1. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES: A STUDY GROUP APPROACH DEFINING A PLC Teacher Development, HRD The School Board of Broward County, Florida, prohibits any policy or procedure which results in discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, marital status, race, religion or sexual orientation. Individuals who wish to file a discrimination and/or harassment complaint may call the Director of Equal Educational Opportunities at (754) 321-2150 or Teletype Machine TTY (754) 321-2158. 1

2. WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME… Deepens professional practice Provides opportunities for collaboration Grassroots professional development 2

3. OBJECTIVES Define PLCs Identify a topic of study Identify PLC membership Incorporate technologies into PLCs 3

4. SCOPE AND SEQUENCE….. Getting on the same page A commitment to continuous improvement Gathering evidence of current levels of student learning Developing strategies and ideas to build on strengths and address weaknesses in that learning Implementing those strategies and ideas Analyzing the impact of the changes to discover what was effective and what was not Applying new knowledge in the next cycle of continuous improvement 4

5. “Inherent to a PLC is a constant search for a better way to achieve goals and accomplish the purpose of the organization.”--Rick DuFour

6. COURSE REQUIREMENTS…. Attend each session of your PLC (if an emergency arises provisions for make-up will be offered) Portfolio that includes: -Agenda, minutes for all meetings -Communications (emails sent, received from their participants) -Artifacts documenting their journey Rubric 6

7. WHAT IS A PLC? Think about what a PLC is and what it entails. Discuss with a partner or table group. Share out whole group 7

8. THE DEFINITION OF A PLC…. Educators committed to working collaboratively in the ongoing processes of collective inquiry to achieve better results for the students they serve operating under the assumption that the key to improved student learning is continuous job-embedded learning for educators. Learning By Doing, Dufour, et.al. 2006 8

9. THE 6 CHARACTERISTICS OF A PLC.. Focus on learning Collaborative culture Collective inquiry into best practice and the current reality Action orientation Commitment to continuous improvement Results orientation 9

10. Activity 1 Use Tool 1.2 to think about your professional development. Each of these statements is characteristic of quality professional development and when properly implemented, PLCs can address all of these areas.

11. YOU HAVE A PLC WHEN A TEAM OF EDUCATORS…. 11 1. Place improving student learning at the center 2. Meet regularly for a sustained and focused time 3. Observe each other’s practice and give feedback 4. Build Trust 5. Make their work public 6. Value diversity 7. Draw on expertise 8. Engage in reciprocal learning 9. Share leadership 10. Hold themselves accountable 11. Are facilitated by a coach 12. Continuously challenge one another 13. Employ an action research cycle of inquiry

12. 12 http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/hrd/podcasts/ video/2006/mp4/PD11.DeliveryPLC.mov

13. Activity 2 Prof Design Team Will collaboration work for us? What barriers might need to be addressed? How will we arrive at consensus?

14. Arriving at consensus 1.All of us can embrace the proposal 2.All of us can endorse the proposal 3.All of us can live with the proposal 4.All of us can agree not to sabotage the proposal 5.We have a majority--at least 51%--in support of the proposal.

15. SELECTING A TOPIC FOR STUDY….. YOURS Based on data Begin with the end in mind recognizing that action must be taken Must be of such significant interest to the membership that they will be able and willing to study the topic for the school year. Use the school name and topic to name the PLC, e.g., Happy Dale School-Using High Yield Strategies to Address the Needs of the ESE Subgroup 15

16. 16 GROUP REFLECTION (MINUTES)….. 1 per meeting Use as a template for the minutes Completed at the meeting as a team Share electronically with team members

17. 17 TECHNOLOGY THAT ASSISTS IN PLCS…. CAB is the best way to communicate in between sessions Wiki-you will have your own page http://seagullhigh.pds- hrd.wikispaces.n et/ PowerPoint Try Elluminate or Twitter

18. DO YOU WIKI? WIKIs are an online journal and can also be used for updates and information sharing Have you visited our wiki? http://seagullhigh.pds- hrd.wikispaces.net/ 18

19. Check out topics around the room. Find one that speaks to you or one that with a little tweaking, you’d like to explore. A PLC should have no more than 10 participants.

20. WEBSITES THAT WILL ASSIST… www.allthingsplc.info www.ncpublicschools.org/profdev/resources/prof learn/ www.sedl.org Google professional learning communities and you will get about 50,000,000 hits!!! 20

21. REFERENCES…. Conzemius and O’Neill DuFour, Eaker, Many Marzano Reeves Schmoker 21

22. FOR SESSION 2… Scheduled PLC meeting is 10/28/09 Follow up--Visit our wiki. Hit Discussion. Make a comment about your PLC and what you hope to discover. 22

23. For now: Follow up is due for Critical Thinking. You were suppose to write one question using Bloom’s higher order thinking. Remember to use three documents

24. Q AND A….. 24

25. SELF REFLECTIONS….. Use the guiding questions to think about PLCs and their ramifications on your practice and student achievement: How do/should PLCs impact my daily practice? Why? What parts of my daily practice should be addressed next in a PLC? Which of the 6 characteristics/13 elements are/are not evident? What do I do about it? 25