Professional Learning Communities (PLC

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Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

• Holly Springs
• High School

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-- Eric Hoffer, 1972
In times of drastic change, it is the learners
who inherit the future. The learned usually find
themselves beautifully equipped to live in a
world that no longer exists.
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A PLC is . . .

• PROFESSIONAL?
• Every teacher is a leader Every leader is a
  teacher.
• LEARNING?
• In a PLC School, learning applies as
  much to teachers,
• administrators, and parents as to
  students.
• Focus on instruction, curriculum and
  assessment.
• COMMUNITY?
• Support
• Cooperation vs. competition
• Focus intensely on the mission, vision,
  goals, and values.
• Improvement of the whole vs. striving to
  get ahead
• individually.

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Professional Learning Communities at Work

• Mission, Vision, Values and Goals.
• Collaborative Teams.
• Changing Your Schools Culture.
• Planning a PLC-Model School.

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The Four Keys to a Successful PLC
Mission Clarifies Priorities/
Sharpens Focus Vision Gives
Direction Values Guides Behavior Goals
Establish Priorities
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• Mission

• Why do we exist?

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Mission
Schools exist because their mission is
learning.

• Questions to ask as Educators
• What is it we expect all students to learn?
• How will we know when they have
• learned it?
• How will we respond when they dont learn?
• How will we respond when they already know it?

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--Yogi Berra, 1947

• You've got to be very careful if you don't know
  where you are going because you might not get
  there.

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• Vision

• What do we hope to become at some point in the
  future?

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Vision

• Questions to ask as
• Educators with a Vision
• What are the essentials for our students?
• If we did an excellent job with the essentials,
  
• what would that look like?

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• Values

• How must we behave to create the school that
  will achieve our purpose?

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Values

• Question to ask as
• Educators with values
• What attitudes, behaviors, and
• commitments must we demonstrate in
• order to create the school of our vision?

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• Goals

• What results do we seek and how will we know we
  are making progress?

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Goals

• Questions to ask as
• Educators with goals
• Which steps should we take first?
• What is our timeline?
• What evidence will we present to
• demonstrate our progress?

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Professional Educators. . .

• Emphasize learning
• Emphasize active student engagement and
  significant content
• Collaborate with colleges
• Focus on student performance and production
• Function as leaders

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• Linda Darling-Hammond, 1995

• Separated by their classrooms and packed
  teaching schedules, teachers rarely work or
  talk together about teaching practices.

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Collaborative Teams Engaged in Collective Inquiry

• You cannot have students as continuous
  learners and effective collaborators, without
  teachers that have the same characteristics.
• Michael Fullan, 1993

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Four PLC Assumptions about Collaboration

• If schools are to improve, staff must develop the
  capacity to function as professional learning
  communities.
• If schools are to function as professional
  learning communities, they must develop a
  collaborative culture.

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Four PLC Assumptions about Collaboration

• If schools are to develop a collaborative
  culture, they must overcome traditional teacher
  isolation.
• If schools are to overcome their tradition of
  teacher isolation, teachers must learn to work in
  effective, high performing teams.

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In a PLC school with high performing teams. . .

• Collaboration is embedded into every aspect of
  the school culture
• Time for collaboration is built into the school
  calendar
• Products of collaboration are made explicit
• Teams have access to relevant information

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In a PLC school with high performing teams. . .

• Teams pursue specific and measurable performance
  goals
• Strategic Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Results-oriented
• Time bound

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The best way to improve schools is
to develop the people within them.
Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker
The SMART Goals process creates the motivation
for team action and experimentation. But in order
to apply the SMART Goals process effectively,
individuals need strong team skills, the ability
to understand and use data, and a willingness to
engage in continuous improvement.
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The SMART Plan

• Emphasizes the measurement and tracking of
  progress toward the goal.

• Guides the work of the PLC.

• Provides a means of analyzing the student work
  data.

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David Salisbury Daryl Conner, 1994
If you intend to introduce a change that is
incompatible with the organizations culture, you
have only three choices modify the change to be
more in line with the existing culture, alter the
culture to be more in line with the proposed
change, or prepare to fail.
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A Schools Culture Might Mean. . .

• Shared decision-making and teamwork
• Effective meetings
• Focus on goals
• Continuous Improvement
• Results Oriented

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Richard DuFour, et. al. Learning by Doing
Perhaps the greatest insight we have gained in
our work with school districts across the
continent is that schools that take the plunge
and actually begin doing the work of a PLC
develop their capacity to help students learn at
high levels far more effectively than schools
that spend years preparing to become PLCs through
reading or even training.
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Planning a PLC Model
Where is HSHS?

• Teacher collaboration during HOT Lunch
• Remediation time built into the school day
• during HOT Lunch
• Common Formative Assessments in
• core areas
• Analysis of data from common assessments

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Planning a PLC Model
Where is HSHS?

• Common Grading Policy/Homework Plans
• Shared Mission
• Incorporation of clubs for all students to
• reinforce connection with school
• Advisor/Advisee

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Planning a PLC Model
Where do we need to go now? Key Questions to ask

• How do we continue to help students that need
• remediation (Pyramid of Intervention)?
• How do we develop a shared vision and goals?
• How can we effectively use data in all aspects
  and continue to improve and align our grading
  practices?
• What are some additional ways to get
• collaboration among colleagues?

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• Karen Seashore Louis, Sharon Kruse
  and Mary Ann Raywid, 1996

• By emphasizing needed changes in the culture
  of the schools and the daily practice of
  professionals, the reform movement can
  concentrate on the heart of the school---the
  teaching and the learning process.

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Go HSHS Faculty!
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Resources
DuFour, Richard and Robert Eaker. Professional
Learning Communities at Work Best Practices for
Enhancing Student Achievement. Bloomington, IN
National Educational Service, 1998. --and Rebecca
DuFour. Professional Learning Communities at
Work. Educational Workshop. Kennewick, WA, May
16-17, 2006. --et. al., Ed. The Power of Smart
Goals. Bloomington, IN Solution Tree,
2006. --et. al., Ed. On Common Ground The Power
of Professional Learning Communities.
Bloomington, IN Solution Tree,
2005 --http//www.teachinflorida.com/teachertoolki
t/PLC.htm --http//www.nsdc.org/standards/learning
communities.cfm