Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES

1. Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES Regional Institute for School Leadershiphttp://regionalinstituteforschoolleadership.wikispaces.com/

2. Agenda • Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) • Learning Teams • Leadership & PLCs • Action Planning

3. Learning Objectives • Describe concepts related to professional learning communities, learning teams and distributed leadership • Identify how to change the way that professional development is thought of and conducted • Describe various strategies for building instructional capacity and improving student achievement

4. Mission of Education • The core mission of formal education is not simply to ensure that students are taught but to ensure that they learn. - Richard DuFour

5. PLCs • What is a professional learning community? • Getting Started PLCs: Introduction • http://www.allthingsplc.info/tools/samples.php

6. PLCs • What is your definition of a professional learning community? • Review voicethread submissions: • http://voicethread.com/share/1328446/

7. Key Characteristics of PLCs

8. PLCs • PLC framework: • A solid foundation consisting of collaboratively developed and widely shared mission, vision, values and goals • Collaborative teams that work interdependently to achieve common goals • A focus on results as evidenced by a commitment to continuous improvement Source:Getting Started by Robert Eaker, Richard DuFour, & Rebecca DuFour

9. PLCs

10. Learning Teams • Learning Teams: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9O8VOfOx_E

11. Learning Teams Activity • Small Group Activity: • Select a facilitator, reporter, recorder and timekeeper • Group 1 = Identify the key principles of learning teams • Group 2 = Identify how learning teams benefit schools • Group 3 = Identify how learning teams are similar to PLCs and how they are different • Large Group Activity: • Reporters from each small group will share responses

12. Learning Teams • Six learning team principles & practices: • Shared values and goals • Collective responsibilities • Authentic assessment • Self-directed reflection • Stable settings • Strong leadership support

13. Leadership & PLCs • Getting Started PLCs: Resources & Leadership: • http://www.allthingsplc.info/tools/samples.php • Large Group Activity: • Using a modified final word protocol, identify major themes from the article entitled Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning

14. Leadership & PLCs • Effective leaders: • Provide direction and influence • Focus on improving teaching and learning • Promote collective leadership • Create a school-wide focus on goals and expectations for student achievement

15. Benefits of PLCs

16. Benefits of PLCs

17. Benefits of PLCs • Reduction of isolation • Increased commitment to the mission and goals of the school • Shared responsibility for student success • Greater job satisfaction and higher morale • Lower rates of absenteeism (Hord, 1997) • Sustained school improvement efforts (DuFour & Eaker, 1998) Source: http://www.centerforcsri.org/plc/literature.html

18. PLC Gap Analysis Worksheet

19. Action Plan • Small group activity: • Using the PLC gap analysis worksheet, determine how the creation of or maintenance of a professional learning community can be incorporated into your action plan.

20. Reflections • www.polleverywhere.com • In a word or phrase, describe today’s RISL experience: • To: 22333 • Subject: 29692 and your message

21. Thank You! • The remaining RISL sessions will be held in the East Conference Room (School Services Building) on: • Thursday, January 13 from 8:00-4:00 • Friday, January 14 from 8:00-12:00 Happy Holidays!