This document discusses promising practices in professional development for teachers. It defines professional development as ongoing learning opportunities available to teachers to enhance their skills and knowledge. Some common professional development practices mentioned include observation and mentoring, workshops, lesson study, peer coaching, and action research. The document focuses on professional learning communities (PLCs) as an effective professional development approach. It defines PLCs as groups of educators that work collaboratively in an ongoing process of collective inquiry into how to improve student outcomes. Research suggests that PLCs, when implemented well, can have significant positive impacts on student learning.
2. Question: What is the fundamental purpose of
schools?
The very essence of a learning community is
a focus on and a commitment to the learning
of each student.
3. ISLLC Standard 2
An education leader promotes the success of
every student by advocating, nurturing, and
sustaining a school culture and instructional
program conductive to student learning and staff
professional growth.
4. Professional development refers to ongoing
learning opportunities available to teachers and
other education personnel through their schools
and districts.
Effective professional development is often seen
as vital to school success and teacher
satisfaction.
It creates opportunities to enhance skills and
knowledge attained for both personal
development and career advancement.
5. Some common practices of PD
Observation and Mentoring
Workshops
Lesson Study
Peer Coaching
Action Research
Professional Learning Communities
6. What are PLCs?
– Richard Dufour-National expert in PLC’s- Learning by Doing, Second Edition:
"An ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and
action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. Professional learning
communities operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is
continuous job-embedded learning for educators."
“To create a professional learning community, focus on learning rather than on teaching, work
collaboratively, and hold yourself accountable for results.”
7. “ An ongoing process through which teachers and
administrators work collaboratively to seek and share
learning and to act on their learning, their goal being to
enhance their effectiveness as professionals for students’
benefit” (Hord, 1997)
“A school culture that recognizes and capitalizes on the
collective strengths and talents of the staff”
(Protheroe, 2008).
“An inclusive group of people, motivated by a shared learning
vision, who support and work with each other to inquire on
their practice and together learn new and better
approaches to enhance student learning”
(Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Thomas, Wallace, Greenwood et
al., 2005).
8. The collaboration and interdependence of horizontal and vertical teams
to:
- Clarify essential learnings for each subject, grade level, unit of
instruction.
- establish consistent pacing
- Discuss and exchange ideas.
- create frequent common assessments to monitor student learning
- agree on the criteria used to judge the quality of student work.
- Finally, use evidence of student learning to identify:
- individual students who need additional time and support
- to discover problematic areas of the curriculum that require the
attention of the team
- To respond to data and change or improve classroom practices.
- To allow each member to reflect and become aware of his or her
instructional strengths and weaknesses.
9. Statistics
5 Key Principal Practices to impact Student Learning
(0.8-1 high effect size):
- Leading teachers learning and development (0.84)
- Ensuring quality learning ( 0.42)
- Establishing goals and expectations (0.42)
- Resourcing strategically (0.31)
- Ensuring an orderly and safe environment (0.27)
- Vivian Robinson
Findings
10. Beverly Showers and Bruce Joyce Findings-
What teachers need to be effective:
- Knowledge 5%
- Demonstration 5%
- Practice 5%
- Peer Consultant Study Teams (PLCs) 85%
“ We have people in house to do this. You don’t need lots of money”
“Training, training, and more training”
- Beverly Showers
11. The 3 Essential Tasks of Authentic PLCs:
Looking at student and teacher work
Designing quality Common Formative Assessments
(CFAs)
Reviewing and responding to data
- Beverly Showers and Bruce Joyce, The Context of
Authentic PLCs
Big Ideas:
Focus on Learning-What is it we want our students to
learn?
Build a collaborative culture- How will we know when
each student has learned it?
Focus on results- How can we improve on current
levels of student achievement?
– Rick DuFour
12. Main Characteristics of PLC
Shared values and vision-focus on learning
Collaborative culture- opportunities for teachers to engage in where they talk about
teaching, receive frequent feedback on teaching, design classes together, teach each
other, etc. has been found in successful schools and is missing in unsuccessful schools
(Little, 1989, 2003).
Result oriented thinking-Preparing assessments to test practices, focus on
examining outcomes to improve student learning, teachers respond to data that
require mutual accountability and changing classroom practices
Supportive and shared leadership-“An effective leader is more interested in
distributing power by grooming new leaders.” – Bussey, Measuring the Instructional
Leadership Values and Beliefs of School Leaders.
Shared personal practice-Shared practice and collective inquiry help sustain
improvement by strengthening connections among teachers, stimulating
discussion about professional practice, and helping teachers build on one
another’s expertise (McREL, 2003).
“Through continuous inquiry and reflective dialogue teachers
13. Leadership Implications
On-going improvement
Plannning time for collaboration
Encouraging personal growth and commitment to learning.
Coordinating and facilitating
DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many (2006) remind us of the need for
frequent recognition. Your role in a PLC is to find people’s
talents, aspirations, and skills, and showcase them. The goal is to
“leave a legacy of leaders,” not to create a legacy for yourself.
