Curriculum Learning Communities

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Curriculum Learning Communities
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Our goals

• To build on previous quality improvement
  initiatives.
• To empower programs and teachers by building
  onsite capacity through innovative strategies,
  systematic training and support
• To develop curriculum specialists and a pool of
  curriculum trainers in Miami-Dade
• To improve fidelity and accountability for
  curriculum implementation through job embedded
  professional development
• To assist centers in making progress in their
  quality rating/star level 

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Challenges

• Many curriculum trainings teach content and
  participants can pass a test, but their teaching
  BEHAVIOR and SKILLS in classroom do not change
  significantly
• For curriculum training to be most effective it
  must take place over time, provide opportunities
  to try out the information, and forums to come
  back and share successes with peers
• No one in the field has figured out how to
  consistently, on a large scale, significantly
  improve the teaching skills of the workforce

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Our Strategy

• Combine
• Best practices from the comprehensive,
  research-proven early childhood curricula
• High/Scope
• Creative Curriculum
• Best practices and lessons learned from the
  successful Ready Schools work and job-embedded
  masters program
• Best practices and lessons learned from other
  curriculum implementation trainings
• Create a cost-effective, efficient, and scalable
  model for curriculum training

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Learning Communities
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Learning Communities

• How?
• Through the creation of curriculum learning
  communities early childhood program staff can
• learn a new curriculum
• focus on teacher practice
• share experiences
• create relationships and
• gather adequate support for implementation

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Onsite Learning Communities - OLC

• Participating early childhood programs will
  create their onsite learning communities of
  existing staff to support curriculum
  implementation
• Trained peer facilitators (one Infant/Toddler,
  one Preschool) will guide the process as teachers
  learn and implement the curriculum
• Onsite meetings and peer observations will be
  used to support implementation in the classroom

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Curriculum Learning Community - CLC
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Curriculum Learning Community - CLC

• A group of 8-10 early childhood programs close to
  each other that are implementing the same
  curriculum be grouped into a Curriculum Learning
  Community to facilitate exchange and modeling of
  best practices
• Curriculum Learning Coordinator early childhood
  program that meets curriculum standards and will
  serve as host, coordinator and guide to other
  early childhood programs
• Implementation will start with 4 CLCs - 2 North,
  2 South, 2 High/Scope, 2 Creative Curriculum.

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Peer Facilitators Learning Community - PFLC
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Peer Facilitators Learning Community - PFLC

• Peer facilitators will develop skills to
  facilitate curriculum implementation in their
  early childhood programs
• Training up front and over time on
• implementing learning communities
• the particular curriculum used
• Peer facilitators will form a PFLC and meet to
  share/give feedback on their experiences
  implementing the curriculum

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Training
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Training

• Training and work between trainings to strengthen
  the different roles
• orientation session for early childhood program
  directors
• Facilitating Learning Communities training for
  peer facilitators up front 2-day training
  deepening facilitation skills around month 6
• curriculum overview for all teachers
• specialized curriculum training sessions for peer
  facilitators over 10-12 months
• on-site Learning Community and homework for staff
  to complete between trainings
• PFLC will work together to assess what
  worked/didnt and provide feedback to trainer
• Peer facilitators will work with peers on-site on
  curriculum implementation

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Roles and Responsibilities

• All participating programs will
• Embrace curriculum philosophy
• Understand requirements and expectations for
  implementation
• Know that there will be challenges

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Curriculum Learning Community (CLC) Coordinator

• Participates in required trainings
• Hosts/facilitates Peer Facilitator Learning
  Community (PFLC) meetings
• Models facilitation of learning communities
• Showcases learning experiences in own center

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Peer Facilitators

• Participate in required trainings and in PFLC
• Engage in reflective practice, serve as role
  model and provide curriculum support to peers
• Lead the On-site Learning Community (OLC) as
  collaborative effort, provide constructive
  feedback, and support inquiry process of peers
• Devote 5-10 hours per week with peers onsite

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Roles and Responsibilities (cont.)

• Center Director
• Participates in required trainings
• Nurtures and supports OLC by providing time away
  from classroom and guidance/support to staff
• Participates and motivates staff to participate
  in planned learning community activities

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Teachers and Assistants

• Participate in trainings
• Engage in reflective practice, seek and provide
  support and feedback among peers
• Participate in OLC with enthusiasm and open mind
  and share new knowledge and experience
• Participate and contribute to planned learning
  community activities such as Learning Showcases.

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Learning Showcases

• All staff of all early childhood programs in a
  Curriculum Learning Community come together twice
  a year to showcase their learning/curriculum
  implementation and problem solve together

Learning Showcase
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Learning Communities
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The ELC and its partners will provide

• All training and orientation sessions
• Curriculum materials
• Learning materials to improve implementation
• Incentives to participating centers to cover
  staff time
• Support of all learning communities to ensure
  successful implementation and adjust strategies
  as needed
• Ongoing coordination and follow up.

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Potential Participants

• Quality Counts programs
• 4 and 5 star programs may serve as coordinator
  sites
• Other Quality Counts programs
• United Way Director Institute participants
• ELC Curriculum recipients and participants in
  training initiatives
• Programs in the existing Ready Schools feeder
  pattern
• VPK providers

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Implementation Timeframe

• February
• Selection Process
• March
• Overview
• Orientation
• Pre-test data collection for evaluation
• April
• Initial Peer Facilitator Training
• Creative Curriculum and High/Scope Curriculum
  training begins at four locations (2 North, 2
  South)

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Population served in first round

• 32-40 early childhood programs
• 160-200 teachers
• 64-80 Peer facilitators
• 3200-4000 estimated children

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Evaluation

• Pre-post assessments using
• ARNETT (infant classrooms)
• CLASS (preschool classrooms)
• PQA (High/Scope programs)
• Creative Curriculum Implementation Checklist
  (Creative Curriculum programs)
• Program culture survey (all staff)
• Focus groups (directors, teachers and trainers)

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Questions and comments