WHAT'S NEW - MAY 2005

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND TEACHER PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

Welcome to the Web site for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS). This area of the Web site changes monthly. The theme for this month will be of interest to teachers, administrators, and parents who are exploring the topics of professional learning communities and teacher professional growth. The section below identifies several links and online articles related to these topics. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!

WEB SITES RELATED TO PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND TEACHER PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

Building Professional Learning Communities. 2004
Berlinger-Gustafson, C.
http://www.teachinflorida.com/teachertoolkit/PLC.htm

This Web page, drawn from a presentation in Florida, profiles a set of characteristics associated with the professional learning community. The presentation begins by identifying the attributes of a school that operates as a professional learning community. The purpose of such a community concerns school improvement. Moreover, by its very nature, such a community provides rich opportunities for staff development. Such a school also displays a collaborative and supportive organizational culture. There are steps to be taken and mistakes to be avoided to build a professional learning community. The presentation concludes by pointing out the benefits of a professional learning community for both teachers and students.

Building a Professional Learning Community
Dufour, R.
School Administrator. Winter 2003
© AASA (American Association of School Administrators)
http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/2003_05/DuFour.htm

In this online article, Richard Dufour identifies some prominent features of a model learning community. Taking the viewpoint of a superintendent (a role in which he has had experience); Dufour describes the tensions between purpose and autonomy to be found in the school organized as a learning community. "Sharing knowledge" and "building consensus" are two aspects of this model, along with the formation of "collaborative teams" and an emphasis on "results," understood as improved student learning. In short, the article outlines a superintendent's agenda for establishing professional learning communities in schools across an entire school district.

Developing Instructional Leaders. 2002
Lashway, L.
http://www.nsula.edu/pk16council/ed466023.html

Principals face the demanding task of leading learning communities. This ERIC Digest (ED466023) traces recent trends in the development of instructional leadership, and identifies several steps that universities and school districts can take to support principals in their task. One current trend tends to distribute instructional leadership across the entire school community. From a district point of view, distinct roles can be described for teachers, principals and superintendents as well as other players in the professional learning community. References are provided for further study. This digest will be of particular interest to principals in their role as leaders of professional learning communities.

Effective Professional Learning Communities (EPLC). 2004
King, K.
University of Bristol
Bristol, United Kingdom
http://www.bris.ac.uk/education/eplc

This Web page, hosted by the University of Bristol, illustrates the international nature of interest in the professional learning community. The Web page presents a project proposal undertaken by a group of educational institutions and agencies in the United Kingdom to explore the dynamics of professional learning communities. The project was aimed at sharing findings with practitioners. Considerable detailed information is presented in terms of a literature review and reports of the project's findings. Contact information for the principal researchers is also supplied. The project took place from January 2002 to October 2004.

Leading Edge: Culture Shift Doesn't Occur Overnight--Or Without Conflict
DuFour, R.
JSD, Fall 2004. Vol. 25, No. 4
© 2004. National Staff Development Council
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/dufour254.cfm

This online article in JSD (The Journal of Staff Development) deals with some challenging aspects of establishing the professional learning community. The principal's main task is to change a given school's culture into a learning-centered culture. Sometimes, however, students do not learn well. How does the professional learning community then respond? The school community expects high levels of learning for all students and also possesses a repertoire of strategies to support students who experience difficulty. Implementing such changes in school culture can often involve conflict when teachers do not yet possess the skills of collaborative team members. Some recent references are provided for further study.

Learning Communities: A New Definition of Professional Development. 2004
MACSD Focus. Winter 2004
Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Wellesley, MA
http://www.mec.edu/mascd/docs/focwin04.htm

This Web page from Massachusetts clearly points to the convergence of two notions: "learning communities" and "professional development." In the model of the learning community presented here, teachers as a group assume a role once assigned almost exclusively to school principals. At the same time, professional development is less about achieving individual goals and more about contributing to a team effort at improving student achievement within the school. The page offers some succinct questions and answers that endeavor to identify the school that operates as a learning community. In addition, the page also presents some practical advice about building and sustaining a professional learning community.

Learning Together, Leading Together: Changing Schools Through Professional Learning Communities.
Hord, S. M. (Ed.). (2003). New York: Teachers College Press.
Review by Gerold, R. A.
Copyright © 2004 AASA (American Association of School Administrators)
http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/2004_08/book_review.htm

Literature continues to appear on the topic of professional learning communities. This book review prepared by R A. Gerold highlights the features of Hord's recent volume on professional learning communities. S. M. Hord underlines the hidden challenges of establishing and sustaining schools that understand themselves as learning organizations. Hord has written about professional learning communities since 1997 under the auspices of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Gerold is Superintendent of Farmingdale School District, in Farmingdale, New York.

On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities. (2004)
DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R. (Eds.). Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.
Reviewed by The Education Digest. May 2005
http://www.eddigest.com/html/RDuFour.html

This Web page offers a book review of a recent publication regarding professional learning communities. DuFour, Eaker and DuFour are the editors of this volume of 12 essays composed by some of the most respected writers in the field of education. The essays are grouped into five sections. The authors are all promoters of the benefits of the professional learning community. At the same time, the authors are also conscious of the obstacles encountered in establishing professional learning communities. Taken together, the essays promise to an up-to-date examination of developments on this topic.

Reaching and Teaching 2005: Leading and Supporting Your Professional Learning Community
Calgary Regional Consortium
Calgary, AB
http://www.crcpd.ab.ca/rt2005.html

Alberta affords many opportunities for teachers' professional development. This particular opportunity coincides with an interest in teachers' professional learning communities. The central theme of this conference, "Reaching and Teaching 2005," concerns building and sustaining professional learning communities. The conference features leading experts in this area of education such as Andy Hargreaves, Carol Ann Tomlinson, Marcia Tate, Laura Lipton, John Dyer, Edie Holcomb, and Chris Spence. Sponsored by the Calgary Regional Consortium, this conference will take place May 4-6, 2005, in Calgary.

Schools as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development. (2003)
Roberts, S. M., & Pruitt, E.Z.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
©2005 Corwin Press
http://www.corwinpress.com/printerfriendly.aspx?pid=9606&ptype=B

This Web page offers an overview of a recent volume on the topic of schools as professional learning communities. The volume is introduced as promising considerable practical application. The review includes a preview of the book's table of contents and underscores the professional development dimension of professional learning communities. The review also advances the claim that there is research support for implementing professional learning communities as a means of school improvement.

Transforming Teacher Professional Practice Through Broadband Technologies. 2004
Owston, R., Wideman, H., Morbey, M. L. & Murphy, J.
Institute for Research on Learning Technologies
York University
Toronto, ON
http://www.yorku.ca/irlt/reports/SITE04Final.pdf

Professional development for teachers can take the shape of intensive use of educational technologies. This report, originating with researchers at York University in Toronto, describes the successful transformation of teacher professional practice through the use of broadband technologies. The report is offered 18 months after the start of the Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning (ABEL) project, which began in summer 2002. The use of broadband technology, based on a learning platform, involves inbuilt opportunities for professional development. The project outcomes are altering professional practice and stimulating student interest in learning. Moreover, the multi-year project has involved teachers in Alberta and Ontario. References are provided for further study.

Turning Vision into Reality: Develop Professional Learning Communities
© 2005 Government of Alberta
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/commission/5_11.asp

Alberta's Commission on Learning (2003) states the importance of professional learning communities and views them as models of excellence for schools. The idea of a school as a professional learning community is clearly expressed in the Commission's Recommendation 13. A professional learning community is focused on improving students' learning achievements rather than simply on teaching as such. The administration of such schools is supportive and the general environment of such schools is collaborative. Within the province, the Commission recognizes, some schools are already examples of the professional learning community.