Professional Learning TeamsOctober 2010

Recap The PLT meeting 1

Morning tea

Developing a learning log

The PLT in action Leading a PLT Role play

9.00

10.30

11.00 – 1.00

NMR - School Improvement Model

Complex change ….

Change in the way teachers operate/behaviour De-privatised practice

Collaboration and challenge Joint planning Peer observation

Personalisation Evidence based practice /goal setting Strategies for differentiation

Pedagogical teaching and content knowledge Teaching frameworks/concepts Literacy and numeracy teaching strategies Standards and continuums of learning

Assessment practices Technology

Teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about students’ capacity to learn

Activity: Think, pair, share

‘Communities that undermine learning’….. and change

Discuss article by Plat & Tripp at tablesThink about the different teams you have worked

in. Identify one effective team and one low performing team – what was the difference? How would you define a high functioning, accountable PLT?

The genius of ‘AND’…………….. The tyranny of ‘OR’

Must we be A or B, not both??? High performing organisations seek to be both

A and B Not a question of balance – implies going to

the mid point (50-50) Create a culture that is simultaneously loose

and tight Concept of

‘directed empowerment’ ‘defined autonomy’

School readiness

What’s your story?? Implementation stage

Building awareness Common understanding

Planning Piloting Full implementation

Planning Where do you want to be in 2011 What do you need to do What will be your challenges What will you do when you get back to your school

Action plan

Goal: Clarity and alignment

Review structures, frameworks Teaching and learning – what and how Assessments Role and responsibilities Teams Student voice School organisation

Year levels Timetable Meetings

Develop 2011 implementation plan Consider change strategy

Action learning with existing teams

Activity – table talk

Your storyWhere are PLTs in your school at now?Where would you like them to be in a year’s

time?What will you do to get there?

‘Connect peers with purpose’ … …. Fullen

‘Create a sense of urgency’ …………Kotter

AiZ Structure

Teams of teachers (PLTs and Triads)Team leaders (PLT leaders)Learning leaders

School improvement team (SIT)NMR

PLT PLT PLT

Triad Triad Triad Triad TriadTriad

PROFESSIONAL LEARNINGAiZ (Learning Leaders, PLT leaders)

Coaches

School Improvement Team/Leadership Team

PLTs – look like?

Size Ideally no more than 6

Composition Mix of experienced and beginning Mix of expertise (eg numeracy/literacy/disciplines)

Primary Usually year level

Secondary Year level Discipline

PLT structures - secondary

Same subject/discipline

Same class

Vertical

Inter/trans disciplinary teams

Online teams

Organise teamsEach team ensures a guaranteed

curriculumEach team creates frequent common

formative assessmentsDevelop a school wide plan for

intervention and enrichment

AiZ PLTs a new team work approach

Evidence not inference Challenge not share Group responsibility

From ‘my class’ to our studentsYour problem to our solution

Peer accountability rather than system reporting Expectations of ALL students Developmental not deficit approach

Patrick Griffin

The Patrick Griffin model

Use of data based onTheory of the Zone of Proximal

Development (ZPD) – scaffolding of instruction/learning

Developmental continuums or “learning pathway maps”

Patrick Griffin model cont...

Based on the belief that, by knowing where students sit along the continuum, teachers can target the teaching strategies and interventions to scaffold the students to the next level

Goal: to monitor, promote and accelerate students along a developmental continuum (eg VELs) by focusing the teaching to where they ARE, rather than where they SHOULD BE.

Deficit v Developmental learning approach

Prof Patrick Griffin

Deficit approach to learning:

•Focus on what students cannot do

•Outcome is a ‘fix-it’ approach.

Developmental approach:

•Build on and scaffold the existing knowledge bases of every student.

•Focus on student readiness to learn.

A developmental approach to learning

PLTs require clarity around:

1. Guaranteed curriculum/essential learning:

What it is we want our students to learn at each year level - aligned with VELs

Does it have endurance? Does it have leverage? Does it prepare students for next level of

learning?

(Douglas Reeves 2002 – assessing significance of standards)

A developmental approach to learning

2. Knowing when each student has learned it

What will students know and be able to do as a result of unit of work

How will students demonstrate their learning What will it look like in terms of students work How will we monitor students’ learning?

Types of assessment, Purposeful, Focused, Diagnostic, Timely

Making reliable judgements

Teachers need to have 3 sets of data in order for a reliable judgement to be made for each student in the school

Tests should be reliable and accurate i.e. calibrated and not subject to opinion

Where possible use departmental resources -they are free, well researched and developed

Tests should have an aspect of literacy or numeracy as a focus Tests should have data that provides detailed information about

skill levels Tests should be able to indicate where the student needs to go

next. For example have a developmental continuum Test results should be able to indicate student growth once the

test is repeated Test results should help teachers develop groupings in their

classes

Closing the gap???

Idea of closing gap will not be addressed because all kids should move; in fact the gap may widen in some instances.

It’s about identifying where students are ready to learn rather than where they are expected to be.

Teaching concepts, not just skills will enable students to perform better in future tests.

Four critical questions for learning:

What is it we expect our students to learn?

How will we know when they have learned it?

How will we respond when they don’t learn?

How will we respond when they already know it?

Learning by Doing, DuFour et al

Activity - Think, pair, share

Do you believe that schools should be expected to deliver a guaranteed curriculum at each year level What does a guaranteed curriculum mean to you How does it impact on the 4 critical questions for learning?

To what extent is the use of learning continuums embedded in the practice of your school? Refer to NMR Maths competencies Years P – 8 What is the value of a continuum for teachers, for students Do you have concerns about the use of a continuum

Share these with the person next to you.

Effective PLTS

Shared norms and values

Collaboration

Collective focus on student learning

Reflective dialogue

De-privatisation of practice

Sharon Kruse (Building Professional Learning Communities) 1995

Meetings follow set protocols

A developmental approach to learning

Students & teachers

Engage in process of evidence based inquiry to plan for teaching interventions

Members accountable to the group

Prof Patrick Griffin

Shared values, goals

Collaborative culture

Collective inquiry (and challenge)

Action orientation (learning by doing)

Commitment to continuous improvement

Results orientation

DuFour and Eaker (1998)

Ticking the effective team boxes

TEAMS

Activity: Think, pair, share

‘Communities that undermine learning’….. and change

Discuss article by Plat & Tripp at tablesThink about the different teams you have worked

in. Identify one effective team and one low performing team – what was the difference? How would you define a high functioning, accountable PLT?

The PLT meeting

What does is it look like, feel like, sound like …………..

Featuring: Lena Clark Lorraine Edwards Patricia Quan

Activity: Observation and table discussion

What is the PLT leader doing? What are PLT members doing? Nature of conversation, questioning? How does this align with student centred

meetings at your school?The main outcome of the meeting was the

development of the learning log. From the PLT discussion you have just observed identify what you think should be the key elements of a student learning log?

Developing a learning log

Student: Level: On Demand: VELS:Year Level: Review date: ___________

Is the level on the pathway what was expected in relation to the evidence collected in the classroom? If not, what level does the evidence suggest?

Why?

What specific learning goals are set to support this student’s development and progress?

Set goals that are focused and specific.

For information about what to set as specific learning goals look at:VELS Progression PointsMathematics Continuum – Indicators of ProgressNMR Powerful Learning Maths Competencies P-8

Eg: Use short-cut strategies to multiply and divide a number by multiples of 10

What specific teaching strategies will you use to achieve these goals?

Where to find teaching strategies:Mathematics ContinuumScaffolding Numeracy in the Middle Years – Learning PlansTeaching Primary Mathematics by George BookerOther Maths teachersT&L Coach (Numeracy)

Eg: Use multiplication algorithm to identify patterns when multiplying by multiples of 10. Summarise in own words what happens.

What resources are needed?Open ended questionsEg. Good Questions for Math Teaching by Nancy Canavan Anderson, Lainie SchusterThinking Allowed by Sue GunninghamOnline resourcesEg. Illuminations http://illuminations.nctm.org/Concrete aides & toolsEg. MAB, counters, icypole sticks, calculator

Graphic OrganisersEg. PlacematGamesProfessional Development, egT&L Coach (Numeracy)Online Other Maths teachersExternal providers

What evidence (do, say, make, write) would show the goals are met? You don’t need to collect all 4 types of evidence each time. Think about what is going to best demonstrate the student’s learning in relation to the goal set. Over time you would aim to collect a range of different types of evidence.The student will be able to SAY: explain a solution process, identify the next step in a process, explain links in their thinking, etc. This can be recorded in teacher notes, using the Flip camera, etcThe student will be able to DO: a particular type of problem, an online task, etc.The student will be able to MAKE: a model representing a problem, etc.The student will be able to WRITE: solution to a problem showing steps, explanation of how they solved the problem, instructions for someone else, etc.

Professional Learning Team Log Literacy Date:Student Code: ABC12

Year Level: 7A Low

Subject: Hums/ Endangered Species

Review Date: 3 weeks

1. Is the level on the pathway what was expected in relation the evidence collected in the classroom? If not, what level does the evidence suggest.

In reading comprehension the student is able to identify literal facts in a piece of text but does not understand how to infer meaning from a text

2. What specific learning goals are set to support this student’s development and progress?

• Identify the inference or implied information in a variety of texts

• Be able to explain how they identified inference

• Be able to use inference in their own writing

3a. What specific teaching strategies will you use to achieve these goals?

• Remind students of the difference between literal and inferential information

• Get students to practise identifying oral inference at sentence level related to topic/

• Inference in pictures/cartoons • In reading of texts on endangered

species ask students to identify inference In paragraphs and in longer texts

• A sheet that asks them how they determined the inference in some activities

• Get students to practise writing using inference

• Provide opportunities for students to practise inference in whole class, individual and small group situations

4. What evidence (do, say, make and write,) would show goals are met?

• Student work samples x 3 of written questions related to endangered species/inference

• Teacher observation notes of student group work on investigating an endangered species

• Oral responses from students in regard to how they determine inference

• Extended piece of writing on an endangered species where they include inference

• Student writing of inferential questions

PLT: using data to plan teaching learning logs

Develop a learning log for a group of students (any grade level) for whom ‘your’ evidence shows their skills in identifying or interpreting the main idea of text is lowDetermine learning goals for next 3 weeks

No more than 3 goalsWhat teaching strategies will use to achieve

these goalsWhat evidence will you use to show goals

have been met specific and measurable

The PLT in action

Leading the change …………

Leading the change …………

The work of the PLT leader

Lead the team Understand change Model behaviours Develop culture of challenge – questioning

Develop the capacity of the team Pedagogical knowledge Assessment practices Use of data Goal setting and strategy selection

Support collaboration Regular, focused meetings Establish protocols Develop structure and processes

PLT Meetings

Develop agreed protocols/normsSet agenda/proformasRegular timeKeep to timeHave a focusShare facilitationEncourage participation and group

The process

TEAMS of teachers take responsibility for the cohort

LEADERS take teams of teachers through the following cycle:

REVIEW where the students are at. What is their Zone of proximal development? Look at evidence of what students can DO, SAY, MAKE or

WRITE What evidence have we used to determine this?

What learning GOALS are appropriate? PLAN STRATEGIES/ INTERVENTIONS to move them forward

IDENTIFY THE RESOURCES needed

STIPULATE THE EVIDENCE required to say that kids have moved

The Process ……Patrick Griffin

Review students’ progress. Discussion based on evidence of

do, say, make and write. All inferences of learning challenged and defended.

Identify the resources that are needed

Stipulate the evidence that will be required to establish

that movement has occurred and the timeframe

for the review

Plan strategy for intervention to take the

students to the next level on the

developmental continuum.

The Process ……building teacher capacity

Set Goals

Identify strategies(Identify teacher learning

needs?)

Act/ Implement

Observe/give feedback/Reflect

Analyse ClassroomData

Teacher Inquiry

Knowledge Building

cycle

Hume Central SC

PLT agenda and timingTopic Details Timing

1a Sharing Use of data 10 min

1b Select students

Highest, lowest and middle common levels + 1 student from whom data/assessments were used from each class (if applicable)

5 min

1c Middle level

Selection of students from common levels from each class by individual teachers

5 min

1d Each teacher to give background on each selected student from this level to be discussed

2 min per student

2a Look for commonalities b/ween students and decide goals

3a Strategies/resources

Discuss possible interventions/strategies/resources in general

10 min per stud

3b Decide on interventions

4 Evidence Decide on evidence that goals will be met

5 Review Decide review date and fill out learning for selected students

Activity: Producing a learning log

Task: complete a learning log for a student or a cohort of students

Year 7: Finn and the Big Guy

Data

- 2009 Y7 Spa/Naplan diagnostic data (sample)

- 2009 Y7 Naplan questions and source material

Steps

- Analyse data 10 min

- Select cohorts/student 5 min

- Identify/develop learning goals 10 min

- Identify teaching strategies to achieve learning goals 10 min - Identify evidence to show learning goals have been met 10 min

Activity: Producing a learning log

Groups of 5 – 6 teachers

Nominate: Team leader and observer

Team Leader: lead meeting

Observer: note type of questioning, level of challenge, use and focus on data, team participation, use of protocols to engage team member in discussion

Reflection: 5 mins Observer reports back to team about observations.

Group reflects 2 key positives and 2 key challenges for doing the work in their schools.