Building a Community of Professionals

1. Building a Community of Professionals August 2, 2012 Mercedes Cannon, Danielle Etter & Adam Hutton

2. Where We’re Going • Background • Specific Series of Activities to Build Community • Additional Strategies to Build Community

3. We All Have to Work Together! “ I worked closely with our counselor to cover standards that were cross curricular; I was the teacher responsible to educated […] Career Development.” – Mary Brunkhart “What a shame it would be to throw all the knowledge away and devalue the teacher. I think a cooperative effort from counselors and teachers will provide the greatest positive impact on students.”- Kevin Adams “School counselors should encourage teachers and staff to perform activities to make students aware of careers …”- Michelle Land “Often times there seems to be a large number of students compared to guidance counselors in a school so every member of the faculty must do their part in helping students …” – Alex Bailey

4. What the Experts Say: • “In schools, however, it becomes quite obvious that how the staff works together, whether it forms the mutual supports and negotiated standards necessary for good practice, immediately impinges on students, and eventually on families too. How well the staff does strongly affects whether students will have community-building skills and attitudes as they move more fully into society and take responsibility there.” Terrence Tice • “Team learning must be part of the common language used to develop the shared vision. It must become a procedure; it must become the expectation of the way we are going to support a collaborative work culture. The principal must take leadership in creating and supporting an environment where stakeholders talk freely about student achievement, where staff members reflect on their practices and take risks to support student learning.” Thompson and McKelvy

5. Get Educated! Pre-Assessment • Survey of building staff • Do you know what the principal does on a day to day basis? The school counselor? The technology team? • How well do you know the custodian, government teacher, nurse’s aide, etc. • Who in the building do you not know well? • Would it help you in your daily work to better know the school staff? How?

6. Get Educated! “Get to Know Your Co-workers” • Brief question prompts aimed to increase knowledge and awareness of each co-workers’ profession. • Weekly newsletter provided to each staff member highlighting a co-worker as an individual.

7. Get Educated! Prompt Questions Duration: One School Year Participants: ALL faculty and Staff • “Get Acquainted Box” • Co-worker participation • Recognition and discussion at weekly staff meetings

8. Get Educated! Weekly Newsletter Duration: One school year: Weekly or bi-weekly Participants: ALL faculty and staff • Bi-weekly newsletters • Individual faculty members are highlighted • Insight about each faculty member

9. Get Educated! Purpose of Activities • Shared experiences/ Collaborative relationships • Atmosphere of Trust and Openness • Mutual Respect/Dialogue/and Encouragement “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand meeting the need.”

10. Post-Assessment of community building efforts • (Same as Pre-Assessment) • Survey of building staff • Do you know what the principal does on a day to day basis? The school counselor? The technology team? • How well do you know the custodian, government teacher, nurse’s aide, etc. • Who in the building do you not know well? • Would it help you in your daily work to better know the school staff? How?

11. The Model of Human Behavior The model of human behavior is based on 2 foundational observations about how people normally behave: Observation #1: Some people are more outgoing, while others are more reserved. You can think of this as each person's "internal motor." Some people always seem ready to "go" and "dive in." They engage their motor quickly. Others tend to engage their motor more slowly or more cautiously. Observation # 2: Some people are more task-oriented, while others are more people-oriented. You can think of this as each person's compass that guides them. Some people are focused on getting something done; others are more tuned-in to the people around them and their feelings. With both observations, we want to emphasize that these behavioral tendencies are neither right or wrong or good or bad. They are just different. We are simply identifying normal behavior styles. People have different styles, and that is okay.

12. The Model of Human Behavior So basically, we have 4 behavioral tendencies to help us characterize people: • • Outgoing • • Reserved • • Task-oriented • • People-oriented Everyone has some of all 4 of these tendencies at different times and in different situations. However, most people typically have 1 or 2 of these tendencies that seem to fit themwell in their everyday behavior. And, on the other hand, 1 or 2 of these tendencies usually do not fitthem well, and these tendencies may even seem "foreign" to their approach to life. The balance ofthese 4 tendencies shapes the way each person "sees" life and those around them.

13. Identifying Personality Style & Learning to Work Together Thus, 4 basic personality traits emerge: P.A.D.S. • PEACEMAKER: Reserved and People-oriented • ANALYZER: Reserved and Task-oriented • DIRECTOR: Outgoing and Task-oriented • SOCIALIZER: Outgoing and People-oriented

14. Identifying Personality Style & Learning to Work Together The PEACEMAKER type • A reserved, people-oriented individual will enjoy relationships, helping or supporting other people and working together as a team. (The key insight in developing a relationship with this person is FRIENDLINESS and SINCERE APPRECIATION.) Brings Empathy to the team. The ANALYZER type • A reserved, task-oriented individual will seek value, consistency and quality information. This person focuses on being correct and accurate. (The key insight in developing a relationship with this individual is TRUST and INTEGRITY.) Brings Diligence to the team. The DIRECTOR type • An outgoing, task-oriented individual will be focused on getting things done, accomplishing tasks, getting to the bottom line as quickly as possible and MAKING IT HAPPEN! • (The key insight in developing a relationship with this type person is RESPECT and RESULTS.) Brings Leadership to the team. The SOCIALIZER type • An outgoing, people-oriented individual loves to interact, socialize and have fun. This person is focused on what others may think of him or her. (The key insight in developing a relationship with this type person is ADMIRATION and RECOGNITION.) Brings Communication to the team. • Studies have shown that technical skills, intelligence, education and experience accounts for only 15% of success in the workplace. The other 85% of workplace success comes from people skills! These skills are developed through learning better ways to communicate and interact.

15. Resources • http://www.teachhub.com/quick-guide-teacher-team-building • National Education Association. (2002). Getting educated: Health and student services professional. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/18622.htm • Tice, Terrence N. (October 1994). Teacher professionalism. Education Digest. 60 (2), 41-42. • McKelvy, Earline. (February 2007). Shared vision, team learning and professional learning communities. National Middle School Association, Middle Ground. 10(3), 12-14. • All Things PLC. http://www.allthingsplc.info/