WHAT'S NEW - OCTOBER 2003

STANDARDS FOR TEACHING PRACTICE

Welcome to the website for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS). This area of the website changes monthly. The theme for this month will be of interest to teachers, administrators, and parents who are exploring the topic of the school as a professional learning community. The first section below identifies several weblinks related to the topic. In the next section, you will find several online articles regarding this subject. References to a book are also included. We hope that you find this website to be a valuable resource. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!

WEBSITES AND ARTICLES RELATED TO TO SCHOOLS AS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Creating and Sustaining Effective Professional Learning Communities. 2003.
Centre for Educational Learning, Leadership and Change (CELLC)
University of Bath, U. K.
http://www.bath.ac.uk/education/dialogue/dialogue3.5.pdf

This report offers a succinct yet comprehensive framework for examining the notion of the professional learning community. This is a report of a project based on case studies that has the aim of discovering the essential features of schools that are considered professional learning communities. The report advances a working definition of an effective professional learning community. Leadership of the professional learning community is also a point of focus in this project. Overall, the project aims at generating credible and practical advice regarding the creating and sustaining of such communities. This web page suggests that the theme of the professional learning community has some attraction internationally, at least within the English-speaking world.

Learning Communities. 1999.
Kellogg, K.
http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed430512.html

This ERIC Digest (ED430512) presents some historical background on the concept and practice of learning communities. According to Kellogg, the origins of learning communities are to be found in higher education, within college settings where students are encouraged to form strong ties with faculty. Emerging in different forms, learning communities have existed for decades. Kellogg presents examples of various models. While curriculum has varied, such communities are characterized by a strong sense of purpose and identity. The benefits of learning communities often include a high level of student achievement and faculty empowerment. On the whole, in such communities the students enjoy learning and faculty take pleasure in teaching. References for further study are included.

Reaching and Teaching. 2001.
Calgary Regional Consortium
http://www.crcpd.ab.ca/br_rick.htm

This web page offers a book review of the volume by Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker entitled Professional Learning Communities at Work (1998). Against the background of many failed attempts at school reform, this book deals with best practices for enhancing student learning. The professional learning community is a model of school organization that promises success in school improvement. This model of school organization emphasizes that teachers are themselves learners who collaborate to achieve their vision of a successful school. Accordingly, much effort is placed on staff development. In conclusion, the reviewers pose their own questions to the authors as an opportunity for reflection.

Peter Senge and the Learning Organization.
Copyright © 2001 Smith, M. K.
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm

The notion of the learning organization is inextricably tied to the name of Peter Senge. His book The Fifth Discipline (1990) became a classic on the topic of organizational learning. Learning organizations are characterized by energy and creativity. Although such organizations are frequently businesses, government agencies or non-profit organizations, they can be schools. One of Senge's latest works is entitled Schools That Learn (2002). Learning organizations are innovative. They are recognizable by a set of five characteristics or disciplines: "systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building shared visions and team learning." This web article includes references to printed sources as well as electronic links.

Professional Learning Resources.
Copyright © 1995-2003 Montgomery County Public Schools.
Cabin John Middle School
Potomac, MD
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/cabinjohnms/sd/sd.html

Staff development is an important practice associated with professional learning communities. This set of electronic resources from a middle school in Maryland exemplifies the interest in staff development often connected with the notion of a professional learning community. The topics of focus range widely and encompass a variety of approaches to learning, lesson design and best practices in instruction. Other staff development topics include technology integration and school improvement. Links are also included to a limited number of educational journals. The online learning resources are indicative of staff's familiarity with website technology.

Schools as Professional Learning Communities
Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium
Edmonton, AB
http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/erc/info_to_edit/PDF_files/Leadership/04-786.PDF

Considerable interest is apparent within Alberta regarding the notion of schools as professional learning communities. This notice posted by the University of Alberta draws attention to a series of upcoming workshops dealing with the topic of professional learning communities. The workshops will extend from fall 2003 to spring 2004. The planned sessions will address various dimensions of this topic such as characteristic school cultures, shared mission and values, collaborative teamwork, collaborative decision-making, and leadership.

STAPLE
Strategic Technically-Assisted Professional Learning Environment
Winnipeg, MB
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ks4/staple/faqs.html

This set of six frequently asked questions (FAQs) describes a current Manitoba initiative in professional development conveyed through the use of online technology. STAPLE (Strategic Technically-Assisted Professional Learning Environment) is a project getting under way for teachers in upper elementary grades. The pilot project involves: novel arrangements for professional development within Manitoba; new instructional strategies; and, teaching online. There is some provision for release time. The web page concludes with an account of the advantages of participating in this online professional education project, centering on relieving the isolation that some teachers experience and on the opportunity to build a professional learning community.

The Three Stories Of Educational Reform: Inside; Inside/Out; Outside/In 2003.
Center for Development and Learning
Fullan, M.
http://www.cdl.org/resources/reading_room/education_reform.html

This article deals with the place of professional learning communities as a strategy for school improvement. Fullan develops a three-part framework to understand efforts at school reform. The three parts are the inside story, the inside-outside story, and the outside-inside story. Together these stories reveal a great deal about school reform. What is essential for school improvement is not restructuring but altering the culture of the school. Professional learning communities are described as possessing collaborative cultures. Teachers in these schools collaborate around matters of assessment and pedagogy. References for further study are attached. Michael Fullan is Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) in Toronto.

ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLES

Title:		Community: How to Launch a Community.
Source:		Journal of Staff Development, Summer 2001, Vol. 22, No. 3.Copyright © National Staff Development Council, 2001. http://www.nsdc.org/library/jsd/dufour223.html.
Author(s):		DuFour, R.
Abstract:		Superintendent Rick (Richard) DuFour, whose name is often associated with the topic of professional learning communities, prepared this online article. How do teachers begin to establish a professional learning community? DuFour answers the question by reporting the interview of a principal who took such an initiative. Teachers, for the most part, were enthusiastic with the activity aimed largely at improving student achievement. Adequate preparation, school improvement, professional development, and collaboration among teachers were all involved in inaugurating the learning community. This article will be of particular interest to principals interested in creating a professional learning community at their school.
Title:		Launching Professional Learning Communities: Beginning Actions.
Source:		Issues About Change, Vol. 8, No. 1.Copyright 2000 SEDL (Southwest Educational Development Laboratory) http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues81/welcome.html.
Author(s):		Leo, T. & Cowan, D.
Abstract:		This online article, originating in the Southwest United States, assumes that the chief characteristics of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are widely known. How PLCs are established is not so well known, however. Accordingly, this extensive article offers an in-depth examination of the process of building professional learning communities (PLCs). The article addresses some opening steps focusing on topics such as supportive leadership, a shared vision and values, collaborative staff learning, appropriate resources, and professional sharing. Finally, the article formulates a conclusion around the figure of the co-developer-that is, a founder and initiator of a PLC. Key references are also appended.
Title:		Professional Development.
Source:		Réflexions February/février 2000, Vol. 19, No. 1.Copyright © Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (CASLT). http://www.caslt.org/Print/prodevp.htm.
Author(s):		Seaward-Gagnon, L.
Abstract:		Second language teachers can encounter particular obstacles in establishing professional learning communities. Teachers are generally interested in professional development. Establishing professional learning communities however, demands additional effort. The author offers personal observations and reflections and then presents some strategies for nurturing a sense of community. Gathering teachers to discuss successful instructional strategies is one such step. Widely disseminating ideas is another. This article will be of particular interest to Core French teachers, especially those who sense they are working in isolation. Seaward-Gagnon is Coordinator of Professional Development for the Department of Education in Prince Edward Island.
BOOK EXCERPTS
Title:		Educators as Learners: Creating a Professional Learning Community in Your School.
Source:		Copyright © 2000 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum (ASCD). http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/books/wald00book.html
Author(s):		Edited by Wald, P.J. & Castleberry, M.S.
Abstract:		The title of this web page underscores a prominent feature of successful professional learning communities; namely, that teachers in such communities actuality view themselves as learners. Such schools are characterized by a culture of learning. This web page, with a foreword by Roland Barth, contains lengthy excerpts from a book edited by Wald and Castleberry. Successive chapters deal with the experience of change in schools, the importance of collegial learning, as well as supportive leadership and more. From the outset, the assumption is that a school can function and operate successfully as a community. Likewise, it is assumed that teachers in such communities are skilled in the practices of collaborative learning. Ultimately, teachers' collaborative learning promotes student learning.
ISBN:		0871203669 (Paperback).