Development and Evolution of Professional Learning Communities at Highland Park ISD

1. Development and Evolution of Professional Learning Communities at Highland Park ISD Region 16 PSLA April 9, 2014

2. Resources • “The Fundamental 5” by Sean Cain & Mike Laird www.leadyourschool.com • “Becoming a Reflective Teacher” by Robert J. Marzano www.marzanoresearch.com • “Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites” by Marcia Tate www.developingmindinc.com • Lead4ward.com , Ervin Knezek • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge

3. What is a PLC? • A professional learning community is a group of educators that meet regularly, share expertise and work collaboratively in order to improve teaching skills and improve student academic performance. --- From “The Glossary of Education Reform”

4. PLCs at HPISD • Leadership Team • Superintendent, Principals, Assistant Principals, Technology Director, Athletic Director, SPED Director, Curriculum Directors. • Teacher PLCs • Campus teams of teachers who self-identified similar weaknesses in Reflective Teacher conferences.

5. What Does a PLC Look Like? Secondary Collaboration February 6, 2014

6. Like this?

7. Like this?

8. Hopefully, like this!

9. HPISD Leadership PLC • Every Tuesday at 9:30 AM with an agenda • Book study or quote sharing • Plan collaboration • “Housekeeping” items

10. Campus PLCs • Every Thursday at 7:40 AM • Discuss teaching topics and strategies of interest • Share classroom experiences • Limit or eliminate “housekeeping” items

11. PLC Communication • Organize and share useful information • Originally on a Wiki page • Migrated to Google Docs • Our goal is to create an “electronic library” of best practices and interesting ideas.

12. “Look” is not important, results are! • Collegiality • Focused professional development • Improved teaching strategies and techniques • Ultimately, the desired results are ever improving student success and ongoing teacher improvement.

13. Leadership PLC Page

14. Leadership PLC Individual Page

15. Angie Baldwin Book Study # 1 “Any plan should be flexible so that it may be adjusted for changing demands or issues that haven't been considered - after all, no matter how well you do your homework, you won't think of everything!" --- From “Practical Literacy Coaching” by Jan Miller Burkins

16. Angie Baldwin Book Study # 2 • A teacher’s job is not to teach kids.  A teacher's job is to create meaningful, engaging work, whereby kids learn the things we want them to learn. • A leader’s job is not to teach teachers.  A leader’s job is to create meaningful, engaging work, whereby teachers learn the things we want them to learn. ----From “Leading for Learning” by Phil Schlechty

17. One Sentence Job Description

18. One Word Activity Our Words: Perseverance, Growth, Still, Faith Moment, Intentional, Christian, Listen Commit, Balance, Reflect On Facebook: Amarillooneword

19. Quote Example • Greg Popovich “I can’t make every decision”. How does this relate to you as a school leader?

20. Fundamental 5

21. Pick me, I know this!

22. Campus Review of Fundamental 5 Frame the lesson Work in the Power Zone Frequent small group purposeful talk Recognize and reinforce Writing critically

23. Complexity of Questioning Bloom’s Taxonomy

24. Fundamental 5 at HPISD • School Year 2012-13 • Sean Cain workshop • District book study with campus discussions • Focus of walk-through visits • School Year 2013-14 • Reviewed with staff, individually or collaboratively • Modeled in administrative presentations • Summative conferences discussions

25. Why Lecture?

26. Campus Review of Fundamental 5 We will discuss various Marcia Tate strategies used by Highland Park High School teachers in their classroom.

27. Campus Review of Fundamental 5 I will share a Marcia Tate strategy with my peers that I am willing to try and how I will attempt to use it in my classroom in the next two weeks.

28. I sit at the back, so I don’t have have to talk to anybody I don’t want to.

29. Campus Review of Fundamental 5 Marcia Tate Strategies Brainstorming and Discussion, Writing, Movement Reciprocal Teaching, Drawing and Artwork, Visualization Field Trips, Work Study, Graphic Organizers, Storytelling Project-based and Problem-based Instruction, Music Visuals, Humor, Games, Manipulatives, Technology Role play, Metaphor, Analogy and Simile, Mnemonic Devices

30. Campus Review of Fundamental 5 Within your assigned group, read your partners’ emails. Then, discuss your shared experiences using Marcia Tate strategies in your classrooms. Analyze the attempts to implement new techniques to increase student learning.

31. Complexity of Questioning Bloom’s Taxonomy

32. Campus Review of Fundamental 5 I can tie into (the Fine Arts) TEKS by using Broadway music as “filler” between classes and as prompts for writing assignments. --- Theater Arts teacher

33. Campus Review of Fundamental 5 I used reciprocal teaching in my class this week using Garage Band to have students make an audio recording about themselves. ---- FCS teacher

34. Campus Review of Fundamental 5 In an email to your principal, describe the implementation of a Marcia Tate strategy that is out of your comfort zone that you will attempt to use in your classroom in the next two weeks. After using that strategy, send a follow-up email on the strengths and weaknesses of your implementation.

35. We can barely print, so we won’t be writing critically.

36. E-mail Response • One Marcia Tate strategy that is out of my comfort zone is mnemonic devices. I have a couple of go-to ones, but I am uncomfortable with elementary-ish methods, and those have always seemed to be more of an elementary thing. However, I will try to start incorporating some of those methods into my English classes. I’m thinking maybe vocabulary would be a good way to start working with some of those. We shall see...

37. Positive Outcomes of Fundamental 5in HPISD • Common vocabulary made teaching performance easier to discuss in conferences. • Improved teaching performances from both management and organizational standpoints. • Encouraged teachers to move toward learner-centered instruction.

38. Becoming a Reflective Teacher

39. HPISD Leadership Team Plan • Summer 2013 • Chose Marzano’s “Becoming a Reflective Teacher” for district-wide book study. • Yearly calendar developed for weekly collaboration at campus and district levels. • Fall 2013 • Introduction of reflective practice to teachers. • Self-reflective conferences with principals and curriculum directors.

40. HPISD Leadership Team Plan • January 2013 • PLCs assigned by based on similar “weaknesses”. • Developed Google Sites for organization of shared materials and model district technology vision. • Spring 2013 • Ongoing group meetings with focus on chosen areas. • Active monitoring of sites for new information. • Discussion in PDAS Summative Conferences. • Determination of Professional Development.

41. Becoming a Reflective Teacher From Learning Sciences International. * Marzano’s Causal Links

42. Marzano Teacher Scales

43. Marzano Teacher Element # 2

44. Marzano Teacher Element # 16

45. Reflective Teacher Conferences • Teacher, principal, curriculum director • Teacher controlled agenda • Discussion of all aspects of teaching • Lasted from 20 to 45 minutes • Notes used to talk to teachers about teaching

46. Lead4ward Essential 8

47. Lead4ward Essential 8

48. Data Gathering & PLC Development • Teachers were grouped by self-identified weaknesses to create PLC groups. • Administrators proposed initial agendas. • Set expectations to members. • Posting to Google Sites. • Continue to encourage discussion.

49. HPHS PLC Groups • Active Learning • Learning Goals & Engagement • Structuring Lessons (2)

50. Teacher PLC Pages • Personal page • Make comments • Attach pdf files • Direct links to websites • Links to videos (YouTube, etc.) • Include pictures and images