PLC Overview
Resources
Essential Questions:
• What do you mean by PLC?
• How do PLCs fit within your current
structures?
• What will your PLC do?
• What is your plan to implement PLCs?
Today’s Outcomes and Processes
• Connect to prior learning
• Myths and Legends of
PLC’s
• Benefits of PLC’s
• PLC Readiness
• Identify Necessary
Conditions
• Understanding Teams
• PLCWashington.org
• “T” Chart Activity
• “123” Shoot Protocol
• Using Surveys
• 6 Hats
• Discussion
• Reflection
• Engagement
The Power of Professional
Learning Communities
The most promising strategy for sustained,
substantive school improvement is building
the capacity of school personnel to function
as a professional learning community. The
path to change in the classroom lies within and
through professional learning
communities.
-Milbrey McLauglin, 1995
Educators in 100 different districts identified
three broad areas of change that need to
occur to improve student learning
1. Rethink and transform the current professional
development paradigm.
2. Restructure the outcomes of teachers' professional
development.
3. Re-culturing schools and communities for on-going, jobembedded teacher growth and professional development.
Source: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory - SEDL
What do you know about PLC’s?
The BIG IDEAS of a PLC
We accept learning as the fundamental purpose of
our school (Students, Staff, Community)
We are committed to working together to achieve our
collective purpose.
We cultivate a collaborative culture through
development of high performing teams.
We assess our effectiveness on the basis of results
rather that intentions.
We are Driven by the four foundational questions . . .
Teams in PLCs Collaborate
About the Right Things:
4 Critical Questions of Learning
What is it we expect students to learn?
How will we know when students have learned it?
How will we respond when students don’t learn?
How will we respond when students already know
it?
PLC’s are Learned Behaviors . . .
With Great Benefits
Myths and Legends Activity
•
•
•
•
What have you heard from others about PLC’s?
What do you want to know about PLC’s?
What do you think a PLC is?
What do you think a PLC is not?
Is
Staff Benefits
Is Not
Student Benefits
A Professional Learning Community . . .
Is . . . Educators Learning from each other
Is . . . A collaborative process
Is . . . Focused on student work and student learning
Is . . . Focused on Instructional Practice
Is . . . An empowering infrastructure of support
Is . . . Effective professional development
Is . . . Connected to the context of teachers’ classrooms
Is . . . Action and results oriented
Is . . . Continuous school improvement
A Professional Learning Community . . .
Is Not . . . A prescription
Is Not . . . A new “program”
Is Not . . . Just a book study
Is Not . . . Forced on educators
Is Not . . . Another fad
Staff Benefits
Reduced teacher isolation
Collective responsibility for student success
Increased understanding of the roles teachers
play in helping all students achieve
More satisfaction
higher morale
less absenteeism
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory- SEDL
Student Benefits
Decreased dropout rate
Less absenteeism
Greater academic gains in comparison to
traditional schools
Smaller achievement gaps between students from
different backgrounds
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory - SEDL
What is a PLC?
Educators committed to working
collaboratively in ongoing processes in
order to improve student learning
School
Team
Team
Four Questions
Results
Team
Each PLC is organized into a series of
high-performing collaborative teams
which meet on a regular basis to
focus on student learning.
Each Team uses the four foundational
questions to drive reflection, action
research, essential learnings, lessons,
formative assessments, support, and
enrichment . . . Resulting in . . .
Improved Student Learning
What is a Team?
School
Team
Four Questions
Results
Team
A team is a group of people working
interdependently to achieve a common
goal, for which members are held
mutually accountable
Organized by a shared course, shared
subject, shared grade level, or
interdisciplinary program. There has
to be a logical reason for putting
teams together
Teams answer the four questions
What are the Four Questions?
Four Questions
School
Team
Team
Team
1. What do we want our students to learn?
(Most essential curriculum 8-12 key
learnings per semester)
2. How will we know they are learning?
(frequent, team-developed, common,
formative assessments)
Four Questions
3. How will we respond when they don’t
learn? (timely, directive, systematic
interventions)
Results
4. How will we respond when they do
learn? (timely enrichment/extension)
What is a PLC?
• Time
School
Team
Four Questions
Results
Team
Necessary Conditions
Team
• Team Norms
• Resources
• Trust
• Removing Barriers
• Shared Knowledge
• Job Embedded PD
• Shared Purpose
• Establishing Focus
Team Defined
A team is a group of people working
interdependently toward a common
goal for which members are mutually
accountable.
Not Teamwork
Working as a Team
What do PLCs and the Blue Angels have in common . . . ?
What are your teams?
• Discuss and share
out your team
structures…
– What are your roles?
– What questions are
you exploring?
– What support do you
need in order to work
more effectively as a
team?
Norms
Purpose
Teamwork
Coaching
Awareness
Norms
Trust
Time
Coach
Data
Time
Professional
Learning
communities
Trust
Coach
Trust
Time
Time
Norms
Data
Data
Protocols
Collaboration
Working
with Adults
Looking at
student
work
WWW.PLCWashington.org
Are you Ready for a PLC?
1,2,3, Shoot
1, 2, 3, Shoot
Reflective Dialogue
• Faculty/staff members talk with each other about their
situations and the specific challenges they face.
Not at all
Somewhat
50%
To a large
degree
To a great
extent
1
2
3
4
5
Discussion:
1, 2, 3, Shoot
De-Privatization of Practice
• Teachers share, observe, and discuss each others’
teaching methods and philosophies.
Not at all
Somewhat
50%
To a large
degree
To a great
extent
1
2
3
4
5
Discussion:
Finish “Shooting”
15 - 20 Minutes
PLC Survey
What barriers exist in your
school?
• Based upon the
survey discussion or
your experience…
– What barriers exist in
your school?
– How do you plan to
address them?
– How will you engage
others in this
conversation?
Initial Thoughts
Time for Learning &
Collaboration
Removing Barriers
Establishing Group Procedures
Working as a team/Teacher
Isolation
Resources
Facilitation
Physical Proximity
Necessary Conditions
Challenge Cycle
Developing Norms Worksheet
When Establishing Norms, Consider
Time
When do we meet?
Will we set a beginning and ending time?
Will we start and end on time?
Listening
How will we encourage listening?
How will we discourage interrupting?
Confidentiality
Will the meetings be open?
Will what we say in the meeting be held in confidence?
What can be said after the meeting?
Decision Making
How will we make decisions?
Are we an advisory or a decision-making body?
Will we reach decisions by consensus?
How will we deal with conflicts?
Participation
How will we encourage everyone’s participation?
Will we have an attendance policy?
Expectations
What do we expect from members?
Are there requirements for participation?
Proposed Norm
Norms
•
•
•
Review your group norms…
Write 2-3 behavioral definitions for your
norm. (What does it really look like?)
What will you do if norms are not
followed?
Protocols
•
•
•
•
Clearly define roles
Create safety through structures
Are used purposefully
Define time, expectations, procedures and
products
• Build trust
Consultancy Protocol
• Read overview of
consultancy protocol
• Watch video on PLC
Washington and jot
notes/initial thoughts
on protocol
description
• Discuss possible use
in your team
6 Hats
Protocol
Central Question or Proposed Change
(6 Hats Protocol)
Are we ready to implement this plan
as presented?
Six Hats Protocol
1. Proposed Future Change for the
School
2. State the Central Question or
Proposed Change so Everyone
Understands
3. Assign One Color Hat to Six
individuals (or subgroups from a
larger group)
4. Each Color Hat will Focus on the
Change or Central Question
through the Lens of their
Particular Hat
Six Hats Protocol
• White Hat = Data (Research, Effectiveness,
Costs)
• Black Hat = Caution (Downsides of this idea)
• Red Hat = Emotion (How will people react to the
idea? Who will like it? Who will be upset?)
• Green Hat = Growth (Learn? Grow as a staff?)
• Blue Hat = Process/Communication (who
facilitates the process? How will this be
communicated with stakeholders?)
• Yellow Hat = Sunshine (Positive Aspects,
Benefits? What good will come of this? )
Caution
Data
Emotion
Should We Implement
This Plan?
Facilitate
communication
Positive
Growth
Central Question or Proposed Change
Should we implement the plan as presented?
"Unless you are prepared to give up something valuable you will
never be able to truly change at all, because you'll be forever in the
control of things you can't give up."
— Andy Law Creative Company
Protocol
• Assign “hats” to team members
• Take 2 minutes to write at least one question for
your hat
• Starting with the white hat:
–
–
–
–
Pose question
Team asks clarifying questions (2 minutes)
Team discusses question (3 minutes)
Repeat for all hats
• Debrief
– What questions remain unresolved?
– What next steps do you suggest for your team?
Something was missing…
• What would you
suggest to improve
this protocol?
• How could a protocol
like this help you
implement your team
norms?
Investigating Protocols
• Read procedure and recourse in your
packet.
• Discuss protocols you would like to learn
more about, or try with your team.
• Next steps?
Are you willing to investigate and implement
a PLC at your school?
1. Write down your level of commitment on the sticky
side of the sticky notes (so people can’t see the
number when stuck on a wall). Don’t show anyone
else in the group
2. Use a scale between 0% and 100% (in increments of 10
e.g. 40%, 70%, 10%, 90%)
3. Post on the ConSensoGram which produces a graph
for a quick measurement check against the question
above.
Process Matters
Question: How willing are you to investigate and
implement a PLC at your school?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
All of us are smarter than any one of us
8
9
10
My success is dependent on your success
Group IQ
There is such a thing as group IQ. While a
group can be no smarter than the sum
total of the knowledge and skill of its
members, it can be much “dumber” if its
internal workings don’t allow people to
share their talents.
-Robert Sternberg
Questions?
Time Bandit
Why Professional Learning Communities?
Staff identifying their own needs and developing
learning experiences to meet those needs
School-based and embedded in daily work
Organized around collaborative problem-solving
Continuous and on-going with follow-up and support
Apply new learning within the context of the classroom
Connected to a comprehensive change process
Recognized by research to improve student learning
Why Professional Learning Communities?
PLC’s will be the P.D. of the 21st Century
Schools are struggling with the Implementation of PLCs
People are learning some of the “What” but not the “How”
Necessary Conditions are not highly considered
More authentic way to improve schools
Focused on student learning and instructional practice