously Designed to produce short term Focus on the desired outcome wins Linked to the Vision

Writing SMART Goals S: Strategic and Specific M: Measurable A: Attainable R: Results Oriented for Students T: Time Bound Anne Conzemius and Jan O’Neill THE HANDBOOK FOR SMART SCHOOL TEAMS, ASCD, 2001

Goal Problem Challenge Reasons Ideas Possibilities Actions Solutions Strategies Needs Commitments

Reduce the Number of D’s and F’s Causes and Intervention Strategies

CONTINUOUS WINNING (SUCCESS) YIELDS: CONFIDENCE OPTIMISM: AN EXPECTATION OF A POSITIVE RESULT STRONG DESIRE TO SUCCEED SELF ANALYSIS IN FAILURE HIGH LEVEL OF EFFORT RISK TAKING--STRETCHING

CONTINUOUS FAILURE YIELDS: PESSIMISM: EXPECTATION OF A NEGATIVE RESULT A SENSE OF FUTILITY, HOPELESSNESS, FATALISM WANING EFFORT SELF CRITICISM IN FAILURE DENIAL: COVER UP FEAR OF RISK TAKING-- DEFENSIVENESS

Hope “Strong professional learning communities produce schools that are engines of hope and achievement for students.” Jonathan Saphier On Common Ground

Crucial Messages for becoming “Engines of Hope” What we are doing here is important What we are doing here is important You can do it! You can do it! I’m not going to give up on you – even if you give up on yourself. I’m not going to give up on you – even if you give up on yourself. Jonathan Saphier On Common Ground

Strategies for Changing Beliefs: Accentuate the Positive! Say It Model It Organize For It Protect It Reward It