Lets define roles 1. Note-taker No PLC can start without a little literacy lesson This the letter Uu. It is the 21 st
letter of the alphabet The letter q has a dependency on the letter u. Quick Quiet Things you may not have known about the letter u There is strength in the letter U. There is power in the letter U.
There is 1. Why do we need to collaborate on instruction? 2. Why should we use Professional Learning Communities? 3. How can this make a difference for us? 4. How can this make a difference for our students? What words come to mind when you think of Professional Learning Communities?
Dufours Four Essential Questions 1. What do we expect our students to learn? (Goals/Expectations/ State Standards) 2. How will we know they are learning? (Assessment) 3. How will we respond when they dont learn? (Intervention) 4. How will we respond if they already know it? (Enrichment)
Maintaining our PLC Focus on Learning Focus on Results A Collaborative Culture Norms In PLCs norms represent protocols and commitments developed by each team to guide members in working together.
Norms help team members clarify expectations regarding how they will work together to achieve their shared goals. Activity #1 Think of a past negative experience you have had serving on a team or committee. Identify a specific behavior that prevented that group from being effective.
Now: For each negative norm identified by members of your team, establish a positive commitment statement (a norm) your team should adopt that, if everyone adhered to it, would prevent the past negative experience from recurring. Time Will we start and end on time?
Listening How will we encourage listening? How will we discourage interrupting?
Confidentiality 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? How will we deal with conflicts?
Participation How will we encourage everyones participation? Will we have an attendance policy?
Expectations What do we expect from members? Are there requirements for participation?
Body language? Comments? A PLC is Focused on the 4 questions Focused on standards, data, and achievement An opportunity to share and learn new strategies An opportunity to search for and/or build new resources Gather input from staff related to the buildings academic goals and vision Regularly and consistently scheduled
A Team meeting is Focused on your individual students An appropriate time to deal with logistics and scheduling issues An appropriate time to call parents and/or schedule meetings with them An opportunity to share and brainstorm ideas related to students behaviors, special needs, or other Gather input from staff related to the buildings non-academic goals or logistical needs A PLC is not Focused on the logistical workings in a school A time to vent to co-workers A time to work on tasks that benefit one rather than the whole (grading papers, individual lesson planning, tasks related to extra-curricular activities) A Team meeting is not A time to vent to co-workers A time to work on tasks that benefit one rather than the whole (grading papers, individual lesson planning, tasks related to extra-curricular activities) Wrapping up: Defining Roles What Strengths Do YOU Bring to the Team?
As a teacher, my strength is We arent here to judge! We are here to here to help!
Lets define and determine all roles 1. Facilitator 2. Note-taker 3. Timekeeper 4. Resource Locator Wrap Up What is your vision/hope of what a PLC will be? 1. How can this make a difference for us? 2. How can this make a difference for our students? Administrative Support Complete Teacher Survey
A sense of urgency undergirds and energizes everything we do. When childrens futures are at stake, there is no room for complacency. Our children deserve excellence and Sumner intends to deliver.