Ch amberlain and Beyond: Building Collaborative Teams

1. Chamberlain and Beyond: Building Collaborative Teams Tuesday, April 23, 9:45-10:40 a.m. Room 101, Rushmore Plaza Civic Center • Research connects collaboration to teaching and learning • Chamberlain process/background • Elements of the effective collaborative team • Most beneficial practices and difficulties • Discussion of a start-up process for other schools

2. Research shows that professional learning communities do positively impact teaching and learning.

3. How important is the professional learning community model?What makes the model effective?What is essential in developing the professional learning community?

4. How important is collaborative school culture or professional learning community? • Two leading researchers in the field of educational leadership, Rick DuFour and Michael Fullan, argue that a professional learning community model is the best vehicle for school improvement.

5. What makes the professional learning community model effective? Four researchers, Hopkins, Fullan, DuFour, and Robbins, offer insight into the issue of effectiveness of learning communities.

6. What makes the professional learning community model effective? • a focus on learning • a collaborative culture • collective inquiry into best practice • an action orientation • continuous improvement • focus on results

7. Continuous improvement • This can be compared to the difference between taught curriculum and learned curriculum. • Professional development is what is taught. • Professional learning community is what is learned.

8. Continuous improvement PLC for educators is much like an effective classroom. There is opportunity to • learn theory • engage in dialog • practice new ideas • get feedback • differentiate learning • assess learning • be accountable for learning

9. Focus on results One of the difficulties educators have with PLC is to move beyond the book studies and get to transparent teaching. Educators and schools are willing to engage in some safe PLC, but are reluctant to move to the deprivatization of teaching and learning.

10. Tim Mitchell, Superintendent Chamberlain process/background

11. The Three C’s of Community Building Confront the Brutal Facts Communication (Effective) Collaboration

12. Communication “I wonder how many children’s lives would be saved if we educators disclosed what we knew to each other" Roland Barth (2001)

13. Collaboration “The ability to collaborate—on both a large and small scale—is one of the core requisites of post modern society…In short, without collaborative skills and relationships it is not possible to learn and to continue to learn as much as you need in order to be an agent for social improvement” Fullan (1993)

14. Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities • Shared mission, vision, values, goals • Collaborative teams focused on student learning • Collective inquiry into “best practice” and our “current reality” • Action orientation/experimentation • Commitment to continuous improvement • Results orientation

15. MaryLou McGirr, TIE partner

16. Outcome:To gain knowledge and information whileengaging in activities to prepare for joint planning, team teaching, and collaborative coaching to ensuresuccessful partnerships will exist that affect the academic achievement of students.

17. Structure and format August, 2005 Outcome: Understand people are our greatest asset! 4 critical questions February, 2006 Benchmark 4 essential questions August, 2006 Outcome: To deepen communication and facilitation skills 4 critical questions

18. Structure and format • February, 2007 • Outcome: To understand the power of Cognitive CoachingSM in team work. • 4 critical questions • August, 2007 • Outcome: To continue developing the knowledge of the staff to deepen their skills for successful collaboration which will ultimately affect the academic achievement of students. • 4 critical questions

19. Four Critical Questions for a Professional Learning Community: • What do we want each student to learn? • How will we know when each student has learned it? • How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? • How can we extend and enrich the learning for students who have clearly achieved the intended outcomes?

20. Tami Schwartz andJeff Tveit, teachers Most beneficial practices and difficulties

22. Q and A • Discussion of a start-up process for other schools

23. “Successful organizations do not experience fewer problems, they deal with them differently.”

24. What is essential in developing the professional learning community? • Fullan writes that recent development has changed from what makes PLC work to how to establish a PLC.

25. Curriki • www.curriki.org

26. Essential factor is change itself • Fullan contends that change is even more difficult than people think. • Robert Marzano (2005) contends that education is always experiencing change and change comes in two shapes: first order change and second order change.

27. “Successful organizations do not experience fewer problems, they deal with them differently.”

28. Bibliography • Bens, Ingrid (2005). Facilitating with ease: Core skills for facilitators, team leaders and members, managers, consultants, and trainers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. • DuFour, Richard, DuFour, Rebecca, Eaker, Robert, and Many, Thomas (2006). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. • Fullan, Michael. (November 2004). Leading professional learning. The school administrator. (pp. 10-14). • Hopkins, Gary. (2006). Teachers teaching teachers: Professional development that works. Education World. Downloaded 9.11.06. www.education-world.com/ • Richardson, Joan (1999). Norms put the ‘Golden Rule’ into proctice for groups. National Staff Development Council. www.nsdc.org. • Robbins, P. & Alvy, H (2004). The new principal’s fieldbook: Strategies for success. Arlington, VA: ASCD.