professional learning communities (plcs) for school counseling professionals september 18, 2014 9:00...
TRANSCRIPT
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for
School Counseling Professionals
September 18, 2014
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Webinar
NCDPI School Counseling Presenter
Cynthia Floyd
School Counseling Consultant
Phone 919-807-3850
Developed collaboratively by NCDPI ,SEDL and AIR with adapted information from “Creating a Coaching Culture for Professional Learning Communities” by Jane A. G. Kise and Beth Russell. Solution Tree Press, 2010
Webinar Tips• Question box
– Participants will be muted during the webinar unless presenting or being unmuted for a comment
– Please type your questions in the question box
• Questions/Answers– Monitored and answered in question box and/or at the end of
webinar
• Follow-up– Email/phone – Presentation posted on School Counseling Wiki Website– NCDPI School Counseling PLC Google Community (more
information on this during the Webinar)
Many school counselors express that they wish they had more opportunities to collaborate with other school counselors on effective practices for implementing comprehensive school counseling programs. This DPI webinar will provide guidance and strategies on how to establish and maintain district and/or regional School Counseling Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in order to foster more opportunities to partner with other school counselors in your district or region.
Purpose
• To enhance understanding of Professional Learning Communities
• To support the development of district and regional School Counseling Professional Learning Communities
Objectives
• A PLC is an intentional school-improvement strategy designed to reduce professional isolation, foster greater faculty collaboration, and spread the expertise and insights of individuals throughout a school community for the purposes of improving educator skills and the success of students.
• “three words explain the concept: Professionals coming together in a group—a community—to learn.” (Shirley Hord)
What is a Professional Learning Community (PLC)?
• Focus on learning• Shared vision, mission, values and goals• Collective inquiry • Action oriented• Commitment to continuous improvement cycle• Results oriented
Characteristics of PLCs
(DuFour et al. (2006)
Attributes of Effective PLCs
Adapted from“Creating a Coaching Culture for Professional Learning Communities” by Jane A. G. Kise and Beth Russell. Solution Tree Press, 2010
Shared Focus on Learning
Shared vision focused on student learning. This is the core of a PLC that all other principles are based in. The PLC practice develops shared values, norms, and a shared responsibility for the learning of each student.
Collective Inquiry
Through collective inquiry, PLC teams collaborate to examine best practice and engage in reflective dialogue. Collective inquiry develops shared knowledge and engages members in problem solving.
Focus on Action and Outcomes
Team members are mutually accountable for being results oriented. Members take action and self-assess based on the results. PLCs use data to assess current practices, examine results, and make individual and collective adjustments to achieve desired outcomes.
Collaborative Culture
Team members work interdependently to achieve goals. Members share responsibility for student learning; add value to each other, and work together to achieve common goals.
Shared Practice for Improvement
Team members peer review practice, examine and continuously refine individual and community practice. Team members plan for, implement, review, and adjust common instructional and assessment practices.
Supportive Conditions and Leadership
Supportive conditions determine who, what, where, why, when, and how teams come together. Supportive leadership participates in professional learning with staff, decision making is distributed across the organization, and there is a commitment to developing teacher leaders.
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S Specific and Strategic – you can describe the details, they are long-term and aligned.
M Measurable – you can use either quantitative or qualitative assessments.
A Attainable or achievable – you can reach the desired state.
R Realistic – you are aware of constraints such as time, people, and money and may still achieve.
T Time-bound – the time for completion is specified.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Questions to Guide PLC Development and Implementation
Adapted from“Creating a Coaching Culture for Professional Learning Communities” by Jane A. G. Kise and Beth Russell. Solution Tree Press, 2010
• How can PLCs provide collaboration among counselors?
• What practices are grounded in our culture that may affect our work as a PLC?
• Do we have biases toward what we consider the “right” way to provide counseling services?
• What supports will a PLC for counselors need?• In what ways are we able to offer these supports?• How will the PLC be sustained over time?
Region or District Level Questions
Adapted from“Creating a Coaching Culture for Professional Learning Communities” by Jane A. G. Kise and Beth Russell. Solution Tree Press, 2010
• How might a school counselor benefit from participating in a district or regional PLC?
• What PLC supports do counselors need from building-level leadership?
Building Level Questions
Adapted from“Creating a Coaching Culture for Professional Learning Communities” by Jane A. G. Kise and Beth Russell. Solution Tree Press, 2010
• What norms will guide our work?• How can we best support each other’s learning
and practice?• How can we hold each other accountable
without being judgmental?
PLC Group Questions
Adapted from“Creating a Coaching Culture for Professional Learning Communities” by Jane A. G. Kise and Beth Russell. Solution Tree Press, 2010
• What can I do to move our PLC to the next level of work?
• How can I advocate for my needs while balancing the needs of the other counselors?
• How comfortable am I in sharing my own work?• What are my own biases toward student
learning? Student behavior? Teacher behavior? • What skills do I want to develop from this PLC?
PLC Member Questions
Adapted from“Creating a Coaching Culture for Professional Learning Communities” by Jane A. G. Kise and Beth Russell. Solution Tree Press, 2010
Example PLC Actions:In a regional school counselor PLC meeting, the school counselors discuss implementation of Guidance Essential Standards (GES) to support student learning. The GES and the school counselor evaluation rubric make reference to integrating these standards into other content areas. The counselors plan to work on ideas for integration of GES into the Healthful Living and the English Language Arts content areas in the grade levels with which they each work and share their work prior to the next PLC meeting so that it can be discussed then.
PLC Actions: Integrating Guidance Essential Standards• Review applicable
area standards• Document ideas for
integration• Meet in counselor
PLC to generate integration plan
• Share with principals to garner support
• Meet with appropriate teachers to establish implementation plan
• Implement, monitor, evaluate, and refine plan
Example PLC Actions:In a regional school counselor PLC meeting, the high school counselors’ discussions reveal that several counselors have looked at their schools’ data and realized that minority students are underrepresented in their advanced level courses. They decide that they are each going to review their school’s data and develop suggestions for possible strategies to increase minority enrollment in advanced courses. They will share these with other PLC members so that everyone will be ready to discuss at next PLC meeting and develop strategic plans.
PLC Actions: Increasing Minority Enrollment in Advanced Classes• Review enrollment
data• Document ideas of
strategies• Meet in counselor
PLC to make plan for next semester enrollment increase
• Share with principals to garner support
• Meet with relative teachers to establish teacher and student support plan
• Implement, monitor, evaluate, and refine support plan
• Identify a primary facilitator and members• Determine meeting…
Structure Protocol, and Norms
• Get administrator support to participate
Getting Started…
• Common meeting time (how often, how long, etc.; can be face-to-face or virtual).
• Meetings have a structure and follow an agenda.• Meeting minutes are recorded and published.• Team member roles and responsibilities are
clearly defined. • The team is instructionally focused, with clear
goals and established student learning targets.• Group decisions trump individual decisions.
Meeting Structure/Protocols
• Govern individual behavior– Ensure that all individuals have the opportunity to
contribute in the meeting and to the work
• Facilitates the work of the group– Increase our individual and collective productivity and
effectiveness
• Enables the group to accomplish tasks – Focus us on achieving our individual and collective
goals
Establish Norms that:
• Prepare the meeting agenda and e-mail to members or post in NCDPI School Counseling PLC Google Community (more info during this webinar)
• Preview materials to share• Highlight key discussion points• Check equipment if showing videos or using
PowerPoint• Remind members of logistics with email or Google
Community
Before each PLC meeting:
Designated member documents the meeting using an electronic meeting template such as the on-line NCDPI School Counseling Google Community
– Provides a resource for members to review recent meeting content
– Allows others to see topics and ideas – Provides a group history of previous meeting decisions– Tracks progress– Provides documentation that can be used with your
professional evaluation
After each PLC meeting:
Where to find Google Plus Communities
• You will be prompted to sign in or create an account
• You have to have a gmail email address (note that many school districts already use gmail even though your email address doesn’t have “gmail” in it)
• Once you have a Google Plus Account, you can join Communities such as the NCDPI School Counseling Community
Where to find Google Plus Communities
Select CommunitiesSearch “NCDPI School Counseling”
Google Plus Communities and Circles
Video tutorial with easy to use how-to tips at https://plus.google.com/+GplusExpertise/posts/H21z4GwQLWy
You might want to create a Circle with others from your region
Next Steps• Join the NCDPI School Counseling PLC
Google Community• We need to identify facilitators for each region
or area interested in having a PLC• If you would like to volunteer to facilitate for
your area, email Cynthia Floyd at [email protected]
• Once PLC members are communicating, you will be able to establish your plans to work together virtually and face-to-face
Other DPI School Counseling Resources
• NCDPI School Counseling Web page at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/studentsupport/counseling/
• NCDPI School Counseling Wiki page at http://schoolcounseling.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/ (also includes how to join the listserv)
• NCDPI School Counseling Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ncdpi.schoolcounseling
Professional Learning Community Resources
• “All Things PLC” at http://www.allthingsplc.info/
• Conduct a Google search for multiple other Professional Learning Community resources that are available.
School Counselor SurveyHelp us support you! This survey seeks to both gauge
the status of implementation of the NC Professional Standards for School Counselors and to assess the needs of NC school counselors. Your participation in this survey would
be greatly appreciated!
QUESTIONS
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