Ch. 4: How Will We Respond When Some Students Don’t Learn?

The main focus of this chapter is intervention.

Here are a few questions from the study guide...

1.  Effectively responding to students who experience difficulty in their learning 

requires a systematic process of intervention—a collective response—rather than 

relying on the actions of individual teachers (see page 97). If you were asked by 

the Parent Teacher Association to deliver an address on the topic of “Helping All 

Students Learn,” how would you describe your school’s “systematic” plan of 

intervention to provide students with additional time and support when they 

struggle with their learning? Do you think all teachers in your school would 

provide a similar description? Is your school’s plan for providing students with 

additional time, support or enrichment in writing? What would be the advantages 

of developing a written plan that is widely distributed?

2.  React to the following statement by Cole and Schlechty (1993, p. 10): “In the 

factory model of schooling, quality was the variable; time was constant. Students 

were given a set amount of work to do in a set period of time, and then graded on 

the quality of what was accomplished. We held time constant and allowed quality 

to vary. We must turn that on its head and hold quality constant, and allow time to 

vary.” What implications does their observation have for your school?

3. The authors note that when schools have successfully created systemic 

interventions to provide additional time and support for students using existing 

resources, in each case it was imperative that the staff agree to modify the 

schedule and assume new roles and responsibilities (see page 99). Suppose a 

teacher made the following observation: “We all want to provide additional time 

and support for students. It’s just that our schedule won’t allow it! We simply 

cannot take any more time away from instructional time. We don’t have enough 

instructional time to cover all the material we are required to cover.” How would 

you respond to this teacher’s concerns?

Or...discuss your own ideas for intervention at your campus! What questions do you still have?

Ch. 3 Creating a Focus on Learning

The chapter talked about creating "a school culture that is simultaneously loose and tight."

The questions in Ch. 3 that a principal might work with team leaders to address include the following:
1. What do you mean by guaranteed curriculum and common formative assessments?
2. What resources can you provide to assist us?
3. What process can we sue to engage in this work?
4.  What will proficiency look like?
5.  What are effective strategies for monitoring student learning?

The information on Essential Learning and Common Assessments was really good.  Previously, I have copied pages 75-80 to use with teachers when introducing the idea of common assessments.  I particularly think the analogy of formative and summative assessments is powerful (pg. 75).

What were your ah-has in this chapter for you as a leader regarding Essential Learning and Common Assessments?

Ch 1 and Ch 2

This week we read 2 chapters...

Chapter 1:   A Guide to Action for Professional Learning Communities at Work

Here's a brochure of a main ideas of Ch. 1: http://www.allthingsplc.info/pdf/links/brochure.pdf 

Chapter 2: A Clear and Compelling Purpose

I found a study guide and pulled some discussion questions that you might discuss in the comments below:

Question 4 would be a great exercise!

1. In a PLC, there is no ambiguity regarding the commitment to learning, and not 

just the learning of students. Adults in a learning community are continually 

learning. How does your school promote learning for the adults who work there?

2.  There is often a huge difference between the school we desire and our 

willingness to behave in ways essential to creating such a school. This issue is 

addressed in professional learning communities by developing collective 

commitments each staff member must honor if the school the staff has envisioned 

is to become a reality. What are some key commitments that would need to be 

made if your school were to function as a PLC? Why do you feel the authors 

emphasize these commitments should be stated as behaviors rather than beliefs?

3. Has your school involved staff in setting short-term goals that, if achieved, would 

move the school toward the agreed-upon vision? If your school accomplished 

every improvement goal, what would be the impact on student learning?

4.  Use the continuum provided in this chapter (pages 44–49) to reflect on the progress your 

school has made. Where would you place your school in each of the various categories?

What would need to be done to move along the continuum to the next level on the 

journey to becoming a high-performing professional learning community?

To think about on your own:

The authors make the case that developing a guiding coalition is a powerful 

strategy in the change process. Principal Dion would have benefited from working 

through issues with a small group of key staff and securing them as allies before 

engaging the entire faculty. Have you ever used a guiding coalition to get things 

done in your school? What was your experience? Who would be some of the key 

faculty to recruit for a guiding coalition in your school?

P.S. As we are going along, check out the resources associated with this book about 1st year PLC implementation: http://go.solution-tree.com/PLCbooks/Reproducibles_BPLC.html

Welcome!

Welcome to the Learning by Doing Book Study Blog.  

In June, a group of administrators from our district attended the  Professional Learning Communities at Work Institute in San Antonio. The Professional Learning Community process is recognized in research and practice as the most powerful strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement.  This process focuses on learning through a culture of collaboration where teams work interdependently to attain a common goal.

In order to continue their learning and the learning of other administrators and teacher leaders in our district, we have developed a summer book study over Learning by Doing, which provides practical information and steps on implementing the PLC process on a campus!

Please see the reading schedule as a guide. 

•  It is only a suggestion, but the guide is designed to finish the book before the start of the school year.  
• Also, the date on the schedule is meant to be when you post for the chapter, not when you start reading.  For example, you have between now and July 14th to read chapters 1 and 2, per the schedule.  
• Blog entries will be posted with the schedule in order for you to comment and engage in virtual dialogue with other educators.  
• On the upper right side of the blog is a place where you can subscribe to posts, so you will know when each chapter is available for comment.  
• Also, if you find any additional resources online during the book study, please post them in the comments!  

Looking forward to learning together :)