TLCI 512
Creating Learning Communities
Fall 2004
Mondays 6:00 – 9:00
Hoffman Estates
Joyce Lieberman
Office: (815) 753-5611
162H Gabel Hall
Email: JoyceL@niu.edu
Catalogue Description: An analysis and application of methods used in professional
development for the improvement of instruction. Elements of effective teaching are
investigated and applied.
Course Objectives:
 Describe the role of professional development in school reform.
 Apply systematic observation techniques in classroom settings.
 Analyze classroom teaching to discern teachers' instructional strengths and
weaknesses.
 Recommend professional development activities based on formative
evaluation and feedback principles in classroom pre and post conference
skills.
 Design staff development programs to meet the needs of adult learners and
other cultural groups.
 Evaluate school progress and the allocation of school resources in light of
understanding state and local educational objectives.
Required texts:
Meier, D. (2002). In schools we trust: Creating communities of learning in an era of
testing and standardization. Boston: Beacon Press.
*Additional handouts will be distributed and/or downloaded from a website.
Expectations, Assignments, and Grading
This class is organized as a seminar, both small and large group, thus its success depends
on the thorough preparation and participation of each class member. Attendance is
crucial - you can’t participate if you aren’t here. In addition to participation and
completing course readings, you will write a reflection paper on the Meier book; observe,
analyze and recommend a professional development plan for one teacher based on the
ETS Pathwise criteria/framework; create and participate in a group demonstration on one
aspect of professional development (including a resource list) and compile your
documented accomplishments (modeled on the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards: Documented Accomplishment: Contributions to Student Learning).
The point distribution (155) is as follows:
Participation
35
Meier Reflection Paper
20
Documented Accomplishments
40
Observation/Analysis
30
Group Demonstration/Resource List 30
155 – 140 = A; 139 – 125 = B; 124 – 115 = C
College of Education Grading Policy for Graduate Students (11/23/98)
Letter Grade A: Outstanding Achievement. A represents a professional judgment that the
performance of a student was truly superior (90 - 100%).
Letter Grade B: Fully satisfactory achievement: B represents a professional judgment that the
performance of the student thoroughly satisfied the criteria established for awarding graduate
credit. It will usually be the modal (most frequent) grade awarded in a graduate level course (80 89%).
Letter Grade C: Marginal achievement. C represents a professional judgment that the
performance of a student minimally satisfied the criteria for awarding graduate credit (70 – 79%)
Letter Grades D & F: D & F represent professional judgments that the performance of a student
was insufficient to satisfy the criteria for awarding graduate credit.
Course Policies
Attendance: Attendance at all class meetings is expected. Due to the nature/design of
this class it will not be possible to make up work missed in class. It is the student’s
responsibility to get missed information and handouts from another student. Missing
class may result in misunderstandings concerning assignments. This will not be an
acceptable reason for not completing an assignment correctly.
Incompletes will not be given except as circumstances conform to the general
regulations described in the Graduate Catalog.
Assignments: All assignments are due on or before announced due dates. If you have
an emergency or have to be absent from class when an assignment is due, it is your
responsibility to contact the instructor to make arrangements for submission of the
assignment. Work submitted late will be penalized one letter grade unless prior
arrangements have been made with the instructor.
Reflection and Documented Accomplishments assignments are to be submitted
electronically as Word Document attachments to: JoyceL@niu.edu
Save your file as follows: lastname512.doc - example: Lieberman512.doc
I will reply to your email with 48 hours to indicate I have received it or to let you know if
there were any problems opening your file. Papers with feedback and grades will be
emailed back to you within 7-10 days.
2
 Meier Reflection Paper (20 points)
Meier’s book focuses on the possibility of a different way to organize our children’s
schooling. How do we take these ideas and include them in professional development –
and why should we?
Please observe the following guidelines:
 Papers are to be approximately 3-4 pages.
 Papers are to be double-spaced, using a 12 pitch font and basic margin size (1”).
 Choose 1-2 main ideas/concepts/theories raised in Meier’s book and write a
reflection paper using the following guiding questions as guidelines:
o Based on what we know about effective teaching and learning in 21st
century schools, which of Meier’s ideas/theories need to be considered
when designing and implementing professional development? How and
why?
o What are the implications of these for/on professional development today?
o What are some of the obstacles associated with it/them and how might
they be overcome? Or, if it’s so great, why aren’t we doing it/them?
 A clear introduction is essential – including an overview of the main
ideas/concepts/theories to be addressed and their implications for professional
development today. A conclusion is essential, too.
 Grammar, spelling, etc. mistakes are inexcusable – use spell check, reread your
papers and if possible, have a colleague read the paper before turning it in.
Criteria/Points
2
Paper is well organized and
Presentation
professionally presented
with regard to mechanics,
layout and appearance.
Guidelines have been
followed.
Criteria/Points
3
Introduction has a sharp,
Introduction
distinct focus. The reader
has a clear understanding
of the purpose of the paper.
Criteria/Points
12/11
Reflections are thoughtful
Reflection
and realistic. Opinions are
clearly stated and
supported by the book and
class discussions.
Criteria/Points
3
Conclusion
clearly
Conclusion
1
Paper is somewhat organized
and professionally presented
with regard to mechanics,
layout and appearance. Most
guidelines have been
followed.
2
Introduction is somewhat
focused. The reader has some
understanding of the purpose
of the paper.
10/9
Reflections are somewhat
thoughtful and realistic.
Opinions are stated and
somewhat supported by the
book and/or class discussions.
2
Conclusion is somewhat clear.
summarizes the essay.
3
0
Paper is neither organized nor
professionally presented with
regard to mechanics, layout and
appearance. Many guidelines
have not been followed.
1
Introduction is vague. The
reader is unclear as to the
purpose of the paper.
8/7
Reflections are neither
thoughtful nor realistic.
Opinions are neither stated nor
supported by the book and/or
class discussions.
1
Conclusions are vague and/or
not stated.
 Documented Accomplishments (40 points)
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your commitment to student learning through
your work with students’ families and community and through your development as a
learner and a leader/collaborator. You can demonstrate your commitment through
evidence of your efforts to establish and maintain partnerships with students’ families and
the community, through evidence of your growth as a learner, and through work that you
do with other teachers at a local, state, or national level. This assignment is designed to
capture evidence of the way in which your role as a teacher is broader than what you do
in your classroom. It provides you with an opportunity to show how what you do outside
the classroom (or beyond explicit student instruction) impacts student learning.
Please observe the following guidelines:
 Papers are to be approximately 7-8 pages.
 Use headings wherever possible.
 Papers are to be double-spaced, using a 12 pitch font and basic margin size (1”).
 Address each question for each of the accomplishments.
 Grammar, spelling, etc. mistakes are inexcusable – use spell check, reread your
papers and if possible, have a colleague read the paper before turning it in.
I. Choose two accomplishments from two of the three areas (families and
community, colleagues, learner) to document and respond to the following
three prompts for each (approximately 2-3 pages/accomplishment – 15 points
possible/accomplishment = 30 points).



II.
What is the nature of the accomplishment? Be very specific.
Why is this accomplishment significant? To be significant, the accomplishment
must be an important effort or achievement beyond the routine that demonstrates
your work as a partner with students’ families and their community; as a learner;
and as a leader and/or collaborator with colleagues or other professionals. Your
accomplishment must also demonstrate an impact on student learning.
How has what you have described had an impact on students’ learning? You need
to connect your accomplishment to the learning of your students or the students of
your colleagues.
Reflective Summary (10 points possible) - Review your accomplishments
and write a 1-2 page reflective summary that analyzes the effectiveness of
your accomplishments. Highlight the overall significance of your
accomplishments taken together and reflect on them and their impact on
student learning. Respond to the following two questions:
 In your work outside of the classroom, what was most effective in
impacting student learning? WHY?
 Considering the patterns evident in your accomplishments taken together,
what is your plan to further impact student learning in the future?
4
 Teacher Observation (30 points) Forms distributed October 4
Using the Pathwise observation process, select a teacher (preferably in your grade or
content area) and arrange an observation session that includes:



A pre-observation conference (approximately 30 minutes). It is recommended
that in the pre-observation conference you agree on no more than two areas
upon which to concentrate, e.g., classroom management, differentiation of
instruction, cooperative learning.
Observation (approximately 45 minutes)
A post-observation conference (approximately 30 minutes)
Forms
1. Prior to the pre-observation conference, have the teacher complete the Class
Profile Form.
2. Prior to the observation, have the teacher complete the Instruction portion of the
Instruction and Reflection Profile ONLY.
3. Use the Pre-observation Interview form as a guide for reviewing the instruction to
be observed.
4. Take notes on the agreed upon areas (you can use the Formative Observation
Form – or not!)
5. Complete the Reflection portion of the Instruction and Reflection Profile after the
observation.
After you complete the observation and conferences, prepare a 4-5 page (double-spaced)
analysis/recommendation and reflection piece that includes the following components:




A brief overview of the context within which this lesson was taught
including: classroom demographics and relevant teacher information
Data analysis – what were the areas of concentration? What did you see?
Briefly summarize the observation based on notes taken. Refer to the
observation sheets completed during the observation. Be specific. This is
to be descriptive – not interpretative.
Based on your observation, what specific professional development
recommendations would you make and why? These recommendations
should be considered from both a short-term (this school year) and longterm (next 2-3 years) perspectives.
Reflection on the process- some areas to think about including in this
section (but certainly are not limited to): the use of a “framework” for
observation; the connections between observation and professional
development; thinking differently about the role of professional
development in teaching and learning – your own and your colleagues.
5

Group Teaching/Demonstration (30 points) The focus of the group
demonstration is on one area of professional development. Six to seven groups
will be created around professional development strategies (e.g., action research,
cognitive/peer coaching, cooperative learning, critical friends groups, inclusion,
literature circles, portfolios, and/or videotaping).
Group Demonstration Guidelines
The major objective of the demonstration is to share your expertise with your colleagues
in a fun, engaging and creative way. Consider the following questions when
designing your presentation:
 How can this information help others in designing and implementing meaningful
professional development?
 What are the implications for teaching and learning for students, colleagues, the
larger community?
Each group is responsible for preparing a handout on the key points (fact sheet/summary)
of your topic and a resource list for the entire class (approximately 25 copies) – page
length will vary by group. Information to include: a 1-2 page summary by topic and
references/resources (minimum of 3 resources/references/person) – APA style preferred.
The length of your group’s demonstration including any Q & A or class discussion will
vary by group size. Plan your presentation for approximately 12-15 minutes/person – so
a group of three will have 40-45 minutes/groups of 4 will have approximately one hour.
It has become a tradition to have snacks on presentation nights and the final class.
Should the group decide to keep this tradition alive, we will schedule them when we
decide which groups are presenting November 17 and which are presenting November
24.
6
Tentative Schedule of Class Assignments
September 13 Introductions/Course Overview/Syllabus
September 20 National Staff Development Council Standards/Professional
Development/Creating Learning Communities - handouts
September 27 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
Documented Accomplishments Assignment
October 4
Teacher Observation Strategies/Guidelines – ETS Pathwise
October 11
Happy Columbus Day!
October 18
Meier, In Schools We Trust, Part I, Chapters 1-5, pp. 1-91
Group Demonstration Group Formation and Meetings
October 25
Meier, In Schools We Trust, Part II Chapters 6-8, pp. 95-152
November 1 Meier, In Schools We Trust, Part III Chapters 9-10, pp. 155-182
*Documented Accomplishments Due as an email attachment by 5 p.m.
November 8
Next Steps/Strategies for Creating and Maintaining Learning
Communities
*Meier Reflection Paper Due as an email attachment by 5 p. m.
November 15 Group Demonstrations – Schedule TBD
November 22 Group Demonstrations – Schedule TBD
*Teacher Observation Due
November 29 Group Demonstrations – Schedule TBD
Conclusions/Course Evaluation/Celebration
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
7
Additional Resources:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCS) http://www.ascd.org
Barth, R. (2001). Learning by heart. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Brandt, R. (2003). Is this school a learning organization? Journal of Staff Development,
24, 1, pp. 10-16.
Danielson, C. (1996). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1998). Teacher learning that supports student learning.
Educational Leadership, 55, 5, 6-11
DuFour, Richard & Eaker, Robert. (1998). Professional learning communities at
work. Bloomington, Indiana: National Educational Service.
Glickman, C. D. (2002). Leadership for learning: How to help teachers succeed.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Joyce, B.R. & Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through staff development
(3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) http://www.nbpts.org
North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL) http://www.ncrel.org/pd/
National Staff Development Council http://www.nsdc.org
Richardson, V. (2003). The dilemmas of professional development [Electronic version].
Phi Delta Kappan, 84(5), 401-406.
Routman, R. (2000). Conversation: strategies for teaching, learning & evaluating.
Westport, CT: Heiemann.
Sparks, D. (2002). Designing powerful professional development for teachers and
principals. Oxford, OH: National Staff Development Council.
Zimmerman, J. A., & Jackson May, J. (2003). Providing effective professional
development: What's holding us back [Electronic version]. American Secondary
Education, 31(2), 37-48.
National Staff Development Council
Standards for Staff Development
(Revised, 2001)
Context Standards - Staff development that improves the learning of all
students:



Organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with
those of the school and district. (Learning Communities)
Requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous
instructional improvement. (Leadership)
Requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration.
(Resources)
Process Standards - Staff development that improves the learning of all
students:






Uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities,
monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement. (DataDriven)
Uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and
demonstrate its impact. (Evaluation)
Prepares educators to apply research to decision making. (ResearchBased)
Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal. (Design)
Applies knowledge about human learning and change. (Learning)
Provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate.
(Collaboration)
Content Standards - Staff development that improves the learning of all
students:



Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe,
orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations
for their academic achievement. (Equity)
Deepens educators’ content knowledge, provides them with researchbased instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous
academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom
assessments appropriately. (Quality Teaching)
Provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and
other stakeholders appropriately. (Family Involvement)
9
National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future
What Matters Most: Teaching For America's Future (1996)
www.nctaf.org
Executive Summary
This report offers what we believe is the single most important strategy for achieving
America's educational goals: A blueprint for recruiting, preparing, and supporting
excellent teachers in all of America's schools. The plan is aimed at ensuring that all
communities have teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to teach so that all
children can learn, and all school systems are organized to support teachers in this work.
A caring, competent, and qualified teacher for every child is the most important
ingredient in education reform.
The Commission's proposals are systemic in scope—not a recipe for more short-lived
pilots and demonstration projects. They require a dramatic departure from the status
quo— one that creates a new infrastructure for professional learning and an
accountability system that ensures attention to standards for educators as well as students
at every level— national, state, local school district, school, and classroom.
This Commission starts from three simple premises:
1. What teachers know and can do is the most important influence on what
students learn.
2. Recruiting, preparing, and retaining good teachers is the central strategy for
improving our schools.
3. School reform cannot succeed unless it focuses on creating the conditions in
which teachers can teach, and teach well.
We propose an audacious goal for America's future. Within a decade—by the year
2006—we will provide every student in America with what should be his or her
educational birthright: access to competent, caring, qualified teaching in schools
organized for success. This is a challenging goal to put before the nation and its
educational leaders. But if the goal is challenging and requires unprecedented effort, it
does not require unprecedented new theory. Common sense suffices: American students
are entitled to teachers who know their subjects, understand their students and what they
need, and have developed the skills required to make learning come alive. However,
based on its two-year study, the Commission identified a number of barriers to achieving
this goal. They include:







Low expectations for student performance;
Unenforced standards for teachers;
Major flaws in teacher preparation;
Painfully slipshod teacher recruitment;
Inadequate induction for beginning teachers;
Lack of professional development and rewards for knowledge and skill; and
Schools that are structured for failure rather than success.
10
We offer five major recommendations to address these concerns and accomplish our
goal.
I. Get serious about standards, for both students and teachers.
 Establish professional standards boards in every state.
 Insist on accreditation for all schools of education.
 Close inadequate schools of education.
 License teachers based on demonstrated performance, including tests of subject
matter knowledge, teaching knowledge, and teaching skill.
 Use National Board standards as the benchmark for accomplished teaching.
II. Reinvent teacher preparation and professional development.
 Organize teacher education and professional development programs around
standards for students and teachers.
 Develop extended, graduate-level teacher preparation programs that provide a
yearlong internship in a professional development school.
 Create and fund mentoring programs for beginning teachers, along with
evaluation of teaching skills.
 Create stable, high-quality sources of professional development.
III. Fix teacher recruitment and put qualified teachers in every classroom.
 Increase the ability of low-wealth districts to pay for qualified teachers, and insist
that districts hire only qualified teachers.
 Redesign and streamline district hiring.
 Eliminate barriers to teacher mobility.
 Aggressively recruit high-need teachers and provide incentives for teaching in
shortage areas.
 Develop high-quality pathways to teaching for a wide range of recruits.
IV. Encourage and reward teacher knowledge and skill.
 Develop a career continuum for teaching linked to assessments and compensation
systems that reward knowledge and skill.
 Remove incompetent teachers.
 Set goals and enact incentives for National Board Certification in every state and
district. Aim to certify 105,000 teachers in this decade, one for every school in the
United States.
V. Create schools that are organized for student and teacher success.
 Flatten hierarchies and reallocate resources to send more dollars to the front lines
of schools: Invest more in teachers and technology and less in non-teaching
personnel.
 Provide venture capital in the form of challenge grants to schools for teacher
learning linked to school improvement and rewards for team efforts that lead to
improved practice and greater learning.
 Select, prepare, and retain principals who understand teaching and learning and
who can lead high-performing schools.
11