Part II:
Professional LEARNING Community
August 2, 2022
Last month’s collection of one-liners from my attendance at the San Antonio Solution Tree institute was a hit! Needless to say, one blog couldn’t contain all of the highlights, but a few could…so this month I continue with insightful thinking from Mike Mattos (@mikemattos65), Regina Owens (@Regina_Owens), Sarah Schuhl (@SSchuhl), and Bill Ferriter (@plugusin). Enjoy!
From Mike Mattos:
From Mike Mattos:
You MUST model norms at the meetings you lead!
All the things we are tight about in the PLC process naturally lead to products.
If you expect teams to create products, you should provide examples/exemplars.
Have the courage to discontinue and seek out better practice. “Are we willing to revise or discontinue actions that fail to increase student learning?”
The entire school or district is the professional learning community: It’s ALL of us. Because it will take ALL of us to get every student across the line.
Essential standards do NOT represent all you are going to teach. They represent the minimum a student must learn each year–the bottom line.
You get to teach how you like to teach. If it doesn’t work, then you have to change.
From Regina Owens:
From Regina Owens:
Collaborative teacher teams are educators who:
- Share essential learning outcomes.
- Work collaboratively to ensure students master essential standards or competencies.
Transformed learners (ADULTS) are okay with learning. They are okay with not knowing.
Your commitments are your behaviors to get to the vision.
We must focus on people, not just paper, protocols, and programs.
“What you BELIEVE about people drives the philosophy, practices, and procedures you design and deploy to establish culture.”
Three big ideas:
- Educators as students must own their learning
- People are our most valuable resource
- Educators deserve a career AND a life
From Sarah Schuhl:
From Sarah Schuhl:
Our mission: doesn’t say to hope for, or try. It is to “ensure high levels of learning for all students.” What does this mean for our hallways, walls, televisions, etc?
As teams answer the (four critical) questions, they build trust.
Common assessment means student learning will be assessed using the same instrument or process and according to the same criteria.
- Also administer the same way, given on the same day, scored the same way
What are you trying to learn about student thinking through your use of assessment?
From Bill Ferriter:
From Bill Ferriter:
The people who are doing the work are the people who are doing the learning (quoting Rick DuFour).
If we want to make things better for struggling learners, then the first thing we need to acknowledge is what it’s like for them.
Have students track their mastery over time.
Closing Thoughts
Last month’s compilation really honed in on WHY we do this work, and ensuring that this clarity permeates all of our work. This month got into more of the WHAT we do as part of creating this culture as we work in teams. I think I’ll have one more post (September) to pull together some last highlights to assist you in developing your collaborative environment.
Chad's Rib Review
Chad's Rib Review
Dinosaur Barbecue in upstate New York was pretty darned good. I appreciate that you could get 3 ribs, a ½ rack, a ¾ rack, or full rack. I find that, for both my wife and I, a ½ rack isn’t enough but a full rack is too much, so this was nice to get a ¾ rack. Flavor was great, and the tenderness almost fall-off-the-bone good. As a bonus, the sauces were good, though not needed. You’ll find Dinosaur Barbecue locations in several up-state locations (and NYC).
In Conroe, Texas I had Pappa’s–also very good, just not as tender as Dinosaur’s and could have used better sauces–the one that was not spicy had too much vinegar for my taste.
Also had some KC barbecue, but we were sorely disappointed. Gates Barb-B-Q is a staple of the city, and I so wanted to enjoy it. Unfortunately, this was not the case–from poor service to incorrect items in the order to the ribs just being so-so. I’ve heard Jack Stack is good, so we’ll give it a whirl next time!
Until next time, enjoy!
Questions for Reflection
Questions for Reflection
- What actions might you take to ensure that the work you are DOING aligns with the culture you are CREATING?
- What steps can you take to communicate the value of people as we engage in improving processes?
Do you have a story you’d like to share?
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