PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY

Assistant Principal Frank LittleWilliam Pinderhughes Elementary/MiddleSeptember 8, 2009

OBJECTIVE

At the conclusion of this session, participants

will be able to self evaluate their lesson planning

in order to further student achievement.

PURPOSE

Teachers will become active participants in a

professional learning community. They will take

an objective look at a sample lesson in preparation for future lesson plan study.

WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY?

The term professional learning community describes a collegial group of administrators and school staff who are united in their commitment to student learning. They share a vision, work and learn collaboratively, visit and review other classrooms, and participate in decision making (Hord, 1997b). The benefits to the staff and students include a reduced isolation of teachers, better informed and committed teachers, and academic gains for students. Hord (1997b) notes, "As an organizational arrangement, the professional learning community is seen as a powerful staff-development approach and a potent strategy for school change and improvement."

ASPIRATIONS

1. Think about the aspirations that you have for your students. What kind of students do you want to foster and help develop at your school? What qualities do you want your students to have by the time they leave your school?

GAPS

2. What gaps do you see between these aspirations and how children are actually developing at your school?

GROUP DISCUSSION

3. Discuss these gaps with your group. As a group, select a “gap” that you would like to focus on with your lesson study. What “gap” have you selected?

GROUP GOAL

4. Write a group goal that states the quality you would like to develop in your students, in order to address the gap that you have chosen.

SAMPLE PLAN

Take a moment and read the lesson plan before

you. As you are reading, please take a moment

and think of the gaps of your students and how

this lesson can be amended/improved to address that gap.

CONTENT, CONTEXT AND CAPACITY

Your charge is to look at the content of the

lesson, assist in put it in the proper context and

improving the capacity of our students.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

How is this lesson related to the curriculum?

Instructional Sequence for the Unit (Where do you believe this lesson falls in the sequence of objectives for the unit?)

Goal of the lesson? (What they should know by the end of the lesson?)

DOES IT OR DOES IT NOT?

Does this lesson address the gap(s) that you

have identified for your students?

PUTTING IT IN THE PROPER CONTEXT?

Take a moment and compose a list of ways you

would amend the lesson to address the “gap”

that you have identified.

SELF-REFLECTION

How is it that you can use this activity to address your own professional growth?

How can you amend your own planning so that it effectively meets the needs of our student population?

SELF-REFLECTION

How can I work with my colleagues to address this gap and increase student achievement?

What are the necessary tools that I need (address the things you don’t already have) in order to make my aspirations become a reality?

EVALUATION

Please complete the evaluation form before

you leave.