learning communities working together to improve schools
TRANSCRIPT
Learning Communities
Working Together to Improve Schools
Insert copy of School Instrument cover here
Evolution of PLCs in New Brunswick2002 – Andy Hargreaves introduces school/district/Department leaders to learning focused community model.
2003 – Districts begin to prepare district and school leaders.
2005 – Tranquilla & Morehouse report on leadership (school review).
2006 – Principals’ meeting showcases school-based PLC successes – PLC School Instrument developed and used to assess 55 schools
2007 – PLC Academy held in Fredericton
2008 – PLC Summit in Moncton
2009 – School Review Instrument redesigned to reflect more PLC criteria
Professional Learning Communities
A Journey – Not a Destination
A Process – Not a Product
FrenchImmersion Inclusion Universal
DesignPLC Express
Attempts to tinker with the industrial model of schooling have failed to produce the increase in
student learning that we all seek. The reason why student learning cannot be improved lies
in the systemic structure and operations of schools more so than in any deficiency
regarding curriculum or instructional practices.
Williams 2007 monograph sent to all Superintendents and Department Leadership
Seismic Shifts in School Culture
FROM:• a focus on teaching to a focus on learning • a hierarchical top down management to a sharing of
leadership • roles and responsibilities to relationships and
accountability• working as individuals to working as teams• teachers working in isolation to teacher modeling
practices with each other.• a focus on inputs (resources) to a focus on outputs
(student results)
Schools have gone from dealing with: Simplicity → Complexity Predictable future → Unknown future
with a shift in focus on: Knowledge retention → Critical thinking & Problem solving Working in isolation → Teaming & Sharing an approach that must change from Standardization → Individualization Teacher-Centered → Student-Centered
Professionals who Yes No Unsure
a) Share a common vision and values
b) Work in collaborative teams
c) Focus on learning (teacher or student or both)
d) Establish goals that are specific, measurable, attainable and time-bound
e) Collectively inquire into ‘best practice’ and ‘current reality’
f) Are action/experimentation oriented
g) Collect and analyze data
h) Are committed to continuous improvement, and
i) Are results oriented
Checklist Activity for a Professional Learning Community
“It is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking, than
it is to think yourself into a new way
of acting.”
― Millard Fuller