4/30/08huron middle school chamberlain 7-1: lessons learned and making use of plcs wednesday april...

4/30/08 Huron Middle School

Chamberlain 7-1: Lessons Learned and Making Use of

PLCs

Wednesday April 30, 2008

Huron Middle School

4/30/08 Huron Middle School

Presenter

Allan Bertram, Teacher Leader

Chamberlain School District

4/30/08 Huron Middle School

Contact Information

tim.mitchell@k12.sd.us

Allan.bertram@k12.sd.us

http://tm026.k12.sd.us

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Change in Schools

“Educational change depends on what teachers do and think—it is as simple and complex as that”

Fullan

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Communication

“I wonder how many children’s lives would be

saved if we educators disclosed what we knew

to each other"Roland Barth (2001)

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PLCs

The question confronting most schools and districts is not “What do we need

to know in order to improve?” but rather, “Will we turn what we already

know into action?”

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PLCs

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.

Rick DuFour PresentationASCD Pre-conference, 2004

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Three Critical Questions (PLCs)

Exactly what is it we want all student to learn?

How will we know when each student has acquired the essential knowledge and

skills?

What happens in our school when a student does not learn?

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Attributes of Professional Learning Communities

• Inquiry Based

• Focused on Student Learning

• Goal and results orientated

• Collaborative

• Reflective

• Based on shared values and beliefs

• Committed to continuous improvement

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Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities

• Shared mission, vision, values, goals

• Collaborative teams focused on student learning

• Collective inquiry into “best practice” and our “current reality”

• Action orientation/experimentation

• Commitment to continuous improvement

• Results orientation

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Why not PLCs?

Schools:Do not believe inDo not invest inFail to focus on their development

PrivatizationTalking about a cultural change

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Focus on Learning

The very essence of a learning community is a focus on and a

commitment to the learning of each student

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Question 1

• What are you currently doing with PLC’s at the Huron Middle School?

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Collaborative Culture

A PLC is composed of collaborative teams whose members work

interdependently to achieve common goals linked to the purpose of

learning for all

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Collaborative Culture

“Successful schools are places where teams of teachers meet regularly to focus on student work through assessment and

change their instructional strategies accordingly to get better results”

Fullan

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Collaborative Culture

Michael Fullan…..

Improving schools require collaborative cultures……without collaborative skills and relationships, it is not possible to learn and to continue to learn as much as you need

to know to improve.

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Collective Inquiry

In a PLC teams engage in collective inquiry into both best practices in teaching and

best practices in learning

This enable team members to develop new skills and capabilities that in turn to new

experiences and awareness

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Action Orientation

Members of PLCs are action oriented: They move quickly to turn aspirations

into action and visions into reality

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Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Inherent to a PLC are a persistent disquiet with the status quo and a constant search for a better way to achieve goals and accomplish the

purpose of the organization

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Results Orientation

Members of a PLC realize that all of their efforts must be assessed on the basis of results rather then intentions

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Question #2

• What positives have you seen through the PLC process so far?

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Question #3

• What has been the biggest obstacle or difficulty through your PLC process so far?

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PLCs and Curriculum Mapping

How do they fit together?

Is it “One More” thing?

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Curriculum Mapping on the Edge

“Curriculum mapping makes teachers’ work transparent. This transparency can make

mapping seem threatening. It also becomes a key tool for sustaining PLCs.

Mapping becomes an electronic town square where educators can collaborate

and exchange ideas”

Heidi Hayes Jacobs

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Projected maps for a period of time

(months or entire year)

Diary mapthroughout the

school year

Creation ofconsensus mapsfrom diary maps

Core maps withdiary mapping against

the core maps

Projected maps withdiary mapping against

projected maps

Data Entry

First Stage

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Elements of literacy – reading, writing,

and speaking across the curriculum

Analysis of standardized assessment

results

Analysis of classroom assessment

types

Alignment – gaps and

redundancies

Spiraling content (cognitive demand)

Read-Throughs

Second Stage

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Third Stage

Systemic SchoolImprovement

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Lessons Learned-Cautions

Not talking about implementing a program

Term travels faster than the concept

Thought of as a intra-school phenomena

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Lessons Learned-Structural Concerns

Time to meet and talkPhysical proximityCommunication structures (Strategic)Teacher empowermentSchool autonomy

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Lessons Learned-Social/Human Concerns

Openness to improvementTrust and respectCognitive and skill baseSupportive leadershipSocialization

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Lessons Learned-Final

Requires a complex cultural changeTeacher resistance to deprivatization

of the classroomNeed to address Structural,

Technological and Social/Human issues to ensure success

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Where are we at?

• 2007-08 New Foundational Statements– Mission, Vision, Collective Commitment &

Goals

• 3rd year of Curriculum Mapping (Tech Paths)

• Collaborative Structure– Grade K-6 Grade Level Collaborative Teams– Grade 7-12 Department Meetings

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2007-08 Implementation

• Teacher Leadership Team formed

• Separated K-6 and 7-12 into two separate groups with different needs

• Shifted from a focus on read-throughs to improve the quality of the maps to read-throughs that made use of mapping data

• Starting to merge curriculum mapping data with the collaborative structure

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Question 4

• In what ways do you feel that HMS could use PLC’s to enhance student achievement and performance?

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Resources

“The New Meaning of Educational Change”M. Fullan

“On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities”

R. DuFour, R. DuFour & R. Eaker“Whatever it Takes: How Professional Learning

Communities Respond When Kids Don’t Learn”R. DuFour, R. DuFour, R. Eaker & G Karhanek

“Getting Started: Reculturing Schools to Become Professional Learning Communities”

R. DuFour, R. DuFour & R. Eaker

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Resources

“Professional Learning Communities at Work: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement”

R. DuFour, R. DuFour & R. Eaker

“Sustaining Professional Learning Communities”

A. Blankstein, P. Houston & R. Cole

“Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work”

R. DuFour, R. DuFour, R. Eaker & T. Many