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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Colin Sloper is the Director of Education Services for Solution Tree Australia. He has been a teacher, assistant principal and principal in government schools for the past 36 years. During his career, he has been involved in the establishment of five new state government schools, including his time as principal of Pakenham Springs Primary School in Victoria. Because of his leadership and the collaborative work of the school community, Pakenham Springs became the first recognised model of a professional learning community in Australia.
His leadership emphasises student engagement while achieving substantial results for both the students and teachers he serves. Colin’s skills as an educational leader, as well as his practical advice and knowledge as someone who has transformed schools, are highly sought after by educators across all sectors.
Colin is also co-author of Transformative Collaboration: Five Commitments for Leading a Professional Learning Community (Hawker Brownlow Education, 2014) and Collaborative Systems of Support: Learning for All (Hawker Brownlow Education, 2016). Previously, he served as Director of the Centre for Professional Learning Communities at Hawker Brownlow Professional Learning Solutions.
Colin has recently revised Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at WorkTM (Hawker Brownlow Education, 2017) for the Australian context with Gavin Grift.
INTRODUCTION
As an educator and leader of schools with over 35 years of experience, I have seen a myriad of initiatives, programs, policies, directives and strategies aimed at improving student learning come and go. Some of these were imposed and some self-inflected, but most were the latest fad or hope that, while initially embraced with enthusiasm and optimism, disappeared with little sustained impact on student learning outcomes. Each new idea quickly led to “initiative overload”, and generated a “this too shall pass” mindset not only in myself, but also the educators that I served.
It was in the mid 2000s that a fellow educator asked for my opinion of a book written by Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker and Thomas Many. Reluctantly, I added the book to my growing professional reading pile, hoping that when I had contended with the million other things on my “to do” list, I might get a chance to open it. When a quiet moment did finally present itself, I found that I was unable to put the book down. My love for “Learning by Doing”, and the genius of professional learning communities, was born. The more I delved into the book, the more amazed I was at the new view it offered on how we should be conceiving our profession. In fact, as I read each section, I kept muttering to myself, “This just makes sense”.
In 2011, I was fortunate enough to attend a professional learning workshop in Adelaide conducted by Rick and Becky DuFour, where their passion and expertise cemented my commitment and determination to transform my school into a professional learning community. One of the key messages they shared about the work was that, while the concept was simple, the implementation process was not easy. But then, what good ideas ever are?
Over the course of many years, and working collaboratively with my leadership team and the school staff, we continued to build our collective understanding of the practices of a professional learning community, and genuinely adopted the mantra of the book by engaging every member of the school community in “learning by doing”. Along the way we had missteps, heading down seductive detours and short cuts, but each one was an opportunity to learn from our mistakes, gain greater clarity of the process and deepen our commitment to achieving a better outcome for the students we served. In 2013 we were proud to be recognised as the first model school of a Professional Learning Community at WorkTM in Australia.
While we certainly were “learning by doing”, we now know that our school’s transformation would have been assisted greatly by having Australian examples and resources to refer to, helping to guide our thinking and shape our practices. It is from that simple idea that this resource has been created.
In my current role of leading learning on professional learning communities across Australia, I have returned to my former school, Pakenham Springs Primary School in Victoria, to interview staff and record team meetings in an attempt to create a resource that will assist other schools wanting to deepen their knowledge of the professional learning community concept. The dedicated staff of Pakenham Springs eagerly volunteered their time and energies to support the creation of the videos which accompany this resource, and I thank them for their willingness to share their thoughts, experiences and passion regarding professional learning communities.
This resource does not claim to highlight exemplars of the process, but rather is an attempt to capture real-life examples of the thinking and practices of educators who are on the journey of transforming their school into a professional learning community. This resource is designed to promote the thinking of leaders and educators as they undertake this journey together, and contains interviews with Australian teachers and leaders discussing what they have learnt throughout the transformation process.
This resource contains videos of leadership and collaborative team meetings so that viewers can get a sense of work of collaborative teams and the manner in which these meetings are conducted. It also contains one-on-one meetings with key school personnel to provide examples of how leaders in the school support team leaders, and each other, to grow their capabilities and work in the way required by a professional learning community. These videos have been designed to be watched individually, in small groups or as a whole staff as a professional learning activity.
In closing, I would like to again thank the dedicated educators of Pakenham Springs Primary School for their support of this project, and their eagerness to share what they have learnt on their journey thus far with a wider audience. We hope that this resource supports your continued understanding of the professional learning community concept, and inspires your ongoing, important and deeply rewarding endeavours to provide your students with the quality education that they deserve.
HOW TO USE THE VIDEOS
This Facilitator’s Guide is accompanied by two USB drives containing the video clips necessary to complete the discussion questions and workshop activities detailed throughout this guide. The video clips are separated into three folders, each pertaining to a different section of the Facilitator’s Guide: Vox Pop Interviews (USB HB5985 Section 1), Leadership and Collaborative Team Meetings, and One-on-One Interviews (USB HB5985 Section 2 & 3).
SECTION ONE: VOX POP INTERVIEWS
In these videos, educators from Pakenham Springs Primary School, a large government school in southeast Melbourne, Victoria, and the first school in Australia to be recognised as a model of the PLC at WorkTM, reflect on their thoughts about the school’s journey to become a professional learning community. These educators possess a range of educational experiences and backgrounds, and bring their unique perspectives and insights on their own and the school’s journey to become a professional learning community.
Each person interviewed provides their particular view on various issues related to their endeavours in improving the educational outcomes for the students they serve. Topics covered include: defining what a professional learning community is, the benefits educators have found from working as a professional learning community, how SMART goals support and energise the work of collaborative teams, the use of team norms to ensure that critical behaviour commitments of team members are explicitly defined, and more.
For more information on the interviews featured in Section One, turn to page 1.
SECTION TWO: LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATIVE TEAM MEETINGS
In these videos, several collaborative team meetings held at Pakenham Springs provide clear examples of the real work school teams focus on in a professional learning community. These meetings highlight how teams use learning data to identify the needs of specific groups of students, and use these data to identify and discuss teaching practices that have the greatest impact on student learning. The three meetings included in this guide feature the Foundation Year, Year 3 and Year 4 collaborative teams.
Similarly, a meeting of the school’s leadership team has been included to demonstrate how the issues discussed at this meeting, and the work the leadership team has undertaken, complements and supports the work of the collaborative teams.
For more information on the meetings featured in Section Two, turn to page 91.
SECTION THREE: ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS
In these videos, one-on-one meetings between the principal and assistant principals, and the assistant principals and collaborative team facilitators, allow the audience to delve deeper into how the school guarantees a high level of support for the distributed leadership structures established at the school. These weekly meetings are designed to have the participants reflect on the goals that they are working towards achieving, and to ensure that there is a coordinated approach being taken across the school regarding the implementation of key professional learning community approaches and processes.
For more information on the interviews featured in Section Three, turn to page 105.
The accompanying video clips have been edited in such a way so that each segment can either be viewed in its entirety, with a full discussion of the segment occurring afterwards, or as separate vignettes, allowing for immediate discussion of the point in the preceding video clip.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
This Facilitator’s Guide is broken up into three distinct sections:
Vox Pop Interviews
Leadership and Collaborative Team Meetings
One-on-One Interviews
SECTION ONE: VOX POP INTERVIEWS
In this section, you will hear from a range of school personnel about their experiences on the journey to transform their school into a professional learning community.
Each interview focuses on a particular issue, idea or topic essential for any school that is transforming into a professional learning community. These topics have been sequenced into a logical order, but each interview can be watched in any order and at any time, depending on the needs of the school or where on the journey to becoming a professional learning community they are. The outline of each interview includes a quote which opens the video and relates to the topic being discussed.
While designed to be viewed in their entirety, each interview includes a table which indicates the start and end time of each segment of the clips that make up the video. The duration of each segment has been noted so that individual segments can be watched in isolation or replayed if desired.
Each interview outline in this Facilitator’s Guide also includes a detailed summary of the key points made in each video clip. This summary provides further background and information regarding the points that each educator makes in their segment of the interview.
A list of discussion questions is also included for each interview, so that a general discussion can be held after the video has concluded. These questions are designed to focus the discussion around the important points made in the video.
Also included for each topic is a workshop activity designed to build on the information and deepen of participants’ understanding regarding the key concepts explored in the video. These workshop activities can be undertaken in a small team or with the whole staff as part of the professional learning session (i.e. staff meeting). Full instructions on how to organise and conduct each workshop activity are included to make its implementation as easy as possible. Suggested group sizes are included for each activity, but these can be adjusted to suit the size of your staff.
Where appropriate, a handout to support the workshop activity has been included in the Appendix.
SECTION TWO: LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATIVE TEAM MEETINGS
The second section contains video footage from a range of meetings conducted in a professional learning community, designed to give viewers an insight into how meetings operate in a PLC. The outline at the start of each team meeting in this Facilitator’s Guide includes a brief overview of the purpose of the meeting about to be viewed.
Again, while each meeting video is designed to be viewed in its entirety, a table is included which indicates the start and end time of each agenda item addressed at the meeting in the accompanying video. The duration of each segment is also included, so that individual segments can be watched in isolation or replayed if desired. This allows each segments of the video to be focused on to potentially address issues your school may want to investigate in particular.
A detailed meeting summary is also included, specifying which issue/topic is being focused on in each segment of the video.
Again, a list of discussion questions is also included for each meeting video, so that a general discussion can be held after the video has concluded. These questions are designed to focus the discussion around the various items tabled at each meeting.
SECTION THREE: ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS
The third section features a range of one-on-one meetings held at the school, in an effort to increase the leaders’ capabilities to support the school’s professional learning community journey.
The outline at the start of each interview includes a brief overview of the purpose of the one-on-one interview about to be viewed.
Once again, while the meeting video is designed to be viewed in its entirety, a table is included which indicates the start and end time of each segment of the discussion during the interview. The duration of each segment is also included, so that individual segments can be watched in isolation or replayed if desired.
An interview summary is also included, specifying which issue/topic is being discussed in each segment of the video.
As with the previous sections, a list of discussion questions is included for each interview, so that a general discussion can be held after the video has concluded. These questions are designed to focus the discussion around the various topics discussed during the interview.
SECTION ONE
WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY?
“A professional learning community is a group of connected and engaged professionals who are responsible for driving change and improvement within, between and across schools that will directly benefit learners.”
—Harris, A. & Jones, M. (2010). “Professional learning communities and system improvement”
Improving Schools, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 172–181.
WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY?
00:00 11:25 11:25
Nathan (Assistant Principal) 00:00 01:30 01:30
Laura (Graduate Teacher) 01:31 03:12 01:41
Carly (Graduate Teacher) 03:13 03:53 00:40
Rita (Lead Teacher) 03:54 04:54 01:00
Bec (Lead Teacher) 04:55 05:08 00:13
John (Assistant Principal) 05:09 06:34 01:25
Colin (Principal) 06:35 08:42 02:07
Simone (Learning Support Assistant) 08:43 09:05 00:22
Nic (Teacher) 09:06 09:48 00:42
Sarah (Team Facilitator) 09:49 10:19 00:30
Jane (Assistant Principal) 10:20 11:25 01:05 1–01
KEY POINTS
In a traditional school, educators meet, but in a professional learning community, it is what teachers meet about that really matters. A professional learning community is a team of like-minded professionals who are all striving towards the same goal: high levels of learning for all students, regardless of ability. Every endeavour collaborative teams undertake should be directed toward this goal. In a professional learning community, various research-based elements, those identified as improving student learning, are combined in a manageable framework which supports educators in their quest to achieve high levels of learning for all students.
In a professional learning community, the focus on learning not only includes the learning of students, but also the learning of educators. Educators in a professional learning community see their role as continuing to develop their teaching capabilities so students reach the required standard. This is in contrast to a conventional school where the focus is solely on delivery of content (teaching). This doesn’t mean that teaching isn’t important, but in a professional learning community success is judged on whether students have learned, not on the fact that educators have taught it. Conversations within collaborative teams focus on what action must be taken to achieve their set goal, as educators constantly reflect on their progress towards achieving high levels of learning for all students.
In a professional learning community the conventional approach of working in isolation is challenged and replaced by a culture of collaboration. A key aspect of professional learning communities is the job-embedded professional learning that occurs as teachers work together, within and across year levels, and learn from each other, helping to ensure success. professional learning communities foster an environment where educators are supported in performing their important task of ensuring students learn. Using the school’s mission and vision as a focus for their work, educators within the professional learning community take collective responsibility for the learning of students across the school, not only their own classrooms.
Collaborative teams pace out the learning of all students, ensuring that learning outcomes are clearly identified and are aligned across all classes teaching the same content. This does not mean that educators are expected to teach these learning outcomes in the same way, but that they are clear on the learning outcomes students are required to achieve. These learning outcomes are made explicit to students as well. Through working collaboratively, educators build their knowledge of the curriculum and develop ways of delivering it so that students learn to high levels.
Professional learning communities capitalise on research about what improves student learning. In a professional learning community, teachers are constantly involved in action research into what constitutes best teaching practice, based on student learning data. This action research is not in addition to the work educators do, it is the work that they do. A professional learning community is an evidence-based approach that allows educators to investigate and get better at the art and science of teaching. The research collaborative teams engage in underpins the teaching approach taken by educators as they work towards making high levels of learning for all a reality.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How does a professional learning community differ from a conventional school?
What research-based elements have been combined into a manageable framework to support educators in their quest to achieve high levels of learning for all students in the professional learning community process?
A major component of a professional learning community is the unrelenting focus on student learning, as opposed to the delivery of content. What challenges do you anticipate your school will face in this regard as it transforms into a professional learning community?
What evidence do you have that success is measured by student learning in your school, and not by the delivery of content? What might be some next possible steps you need to consider to ensure collaborative teams at your school use student learning as a measure of their individual and collective success?
What are some of the key things you would anticipate observing which would enable you to determine that collaborative teams were assuming collective responsibility for the learning of all students in their area, not just the students in their class?
Collaboration is a science and requires the use of a variety of interpersonal skills and a high level of emotional intelligence. How might your school ensure that team members, individually and collectively, continue to develop these skills and dispositions to ensure they transform into a high-functioning collaborative team?
How much do your collaborative teams know about what action research and inquiry are? What things might the school implement to ensure there is clarity regarding this important aspect of the work of collaborative teams?
WORKSHOP ACTIVITY
GETTING CLEAR ON WHAT A PLC IS
TIME: 30–45 MINUTES
MATERIALS: HANDOUT 1.0
GROUP SIZE: 3–4 PEOPLE
DIRECTIONS:
1. Organise participants into table groups. Distribute a copy of Handout 1.0 to each group.
2. Have participants watch the video.
3. At the end of the video, have participants read the four definitions of professional learning communities and individually identify the three common elements of each definition.
4. Have participants write these in the space provided on the handout.
5. Individually, have the participants use these identified elements to create their own definition of a professional learning community.
6. Have each table group discuss their definitions and come up with their “final” version, based on the discussions they have had.
7. Have each table group share their “final” version. Discuss the commonalities and any differences.
FURTHER READING:
“Building an effective school leadership team” in Buffum, A., Mattos, M. & Weber, C. (2011). Simplifying Response to Intervention: Four Essential Guiding Principles. Melbourne, Victoria: Hawker Brownlow Education, p. 20.
“Build principal capacity to lead a PLC” in DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., Many, T. W. & Mattos, M. (2016). Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work, 3rd Edition. Melbourne, Victoria: Hawker Brownlow Education, pp. 238–239.
“Lots of leaders to sustain reform” in DuFour, R. & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures Built to Last: Systemic PLCs at WorkTM Melbourne, Victoria: Hawker Brownlow Education, pp. 71–72.
“The role of the principal in a professional learning community” in DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R. & Eaker, R. (2009). Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work: New Insights for Improving Schools. Melbourne, Victoria: Hawker Brownlow Education, pp. 167–185.
Flanagan, T., Grift, G., Lipscombe, L., Sloper, C. & Wills, J. (2016). Transformative Collaboration: Five Commitments for Leading a Professional Learning Community. Melbourne, Victoria: Hawker Brownlow Education.
KEY POINTS
Professional learning communities provide a clear and common purpose where teachers are united in their endeavours as they work toward achieving their fundamental purpose: high levels of learning for all students. This clear and common purpose facilitates the celebration of tangible improvements to student learning.
Professional learning communities provide opportunities to learn from colleagues and peers, much more so than when working in isolation. Less experienced educators are supported and learn from more experienced educators, and more experienced educators have the opportunity to learn from their contemporary colleagues. By sharing knowledge, skills and expertise, teachers enhance their instructional effectiveness.
A professional learning community promotes clarity about what it is the teacher team wants students to learn and allows educators to collaboratively investigate and determine the best ways for students to achieve this. Collaborative teams are at the centre of job-embedded professional learning.
Problem-solving sits at the heart of professional learning community process, enabling collaborative teams to solve issues of curriculum, instruction and assessment. Teachers take collective responsibility and ownership for all students and support each other as they work interdependently to overcome any barriers preventing students to learn at the expected level or above.
Opinions, ideas and practices are shared and learned within professional learning communities. Learning data reveals which instructional practices are having the greatest impact, allowing educators to identify evidence-based practices and incorporate them into their teaching repertoire. Working collaboratively as a professional learning community provides the opportunities for educators to continue to reflect on, develop and actively expand their teaching skills to improve their own practice and benefit the learning of all students.
While participating in a professional learning community is hard work, educators report that it is rewarding, and that they feel supported in the work that they do. By persevering with hard work, educators develop a “growth mindset” as they continue to strengthen their instructional competency by being involved in job-embedded professional learning about things relevant to the learning of their students.
Professional learning communities have a clear and committed focus on learning. The professional learning community process allows schools to enact, in a practical and manageable way, everything that research highlights as components of a highly effective and successful school.
