The teachers and staff in a school form teams to maximize the talents of individuals.

Each individual must contribute to the collective work.› To lend your expertise to colleagues› To improve your own practice › To add to the decision-making synergy in a PLC

school

It takes time and usually isn’t a smooth ride!

When the ride levels out, it’s exhilarating.

Focus today on one site where you work.

The work site might or might not be implementing a professional learning community.

As you go through the day’s experiences, you’ll be asked to strategize within the context of your chosen work site.

District Curriculum and PD Supervisors

Principal

School-based Resource Staff and Supervisors

Teachers

Joellen Killion, Learning Forward

Small groups of teachers (ideal: 5-8)› Who share responsibility for students

and/or related curriculum› Working collaboratively on refining the

curriculum, assessment, and instruction within their classrooms

› Meeting frequently› Within the contract day (before, during,

or after school)› To learn with and from each other› To improve student learning.

Joellen Killion,Learning Forward

Teams working collaboratively in a PLC may be:

A whole school A grade level team A department team An interdisciplinary team A content area team A thematic team A team across schools and

disciplines An online network Other configurations as needed

Teachers have more opportunities for high-quality professional development focused on

deepening their content knowledge, especially in literacy and math

expanding their pedagogical repertoire learning to differentiate instruction to

meet the needs of all learners increasing their use of ongoing

assessment that allows them to know what their students know and can do

fine tuning instruction

Adapted fromJoellen Killion,Learning Forward

Enhance teachers’ technical competenceAs teachers work with students from increasingly diverse

social backgrounds, and as the curriculum begins to demand more intellectual rigor, teachers require information, technical expertise, and social emotional support far beyond the resources they can muster as individuals working alone. When teachers collaborate productively, they participate in reflective dialogue to learn more about professional issues; they observe and react to one another’s teaching, curriculum, and assessment practices’ and they engage in joint planning and curriculum development.

Newmann and Wehlage, 1995

Joellen Killion,Learning Forward

Create collective responsibility for student success.

A culture of collective responsibility puts more peer pressure and accountability on staff who may not have carried their fair share but it can also ease the burden on teachers who have worked hard in isolation but who felt unable to help some students. In short, professional community within the teaching staff sharpens the educational focus and enhances the technical and social support that teachers need to be successful.

Newmann and Wehlage, 1995

Joellen Killion,

Learning Forward

1. Form groups of three or four.2. Think of two key objectives you

have related to teaching students.3. How can collaborative teaming

help reinforce your objectives by

Sharing instructional strategies? Sharing information about

specific students?10 minutes

A PLC in Action

Stults Elementary School

Small group of teachers who share students

Small group of teachers who share related curriculum

› Who might they be? Identify possible team configurations that exist or could exist in your work site.

› Where do specialists, teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing and non-instructional, certificated staff fit?

PAIR SHARE 3 minJoellen Killion,Learning Forward

Mutual agreements among team members about how they will act while in the team.

Designed to ensure fairness, safety, equity, and comfort among team members.

Formed though consensus decision involving all team members.

Joellen Killion,Learning Forward

I agree to place the interest of students at the forefront of all discussions and decisions.

I agree to share responsibility of making and supporting decisions.

I agree to listen, honor, and respect all perspectives.

I agree to handle conflicts as they arise in a responsible way.

I agree to be accountable for the decisions and assignments.

Joellen Killion,Learning Forward

Why do we report?

To whom do we report?

How do we report?

Joellen Killion,

Learning Forward

Be the change you want to see. Lead with your attitude. Refuse to become defensive. Seek to understand dissenters. Accept that change is a

process, not an event.

Joellen Killion,

Learning Forward

1. Use a scale of 1 (low) to 4 (high) to describe your work site in relationship to:

› School-based professional learning.› Collaborative professional learning teams.› Collaborative teams include teachers of DHH› Time built into the workday of teachers for

collaborative professional learning.› The degree to which teams are functioning

effectively and efficiently.› The degree to which teams use student data

to inform decisions about teaching and learning.

› The degree to which teams are working on “what matters” and producing results for students.

2. Share your current state with a colleague and provide evidence to support your scores.

6 min.adapted from:Joellen Killion,Learning Forward

Collaborative Professional Learning in School and Beyond: A Tool Kit for New Jersey Educators

Request access by emailing:

TeachPD@doe.state.nj.us

Team Building Powerful Designs for Professional Learning.

2nd ed. (2008). Lois Brown Easton, ed., NSDC.

Protocols: www.nsrfharmony.org

SMART Goals Team to Teach. (2008). Anne Jolly., NSDC. www.smartlearningcommunity.net

The PLC in Action Learning by Doing. (2006). R. DuFour & R.

DuFour, Solution-Tree. www.allthingsplc.info

*NSDC has changed its name to Learning Forward.