1. Supporting Schools and District Improvement in Massachusetts
Building Professional Learning Communities to
Improve Instruction and Raise Achievement `
December 2013

2. CCE Facilitation Team Meg Robbins, PLC Consultant
Richard Dubuisson, PLC Project Lead
Meg Maccini, PLC Consultant
Dan French, CCE Executive Director
Mary Anne Connery-Simmons, School Redesign Team
Carlton Carter, PLC Team
Frank DeVito, PLC Consultant
Michael Brownstein, QPA Team

3. Institute Goals
To continue to develop the knowledge and skills needed to create and sustain effective PLCs, including setting a vision for the work, and using protocols to collaborate with team members
To experience facilitating protocols and participating in a PLC group that use protocols effectively
To examine how PLC structures can help us achieve instructional and other educational goals in our schools and districts
To share successful PLC practices with other schools and collaborate to solve problems of practice together

4. Today’s Agenda - Morning
Welcome, Introduction & Framing
Connections
Success Analysis Protocol
Responsive Facilitation & Facilitation Scenarios
Break
Video – Window into a Classroom
Four Corners Protocol
Morning Reflections
Lunch

5. Today’s Agenda - Afternoon
Intro & Agenda Review
Break-out Choice Groups
Team Planning Time
Debrief & Reflections
Closure

6. 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: to share our work, and resource tools to facilitate PLC work.

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

8. Connections – Video Clip
Watch Video
Reflect and capture your thoughts for 3 minutes
Dyad Share –
What questions/thoughts come up for you?
What about this video made you think?

9. Success Analysis Protocol
Protocol in Packet:
As a Team, Brainstorm successful PLC practices – List on Flipchart paper (5-7minutes)
Then:
Form triads with 2 other colleagues from other schools/districts
Each person takes turn presenting and answering questions

10. Facilitation Scenarios
At tables, pair up with someone?
Each pair selects a scenario, and works to understand the issue at hand and propose solutions
Each pair then reports out to table and provides:
Summary of scenario
Understanding of underlying issues
Proposed solution(s)
Important to understand the underlying issue before going into problem solving

11. Facilitation Scenarios
What questions came up for you as you participated in the activity?
What are some of the Facilitation Challenges for your school?
How do you think about building capacity in your team in terms of facilitation?

12. Break – 10 minutes

13. Video – Window into a Classroom
Watch Video
What did you see that made you think about the way you/your team work as a PLC?
Record at least 2 things

14. Four Corners Protocol Break up into 3 groups
Each group will work together to solve dilemmas
Use travel sheet with protocol
Debrief

15. 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?

16. Morning Reflections

17. Lunch – 45mins

18. Afternoon Agenda Choice Breakout Groups
Team Planning Time – What’s next for you?
Debrief & Reflections
Closure

19. Choice Breakout Groups
Issaquah Protocol – Meg M.
Ed Eval and DDM Work Session – Dan
Final Word Text Protocol – Mary Anne, Meg
Tuning Protocol – Richard

20. Team Time In your school teams:
Determine what your next steps are with PLC work – what do you need to do next?
What questions & challenges came up for you from the scenarios and the dilemmas from this morning’s work?
Use tools provided at the end of your packet to structure your team time

21. 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
See you on Thursday, February 10th back at the Log Cabin/Delaney House