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The Professional Learning Community
Presented by Tom Jennings
Guiding questions for this presentation What is a Professional Learning Community? What are the critical questions of a PLC? Why should Schenevus Central School become
a PLC? What is the role of the Principal in a PLC? How does a school change as it becomes a
PLC? How do we become a PLC?
What is a Professional Learning Community? A focus on learning A collaborative culture with a focus on learning
for all Collective inquiry into best practice and current
reality Action orientation: learning by doing A commitment to continuous improvement Results orientation Administrator assurances and teacher
commitments(DuFour, 2006)
What are the Critical Questions of a PLC? What is it we want our students to learn? How will we know if each student has learned it? How will we respond when some students do not
learn it? How can we extend and enrich the learning for
students who have demonstrated proficiency?
(DuFour, 2006)
Why should Schenevus Central School become a PLC?
“Good is the enemy of great.” (Collins, 2001)
Richard DuFour Robert Eaker Jonathon Saphier Philip Schlechty Thomas Sergiovanni Mike Schmoker Michael Fullan Richard Marzano Larry Lezotte Roland Barth Rick Stiggins Dennis Sparks Barbara Eason-Watkins Douglas Reeves
Some of the researchers who endorse the PLC concept.
American Federation of Teachers Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory National Association of Elementary School Principals National Association of Secondary School Principals National Board of Professional Teaching Standards National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education National Council of Teachers of English National Council of Teachers of Mathematics National Education Association National Science Teachers Association National Staff Development Council North Central Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Some of the organizations that endorse the PLC concept.
Why should Schenevus Central School become a PLC?
(continued)
AllThingsPLC.orgPLC Blog and DiscussionsEvidence of EffectivenessTools and Resources
What is the role of the Principal in a PLC?
“One of the great ironies in education is that it takes strong and effective educational leaders to create truly empowered people who are capable of sustaining improvement after the leader has gone”. DuFour (2006)
What is the role of the Principal in a PLC? (continued)
Link the change initiative to current practices and assumptions when possible
Focus first on the “why” of change, then focus on the “how”
Align actions with words Be flexible on implementation but firm on the
essence of the initiative Build a guiding coalition and move forward
without unanimity Expect to make mistakes and learn from them Learn by doing Supervision
(DuFour, 2006)
The Essentials of Systemic ChangeA challenging
VisionSkills to reach the
vision
Incentives to motivate staff
toward the vision
Resources to support
implementation
Plan
yields Change
Skills to reach the
vision
Incentives to motivate staff
toward the vision
Resources to support
implementation
Plan
yields Confusion
A challenging Vision
Incentives to motivate staff
toward the vision
Resources to support
implementation
Plan
yields Anxiety
A challenging Vision
Skills to reach the
vision
Resources to support
implementation
Plan
yieldsGradual
Antagonistic Change
A challenging Vision
Skills to reach the
vision
Incentives to motivate staff
toward the vision
Plan
yields Frustration
A challenging Vision
Skills to reach the
vision
Incentives to motivate staff
toward the vision
Resources to support
implementationyields
False Starts and Constant
Reorganization
Race Car: Professional Learning Community
Status Quo
Teacher and Student
Empowerment
Continuous Improvement
Tires: Educational Leaders
Drivers: Students
Gas: Data
Engine: Collaborative Teams
How does a school change as it becomes a PLC?
A shift in fundamental purpose A shift in the use of assessments A shift in the response when students don’t learn A shift in the work of teachers A shift in professional development A shift in school culture
A shift in fundamental purpose
From a focus on teaching … to a focus on learning
From coverage of content … to demonstration of proficiency
From providing individual teachers with curriculum documents … to engaging collaborative teams in building shared knowledge regarding essential curriculum
A shift in the use of assessments
From infrequent summative assessments… to frequent common formative assessments
From individual teacher assessments … to assessments developed jointly by collaborative teams
A shift in the response when students don’t learn From remediation … to intervention From individual teachers determining the
appropriate response … to a systematic response that ensures support for every student
From one opportunity to demonstrate learning … to multiple opportunities to demonstrate learning
A shift in the work of teachers
From isolation … to collaboration From each teacher clarifying what students must
learn … to collaborative teams clarifying essential learning
From individual teachers attempting to discover ways to improve results … to collaborative teams of teachers helping each other improve
From decisions made on the basis of individual preferences … to decisions made collectively by building shared knowledge of best practice
A shift in professional development
From workshops and individual courses … to job-embedded learning in collaborative teams
From presentations to entire faculties … to team-based action research
From short-term exposure to multiple concepts and practices … to sustained commitment to limited, focused initiatives
A shift in school culture
From independence … to interdependence From a language of complaint … to a language
of commitment From infrequent generic recognition … to
frequent specific recognition and a culture of celebration that creates many winners
How do we become a PLC? Answering the Critical Questions of a PLC. What is it we want our students to learn? How will we know if each student has learned it? How will we respond when some students do not
learn it? How can we extend and enrich the learning for
students who have demonstrated proficiency?
References All Things PLC. Retrieved November 12, 2007, Website:
http://www.allthingsplc.org Asking the Right Questions: A Leader’s Guide to Systems Thinking
about School Improvement. (2000). McRel. Balanced Leadership: What 30 years of research tells us about the
effect of leadership on student achievement. (2003). McRel. Collins, Jim. (2001). Good to Great. New York. Harper Collins. DuFour, Richard. (May, 2004) What is a “Professional Learning
Community”? Educational Leadership. V.61 No. 8: pgs 6-11. Dufour, Richard. (2006). Learning by Doing: A Handbook for
Professional Learning Communities at Work. Solution Tree. Guide to Using Data in School Improvement Efforts. (2004).
Learning Point Associates. Marzano, R.J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B.A. (2005). School
Leadership that Works: From Research to Results. Alexandria, Va. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Schmoker, Mike. (February, 2004). Tipping Point: From Feckless Reform to Substantive Instructional Improvement. Phi Delta Kappan. V.85 No.6: pgs 424-432.