Building Advisor Competencies through a Professional Learning Community Lori Block PHR Professional...
If you can't read please download the document
Building Advisor Competencies through a Professional Learning Community Lori Block PHR Professional Academic Advisor College of Education Rowan University
Building Advisor Competencies through a Professional Learning
Community Lori Block PHR Professional Academic Advisor College of
Education Rowan University [email protected] Code: 283, Block, 2012
NACADA Conference
Slide 2
What Type of Training do Advisors receive at Your Institution?
Are you providing training and support on little or no budget?
Slide 3
A Professional Learning Community may be the answer? What is a
PLC? A group of educators who focus their work on the formals study
of instruction practices in order to improve their students
learning (Putnam, Gunnings-Moton & Sharp, 2009). Putnam, J.
Gunnings-Moton, S. & Sharp, C. (2009). Leadership through
Professional Learning Communities. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Learning
Solutions. A group of advisors who focus their work on formal study
of improving advising practices in order to effectively guide
students to their academic goals.
Slide 4
Why Form a Professional Learning Community? Tight training
budget ($$$) No or limited advisor training in existence at your
campus The need for campus specific advising information The merger
of veteran and novice Advisors Collaboration/networking
Collaboration on Advising Resources Engage in working as a
team!
Slide 5
AGENDA of Presentation! Discuss what a Professional Learning
Community Is? (theory and practical) How it could be an asset to
advisor training and support. How to successfully devise one What
an Advisor PLC looks like at Rowan University, College of Education
Show a sample
Slide 6
What does a PLC Look Like? Concept Mapping. Who, What, When,
Where, $$, Goals, Values, ??? What do you plan to accomplish? How
will you do it?
Slide 7
Who Do You Need to Gain Approval From?
Slide 8
How Is the PLC Built? Putnam, J., Gunnings-Moton, S. and Sharp,
C. (2009) 5 Stages: Beginnings Establishing Expectations
Identifying and Resolving Conflicts/Differences Supporting and
Expanding the Professional Learning Community Transitions for
Closure
Slide 9
How to Get STARTED? (Beginnings) Identify your intended
participants Within your department, within your college, the
entire university?? Send them an invitation with your intentions
clearly identified Voluntary Be respectful of their time
Collaborative Effort NOT a Training Session That a survey of
interest will be forthcoming Will you get financial support and
from where? Do some research!
Slide 10
Survey Your Potential Participants When are they available to
meet? What would they like to learn? How they would like to learn?
Would they like to take an active role? What resources would they
like to utilize? How frequent would they like to meet? Where would
they like to meet? Your Survey Should Include: If you werent given
resources, you may have some $$$$ questions.
Slide 11
Information from your survey will: Give you an idea of who
would like to participate Get an idea of how Advisors would like to
learn Recruit volunteers to assist with the PLC
Slide 12
Prior to First Meeting: Send an agenda a week in advance
Consider sending results of survey Arrange for room and
refreshments Send a reminder day of (helps keep excitement)
Slide 13
First Meeting: Establishing Expectations Start on time
respectful of time Have everyone introduce themselves Review agenda
(and approve) Discuss: expectations frequency of meetings keeping
to time everyones involvement a plan for resolving conflicts
Discuss Goals of the Professional Learning Community!
Slide 14
Conflict Resolution Make sure your discussions are respectful
Give everyone a Voice Diffuse situation Adjourn Have a Conflict
Resolution Plan in Place!
Slide 15
Examples of Activities: Article Club Conduct a Q & A
Session Devise a Collaborative Manual Discussion session of
Advising Toughest Cases Discussion on Theory Schedule Webinars?
Discussion of Best Practices Field Trips Discussion of Professional
Associations
Slide 16
How did The Student Services Center, COE at Rowan University do
it? Lori Block and Sheri Rodriguez collaborated on this project for
a doctoral class. Met to make a plan Discussed our own goals Shared
responsibilities
Slide 17
SSC PLC Plan. Met with SSC Administrator with our proposal
gained approval Sent an invitation to all member of the Student
Services Center, COE Distributed a brief voluntary survey Discussed
the PLC in a staff meeting Voluntary involvement Met individually
with interested advisors
Slide 18
Planning for First Meeting Sent agenda and survey results via
email a week prior Established a tentative regular room Ordered
pizza and other refreshments (due to it being a lunchtime
meeting)
Slide 19
FIRST MEETING Discussed: Goals and purpose of PLC Mission
statement Agenda Game plan Conflict resolution Resources Learning
style Means to learning
Slide 20
Examples of our Activities Q & A Session Theory discussions
Most amazing moments in advising Excel spread sheet of Year in
Advising Compilation of department pertinent advising Manual Guest
speakers
Slide 21
Working as a PLC to compile a Spreadsheet of Advising Calendar
for the Year
Slide 22
Slide 23
A Collaborative Advisor Resource Manual.
Slide 24
What did the PLC Accomplish? (Learning Outcomes) Advising
techniques Gained information relevant to advising in our
department Collaborated Worked as a team Got to know each other
better Provided a resource tool for our new director Became
familiar with advising resources (NACADA) Hopefully became better
advisors for our students!
Slide 25
Supporting and Expanding the Professional Learning Community
Discussions about taking this to the campus community (Faculty and
Professional Staff) Discuss establishing a national PLC through
NACADA
Slide 26
Celebrate Accomplishments of the year long PLC in the SSC
Slide 27
DuFour, R. & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional Learning
Communities at Work: Best Practices for Enhancing Student
Achievement. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. Gordon, G., Habley, W.
& Associates. (2000). Academic Advising: A Comprehensive
Handbook. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. Putnam, J.
Gunnings-Moton, S. & Sharp, C. (2009). Leadership through
Professional Learning Communities. Boston, MA : McGraw-Hill
Learning Solutions.
Slide 28
THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING! Any questions email [email protected]
ENJOY THE REST OF THE CONFERENCE!
