Discover a practical, comprehensive model of effective professional learning communities. In this user-friendly guide, educators explore research-based steps and strategies designed to increase the effectiveness of collaborative teams and enhance PLCs. Examine how the PLC process can transform critical components of education--including curriculum, assessment, instruction, and teacher development--and use reproducible agendas, scales, and checklists to improve schoolwide practices.
A school-wide model for addressing individual needs The greatest goal of education is to ensure equity while enhancing learning and academic success for all students. And yet, it is impossible for one teacher to meet the extensive needs of all students in his or her classroom. The traditional schooling model cannot provide for this complexity and leaves educators perplexed. The solution is a collaborative approach where “every child deserves a team” to surround them with supports that recognize their strengths and challenges. Collaborative Response offers a school-wide model for addressing students’ individual needs. The three fundamental components of the model are: collaborative structures and processes; data and evidence; and continuum of supports. In this book, readers will find: Entry points for beginning this work Potential pitfalls of the approach Case studies from schools that have adopted the model Access to a website with tools, templates, case studies, and more With a focus on quality classroom instruction, this book shares examples from schools and districts that have transformed how they respond to the needs of all learners.
While most educators believe working in teams is valuable, not all team efforts lead to instructional improvement. Through richly detailed case studies The Power of Teacher Teams demonstrates how schools can transform their teams into more effective learning communities that foster teacher leadership. The benefits of successful teacher teams include: improved performance for both teachers and students; meaningful professional development; group adoption of a new curriculum; shared insights into student work; better classroom management; support for new teachers; new roles for teacher leaders; and opportuniteis for mentor support.School leaders will find guidelines, methods, and concrete steps for building and sustaining effective teacher teams. Also included is a DVD with video case studies and one CD with reproducibles. The most important reason for building teacher teams is to enhance student learning through improved instruction, and that story is at the heart of this book.
*Learn how to apply up to 12 evidence-based key actions to elevate your collaborative team's results*Discover what the critical tasks are for collaborative teams as they work through a cycle of learning*Apply road tested solutions to the many challenges collaborative teams face*Explore the 14 crucial foundations leaders implement to ensure collaborative efforts truly impact student learning.
The time of exclusive top-down leadership is over! Only teachers can transform education from inside the classroom, and this book defines best practices of collaborative teacher leadership. Specific techniques, supporting research, expert insight, and real classroom stories illustrate how to work together for student learning, create a guaranteed and viable curriculum, and use data to inform instruction.
Discover how psychological safety, constructive conflict, and actionable learning create a powerful triple helix to transform teams! In this ground-breaking resource, three experts in the field of education and teamwork each present one of three strands that, when woven together, support teamwork and forge collaborative interactions into a transformative way of working. You’ll learn approaches, processes and tools to overcome common obstacles to team effectiveness such as feelings of futility, anxiety, and poor morale. Drawing on research and practical experience the authors identify strategies and tools that show how to: Build psychological safety, where teams work towards resilient interpersonal relationships Use constructive conflict as a powerful catalyst for team learning and transformation Inquire into problems of practice to transform capabilities and produce actionable learning Acquire ways to develop mindful, thoughtful, and constructive teams where authentic communication drives group awareness and clear processes and goals. Acquire ways to develop mindful, thoughtful, and constructive teams where authentic communication drives group awareness and clear processes and goals.
Learn how to promote teacher, student, and collective efficacy Teachers are a school’s greatest resource. Excellent teachers make excellent schools. Leading Impact Teams taps into the scheduled team planning time every school already has, and repurposes it in a model that provides the processes needed to build teacher expertise and increase student learning. The model combines two existing practices, formative assessment and collaborative inquiry, and promotes a school culture in which teachers and students are partners in learning. Readers will learn how to: Build a culture of efficacy Take collective action Embed student-centered assessment in the classroom culture Clarify learning goals for success Leverage progressions of learning for “just right” instruction Utilize evidence-based feedback
Provides specific information on how to transform schools into results-oriented professional learning communities, describing the best practices that have been used by schools nationwide.
Every school strives to better itself so that it can better its students. In Transformative Collaboration, the authors dive deep into one of the strongest strategies for school improvement--the PLC process. You will explore five collaboration-based commitments--from gaining clarity to building trust--that will ultimately help you build and sustain a PLC that provides the best possible avenues of learning to students. Use this resource to provide students with the education they deserve: Commit to collaboration and use the five commitments to transform your school Understand what it means to be a PLC Find the courage to lead the process Build a climate of trust Shape school structures for success Create clarity in collaboration Contents: Table of Contents About the Authors Foreword Preface Chapter 1: Understand What it Means to Be a PLC Chapter 2: Find the Courage You Need to Lead Chapter 3: Build a Climate of Trust Chapter 4: Shape School Structures for Success Chapter 5: Create Clarity in Collaboration Appendix: Key Terms References and Resources Index
For maximum impact, let intention drive your actions. Leading a team means more than running meetings. It’s leading collaborative learning for continuous improvement. Like effective teachers in the classroom, skillful team leaders decide what they are aiming to achieve and make small, intentional moves to produce powerful learning outcomes for teachers and students. In this long-awaited follow-up to her best-selling book, The Skillful Team Leader, acclaimed educator Elisa MacDonald presents nearly 150 effective moves, organized by intention, for any educator who leads a team. In this book, you′ll find strategies to lead with purpose and direction, including how to: foster an inclusive environment and strengthen team trust interrupt bias and cultivate diverse perspectives navigate resistance and manage conflict facilitate data analysis lead peer observation assess your team’s collaboration and so much more! Written in a practitioner-friendly format with a light tone and relatable stories, this is a must-have book for all team leaders and those who support them in your school.