Effective PLCs: A Practical Approach to Enhancing Educator Collaboration

Effective PLCs How to start, how to clean up July 30, 2013

Who I am • My experiences with PLCs • Seven years, five at Lakeview as an administrator • A backwards journey, will share today • Credibility? Background Information

My School

Not an expert • Rely heavily on resources, will share today • Answers will vary, depending on your school and situation--Culture Caveats

Why PLCs? • Improve Student Performance • How? • Two heads are better than one 1st things 1st

National Staff Development Council (A5) • http://www.aypf.org/documents/62609NSDCDefinitionofProfessionalDevelopment908.pdf • Resource: the Professional Learning Association • www.learningforward.org • Note the change: “Professional Development” to “Professional Learning” • On Common Ground edited by DuFour, Eaker, and DuFour Definition

We say we want students to be “Life-Long Learners;” are we willing to do that ourselves? • Don’t care if you’re a rookie just out of school; don’t care if you’re retiring this year; • Life is about learning. Walk the Talk

First, Time • “Job Embedded” Learning Communities • It has to happen during contract time. • Yes, there’s a sacrifice in student learning time, but the trade off is professional, collegial discussions. Nuts and Bolts

You have to sell this point: • To your teachers, • We do not work in the one room school house any more. • To your community, • To your board. • The Art of Focused Conversations by Nelson Time

It is a sacrifice of one thing, but on a scale, the benefits have the potential to outweigh the drawbacks. • http://www.lakeview2167.com/domain/173 • For us, early outs about every other week. Public Relations

You own the expectations. • District has a right to assign. • For Lakeview, PLCs became nonnegotiable. • “We are doing PLCs. The academic research says they are the way to go.” • You get out of it what you put into it. • Our question: Do you want to explore a little extra compensation for it? Q-comp. Once you have the time,

The professional conversations need to be about the work. • No water cooler talk. • What’s going to be most useful: • In regards to student achievement: • Essential Outcomes (3rd) • Formative Assessments (2nd) • Instructional Strategies (1st) • Summative Assessments (4th) • Technology (5th) Job Embedded Part 2

What to do during this time? • How do you make the time productive? • Learning by Doing by DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many • PLC Leaders (Leading by Design by Erkens and Twadell) • and Norms and… Next: Structure

Based ours on Annenberg Protocol for Sharing Student Work. • Time allocations for meetings. • Calendar layout for the whole year, not just meeting to meeting. • Roles: rotate facilitation, timekeeping, note taking, sustenance Protocols: A Necessary Evil

PLCs are what we do. • They are nonnegotiable. • Be an active, productive participant, or look for another place of employment. • Train PLC Leaders in addressing behaviors: • How to Deal with Difficult People- • What a PLC is not: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi0c6mH4eEs Expectations

Check in with your PLCs every time. • Make the rounds. • Be available. • Mix it up; sit in on them. • Be an active, productive participant. • Know the pulse. Follow Up

Continuous Meetings • Week before early outs • Book Study • Learning by Doing • Common Formative Assessments by Ainsworth and Viegut • Leading by Design • 21st Century Skills by Trilling and Fadel PLC Leaders

Instructional Strategies • Best Practice by Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde Our Journey and Resources

Formative Assessments • Checking for Understanding by Fisher and Frey • Advancing Formative Assessment in Every Classroom by Moss and Brookhart • What Teachers Really Need to Know about Formative Assessment by Greenstein What are we Instructing On?

Blended • Differentiated Instructional Strategies by Gregory and Chapman • Total Participation Techniques by Himmele and Himmele • Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom by Tomlinson and Imbeau • Professional Development for Differentiating Instruction by Strickland Differentiation

Essential Outcomes • Power Standards by Ainsworth • Learning Targets by Moss and Brookhart • Designing & Teaching Learning Goals & Objectives by Marzano • Essential Questions by McTighe and Wiggins Can we do it all?

Technology (1 to 1 devices) • Curriculum 21 by Hayes Jacobs • Partnership for 21st Century Skills • www.p21.org Next Steps

Developing Standards Based Report Cards by Guskey and Bailey • Becoming a Reflective Teacher by Marzano Other Considerations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvO9e_hOzw4&feature=player_embedded#http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvO9e_hOzw4&feature=player_embedded# Questions?

Phil Lienemann • K-12 Principal • Lakeview Public Schools • Cottonwood MN • phillienemann@lakeview2167.com My Contact Information

Effective PLCs: A Practical Approach to Enhancing Educator Collaboration