RSA #5 From teaching to learning

http://gateway.proquest.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3402809

RSA # From a focus on teaching to a focus on learning

There have been many cultural shifts in professional learning communities. There has been a shift in purpose, assessments, responses to when students don’t learn, work of teachers, focus, culture, and professional development (DuFour, 2010). Regardless of the shifts, educators will remain the most important resource to ensure that every child is receiving what he/she needs. There are many challenges teachers are faced with today but PLC will help in the battle and provide every student with a quality education. PLC’s shift the focus from teaching to learning.  It moves away from what is taught to student’s demonstrating their proficiency.  The traditional form of trying to assess everything becomes more limited to assessing frequently, but only a few things. Instead of thinking remediation, assessments move to intervention. Good leadership practices are a must! A PLC provides solutions an educator needs to address challenges facing schools today (Moore, 2010). 

The transition from a traditional middle school where content level teachers work in isolation becomes obsolete (Honnert, 2010).  Collaboration and good leadership is a must in a PLC framework.  PLCs have also shown promise to meet the challenge of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Gillespie, 2010).   The shift in focus on issues outside of the school becomes an internal focus on steps the teachers can take to improve the school. The most important factor is the shift from learning and working individually to learning and working collaboratively with a commitment to limited focused initiatives. 

RSA #3 Common Planning Time

http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ914054

Interdisciplinary is crucial in a PLC school. Teams of teachers need to have quality time to meet to discuss curriculum, common assessments, outcomes, and essential questions.  According to Cook (2010), curriculum alignment, development of common assessments and student assessment are key functions of the professional learning community planning time.  Since the 60’s the discussion of common planning in middle school has been a “hot” topic.  However, the effective use of common planning time is very limited in some schools. Unfortunately, l am only able to meet with my subject area teachers four times a year.  There have been other opportunities to meet, but only for a short amount of time.  This is not enough time to implement or fully integrate the philosophy behind the PLC.

What I have found in my team meetings is that we sit around and complain about student behavior or school policies. We all rant or vent about the negative issues we have to deal with instead of having a productive meeting about student learning.  There is no common content or objectives to be shared, so in turn we focus on the one thing we have in common, the students (DuFour, 2010).  So we can sit around and discuss why Mary has a “bad attitude” in math class, but that does not determine Mary’s skill level or knowledge.  Again, it becomes a run around discussion about why Mary has a bad attitude instead of student performance, growth, and assessment.

The best team structure is a team who teach the same grade level subject. These teachers have a common interest in exploring the critical questions of learning (Daring-Hammond, Wei, Richardson, 2006).  There is on-going research that indicates that common planning, teachers working together, leads to improved student performance and achievement.  Having the opportunity to share ideas, outline ideas and compare assessments and student progress opens the door to all students receiving the most appropriate instruction (Cook, 2010). Teachers are able to learn different strategies and techniques and collaborate about student outcomes.

RSA 2: SMART Goals and Goal Setting

RSA #2 SMART Goals and Goal Setting

http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/39/7/goal-setting-and-hope.aspx

One of the keys to student achievement is setting difficult but attainable goals aligned with the state standards. (Curran, 2011) Goals need to be established and based on improving student learning.  Teacher collaboration is a must for this to occur. The goals must set specific targets. They should not be general or vague.  The goals should be attainable however moving outside of the “comfort zone”. It will be these “goals” that a school can move forward and use these goals to focus on results. (Dufour, Dufour). 

Schools have focused on new reading programs, changing curriculum, schedule changes, increasing requirements and still not obtaining the results expected.  The focus needs to change from activities to outcomes and goals. Schools need to begin thinking about collaborative teams working toward SMART goals (Rasberry, 2008). There can’t be a separation, teams need to work together to develop measurable goals with a well defined plan to improve student achievement. Team member need to be open about current practices and continually look for ways to do their work better.  The school goals will be translated to SMART goals, which actually clarify the more global goals. Each member can contribute to achieving the results (Curran, 2011).

Goal setting is a simple way to reach the results wanted.  Professional development is needed to get to this point. The goals will focus on outcomes and not strategies.  The leaders need to provide the resources, clarity, supply the teams with the tools necessary to reach the goals, and monitor the team progress. The SMART goals’ intent is to drive the team and contributes to the success of the school and district. Research shows that setting SMART goals is essential to achieving results (DuFour, DuFour). 

RSA1:Using Formative Assessment in Professional Learning Communities to Advance Teaching and Learning

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RSA 1: Using Formative Assessment in Professional Learning Communities to Advance Teaching and Learning

It is clearly stated in the assigned readings as well as the journal article Using Formative Assessments in Professional Learning Communities to advance Teaching and Learning that formative assessments are crucial for the PLC process. Teachers must have the collaborative time to work together and develop assessments of learning in order to meet the needs of students. Formal assessments guide teacher practice and student learning (Stiggins & DuFour, 2009).  Formal assessments are used as blueprints to guide instruction. True formative instruction requires time for teachers to plan collaboratively in order to design pre-tests, post-tests, and differentiate instruction with clear goals and outcomes (Takacs, 2010).  Formative assessment measure exactly what a student should have mastered. Common assessments are crucial in a PLC school. Students are expected to demonstrate the same knowledge regardless of the teacher. The expectations, goals and objections are clear to both the students and the teacher. 

Formative assessments require that teachers are given the opportunity and time to work collaboratively to develop these assessments. Studies show that student achievement and test scores exceeded when common and formative assessments were used (Takacs, 2010).  “This study contributes to positive social change by furthering the research on formative assessment practice, facilitated through PLCs”. (Takacs, 2010)   In my school district the language arts department does not meet regularly to develop any kind of formal assessments. We all have the freedom to design our own assessments. There are only three common assessments that we are expected to use.   Otherwise every language arts teacher develops his or her formal assessments. Of course it is required that all teachers align the curriculum with the Illinois State Standards of Learning.

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