Based on the work of Dr. Milt Cox and Dr. Laurie Richlin Presented by

1. Based on the work of Dr. Milt Cox and Dr. Laurie Richlin Presented by Noreen Light – nlight@sbctc.edu Jane Lister Reis – jreis@sccd.ctc.edu Faculty Development through Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs)

2. What is a Faculty Learning Community (FLC)? • A self-organized group of faculty (departmental, cross-disciplinary, institution- or state-wide) who work collaboratively over an extended period of time to investigate, research, apply and assess a strategy for the improvement of teaching and learning.

3. Why are they effective? • Faculty learning communities help establish community connections and achieve most of the outcomes of student learning communities: increased interest in learning, retention, active learning, rate of intellectual development, and civic contributions to the common good. The safety and support engendered in a community enable risk taking and the achievement of both individual and team objectives. Evidence shows that FLCs provide effective "deep learning" that encourages and supports faculty to investigate, attempt, assess, and adopt new methods of teaching.– Laurie Richlin, Director, Faculty Development, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science

4. What They Are Not: • A committee • A book club • An action research project or inquiry project • A task force • A social group or organization • A “cadre” But it IS: a structure and process for solving teaching and learning issues/challenges/problems collaboratively in an educational setting

5. 10 Necessary Qualities: Responsiveness Relevance Respect Openness Empowerment Safety and trust Collaboration Challenge Enjoyment Esprit de corps

6. How They Can Be Organized: Cohort Based Around A Common Inquiry: For instance: • A group of ESL teachers • New faculty • A math department across the skill levels • Part-time/adjunct faculty • All department chairs

7. Topic Based (can include exempt staff, classified and students) For instance: • Using difference to enhance learning • Team teaching • Using cooperative learning to enhance teaching • Ethics across the curriculum • 1st generation college students

8. How might FLCs help?“How might we make the problematization of teaching a matter of regular communal discourse? How might we think of teaching practice, and the evidence of student learning, as problems to be investigated, analyzed, represented, and debated?” -- Randy Bass, “The Scholarship of Teaching: What’s the Problem” Inventio, February 1999

9. Think/Pair/Share:What have you observed in your class about your students’ learning that intrigues you? (“Patterns of Misunderstanding” - Norden) What core disciplinary concept or skill were you teaching? What’s the key research question? On your campus, who are the key people you would like to invite to be part of this inquiry group?

10. Places for Support Wiki – http://wiki.atlcommunity.sbctc.edu Text: Cox, M.D. & Richlin, L. (2004). Building Faculty Learning Communities:New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 97. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass www.Insites.org (CLIPS model) Websites: Faculty Learning Communities New Developer’s Institute and Conference; Ohio Learning Network

11. Next Steps: Let your campus know you’re interested in starting FLCs on your campus Contact Noreen and let her know of your interest; nlight@sbctc.edu Stay connected – let’s work as a state-system to help bring this movement aboutto support

12. Questions?