PLC #1

The week of September 1-5

Lets define roles
1. Note-taker
No PLC can start without a little
literacy lesson
This
the
letter
Uu.
It is the
21
st

letter of
the
alphabet
The letter q has a dependency on the
letter u.
Quick
Quiet
Things you may not have known about
the letter u
There is
strength
in the
letter U.
There is power in the letter U.

There is
1. Why do we need to collaborate on instruction?
2. Why should we use Professional Learning
Communities?
3. How can this make a difference for us?
4. How can this make a difference for our
students?
What words come to mind when you think of
Professional Learning Communities?


Dufours Four Essential Questions
1. What do we expect our students to learn?
(Goals/Expectations/ State Standards)
2. How will we know they are learning?
(Assessment)
3. How will we respond when they dont learn?
(Intervention)
4. How will we respond if they already know it?
(Enrichment)


Maintaining our PLC
Focus on
Learning
Focus on
Results
A
Collaborative
Culture
Norms
In PLCs norms represent protocols and
commitments developed by each team to guide
members in working together.

Norms help team members clarify expectations
regarding how they will work together to achieve
their shared goals.
Activity #1
Think of a past negative experience you have had
serving on a team or committee. Identify a specific
behavior that prevented that group from being
effective.

Now: For each negative norm identified by members of your
team, establish a positive commitment statement (a norm) your
team should adopt that, if everyone adhered to it, would prevent
the past negative experience from recurring.
Time
Will we start and end on time?

Listening
How will we encourage
listening?
How will we discourage
interrupting?

Confidentiality
Will what we say in the meeting
be held in confidence?
What can be said after the
meeting?

Decision Making
How will we make decisions?
How will we deal with conflicts?

Participation
How will we encourage
everyones participation?
Will we have an attendance
policy?

Expectations
What do we expect from
members?
Are there requirements for
participation?

Body language?
Comments?
A PLC is
Focused on the 4 questions
Focused on standards, data, and achievement
An opportunity to share and learn new strategies
An opportunity to search for and/or build new
resources
Gather input from staff related to the buildings
academic goals and vision
Regularly and consistently scheduled

A Team meeting is
Focused on your individual students
An appropriate time to deal with logistics and
scheduling issues
An appropriate time to call parents and/or
schedule meetings with them
An opportunity to share and brainstorm ideas
related to students behaviors, special needs, or
other
Gather input from staff related to the buildings
non-academic goals or logistical needs
A PLC is not
Focused on the logistical workings in a school
A time to vent to co-workers
A time to work on tasks that benefit one rather
than the whole (grading papers, individual lesson
planning, tasks related to extra-curricular
activities)
A Team meeting is not
A time to vent to co-workers
A time to work on tasks that benefit one rather
than the whole (grading papers, individual lesson
planning, tasks related to extra-curricular
activities)
Wrapping up:
Defining Roles
What Strengths Do YOU Bring to the
Team?




As a teacher, my strength is
We arent here to judge!
We are here to here to help!

Lets define and determine all roles
1. Facilitator
2. Note-taker
3. Timekeeper
4. Resource Locator
Wrap Up
What is your vision/hope of what a PLC
will be?
1. How can this make a difference for us?
2. How can this make a difference for our
students?
Administrative Support
Complete Teacher Survey



A sense of urgency undergirds and energizes everything we do. When
childrens futures are at stake, there is no room for complacency. Our
children deserve excellence and Sumner intends to deliver.