Full Description
"A tool box overflowing with ideas that will help every staff developer craft a school culture hospitable to adult and student learning."
—Roland S. Barth, Author, Lessons Learned
"The book speaks to many audiences, including instructional coaches, PLC leaders, action researchers and group leaders, and university professors working with action researchers and PLCs."
—Gail Ritchie, Coleader, Teacher Researcher Network
Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
"A terrific resource for connecting teacher networks and action research to create powerful professional development opportunities. This book is a joy to read."
—Ellen Meyers, Senior Vice President
Teachers Network
Powerful tools for facilitating teachers' professional development and optimizing school improvement efforts!
Professional learning communities (PLCs) and action research are popular and proven frameworks for professional development. While both can greatly improve teaching and learning, few resources have combined the two practices into one coherent approach.
The Reflective Educator's Guide to Professional Development provides educators with strategies, activities, and tools to develop inquiry-oriented PLCs. Nationally known school reform experts Nancy Fichtman Dana and Diane Yendol-Hoppey cover the ten essential elements of a healthy PLC, provide case studies of actual inquiry-based PLCs, and present lessons learned to help good coaches become great coaches. With this step-by-step guide, readers will be able to:
Organize, assess, and maintain high-functioning, inquiry-oriented PLCs
Facilitate the development of study questions
Establish the trust and collective commitment necessary for successful action research
Enable PLC members to develop, analyze, and share research results
Lead successful renewal and reform efforts
By combining two powerful training practices, coaches, workshop leaders, and staff developers can ensure continuous, robust school-based professional development.
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
1. Facilitating the Professional Development of Others: The Role of Action Research and Professional Learning Communities
What Constitutes Powerful Professional Development?
What Is Action Research?
What Are Professional Learning Communities?
How Can Action Research and Professional Learning Communities Become the Dynamic Duo?
What's in a Name?: The Importance of Clarifying Language
What Might an Inquiry-Oriented Professional Learning Community Look Like?
2. Establishing and Maintaining a Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLC
Ten Essential Elements of Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
Assessing the Health of Your PLC
Using Action Research to Advance Inquiry-Oriented PLC Work
3. Helping PLC Members Locate a Wondering
The Wondering Playground
The Wondering Litmus Test
Looking Across the Litmus Test Questions and Stories
4. Helping PLC Members Develop an Action Research Plan
Facilitating the Development of an Inquiry Brief: The Inquiry-Planning Meeting
The Inquiry Brief Litmus Test
5. Helping PLC Members Analyze Data
Data Analysis for the Action Researcher: A Review
Coaching Analysis: The Data Analysis Meeting
6. Helping PLC Members Share Their Work With Others
The Importance of Sharing: A Review
Creating a Space and Time for Sharing
Sharing PLC Inquiry Work With a Larger Audience
Four Core Components of Sharing
7. From Good to Great: Lessons Learned in Coaching an Inquiry-Oriented PLC
One Dozen Lessons for Coaching Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
References
Index
