Instructional Leadership for a Professional Learning Culture

Transcription

1 Task 2 Instructional Leadership for a Professional Learning Culture What do school leaders need to think about when creating a professional learning culture? In Task 2, school leadership candidates demonstrate how to foster school improvement through developing and supporting teachers in a professional learning culture. Candidates work with a small group of teachers as a community engaged in structured learning activities to improve their practice in a student learning priority area. They define a focus area and pilot a new curriculum, instructional approach, assessment procedure, or student engagement strategy. Using structured team building and group process activities, the candidate prepares, supports, and assesses the group s learning. Task 2 assesses the capacity of candidates to create a professional learning culture among a group of teachers with the goal of increasing student learning. The aim is to foster professional norms; teacher learning; learning community practices; and enhanced curriculum, instruction, or assessments. Your work on this task should directly relate to the Massachusetts Professional Standards and Indicators for Administrative Leadership. You can draw on Massachusetts recommended guidelines for professional learning communities and protocols to facilitate team development and inquiry work (see What questions do you need to consider to complete this task? What is a student learning priority area for professional learning among a group of teachers or other staff in your school? What is the current school culture for teacher teams and groups, and for team-based professional learning? How should you identify the teachers (or other staff) to participate in this task as a team or group? Is there an existing group or a subset of an existing group that may be able to sustain the work after completing this task? Within the priority area (such as the one identified in Task 1), what is the focus of the group s professional learning and how does it relate to school and district priorities? 1

2 What research-based team learning activities should you introduce to foster group learning? How will you support the group s learning? What teaching and learning practices can the group pilot, or seek to improve? How will these changes in practice improve learning for all students? How does the group learn about these practices and prepare to try them? What evidence of implementation and the initial impact on student performance is needed to assess the benefits of this professional learning experience for the group of teachers (and other staff)? Schools have three interrelated cultures: professional culture, student culture, and the culture of family engagement and community involvement. This task focuses on developing a learning orientation within the school s professional culture to improve student learning and the student culture. Consider the school s professional culture with respect to teams and group processes. Schools use different approaches to structure and support teachers work in teams and groups. Some approaches are based on divisions within the school, with teams formed within departments or within grade levels, while other approaches are ad hoc or informal. Some staff are trained in norms and practices and are supported as a collective learning community, while others do not receive such training. The nature of the school s professional learning culture with respect to the use of teams to increase teacher s learning will bear on how new or existing groups of teachers (and other staff) work on a problem of practice in the priority area. What do you need to do to complete this task? Select a student learning priority area for improvement. Document relevant school context information, including the school and district goals and vision and the policies that support professional learning. Map out the existing types of teacher teams or staff groups, their membership, and how they are used in the school. Identify teachers to be members of a professional learning group related to the student learning priority area and provide a rationale for their inclusion. Work with the group to identify an area of focus within the learning priority area for team learning and improving practice. 2

3 Facilitate team or group learning activities. Collect evidence of the group members roles in selecting the student learning focus within the priority area; the team s learning activities; and curriculum, instruction and assessment practices or engagement strategies. Based on the collection of evidence develop a plan to pilot new or improved practice. Collect evidence on new or improved practices that the group tried out (individually or collectively) and analyze their initial impact on student performance (e.g., student behavior and student work samples). Analyze the teachers professional learning and collect team member feedback on the effectiveness of the group regarding teaching, learning and improvement and the evaluation of your facilitation and support. The Components of the Task The four component steps of this task require working with a group of teachers and other staff to address a student learning priority area. Together you select a focus within this area and then determine a need for doing improvement work in curriculum, instruction, or assessment, using group learning processes, as shown in Figure 2.1. Component 1: Investigate Select a student learning priority area for this task by identifying a student performance problem or need. This area should relate to school and district priorities and take account of existing student group performance differences. It can be the same priority area selected for the Massachusetts Performance Assessment for Leaders, Task 1. Next, identify the members of existing teacher teams (grade level, department, content area, special interest, or other) in the school community. With input from one or more school and teacher leaders, select a group of two to five teachers (teaching a common grade or content area) with which to work on the student learning priority area. This group can be part of an existing group or team or newly formed. Arrange a meeting time (during or outside the school day) and work with the group to determine the members strengths, interests, and needs related to the student learning priority area; assess their related prior knowledge and skills, their norms and 3

4 expectations for team learning, and relevant school and student cultural influences. In addition, determine together which group learning approach to use (such as a professional learning community, community of practice, collaborative action research, or other action-oriented learning approach). A student learning priority area should be based on student performance indicators for one or more student groups. A priority student group could be defined as one or more of the federally-designated priority student groups (students with disabilities, English language learners, African American, Hispanic, and Native American students, low-income students, and students performing below state proficiency levels) or other groups that are a priority in your school. Teachers can improve student learning by focusing on and strengthening one or more of the following: their instructional content knowledge, their pedagogical practices, their understanding of student development and learning, and the integration of the relationship among these critical instructional components into their practice. Consider school level conditions that hinder or foster opportunities for teachers to work together on curriculum, instruction, and assessment; ways to establish a common planning time for this task; and how frequently the team can meet. Component 2: Prepare Through a series of structured group meetings, help the team narrow its focus to a specific student performance priority. Next, help the team identify a meaningful professional learning goal, targeting and customizing a classroom practice that each teacher will implement or improve in order to support students with different instructional or learning needs. Identify the key ideas that the team is developing and action strategies that are being taken, relating them to the school context and desired outcomes. Determine what resources and supports the team members need. Consider the team members individual and collective strengths, interests, and needs in relation to the priority area, drawing on relevant professional learning and adult development theory and research. Consider a professional learning goal that enables team members to give constructive feedback to each other, take the initiative in trying out new practices, and/or engage students in new opportunities for learning around the priority area. 4

5 Component 3: Act Through ongoing meetings, facilitate the team members as they work to improve their practice (and thus student learning). Use a team or group learning process consisting of preparing, acting, and assessing. As feasible, support teachers both individually and collectively in their learning. Direct the group s learning toward implementing a new practice or improving on an existing practice to increase student learning in the focus area, such as the following: A new or revised curricular unit (such as a unit related to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks). A new or improved instructional practice (such as performance-based learning or literacy instruction embedded within a subject-matter curriculum). A new or improved assessment practice (such as formative and interim assessments aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks or a performance assessment). Strategies to improve student engagement through more effective differentiated instruction and support for positive student behavior and performance. Your role as facilitator and support provider, which is critical to the group learning process, includes the following: Convening regular meetings for teachers to prepare, implement, and assess their work. Coaching the team process and reinforcing appropriate norms for team learning. Facilitating problem solving. Documenting implementation experiences. Assisting in implementing and assessing new strategies. Maintaining the group s focus and energy. Assessing progress, change, and impact, including evaluating the team s capacity to learn as a group. As part of your work, document the group s learning by maintaining agendas, attendance, minutes, and copies of shared learning materials. Also, document the support you provide, as facilitator, to the group or to individual teachers in the group. 5

6 Consider which aspects of changing practice are, or may be, the most difficult for teachers to accomplish; and determine how to engage the group, particularly the teachers who support struggling, disengaged, or gifted and talented students. Component 4: Assess Assess whether and how the practices of the participating teachers improve through the team learning process and their individual efforts. Describe your own and the team members roles in the team learning process. Document the implementation of new or changed practices. Through a feedback form or group discussion, ask the members to provide feedback on the team learning process, the quality of the professional feedback they received from each other and from you, what they believe changed in their knowledge and skills as a result of the learning activities and tryout work. Consider how the group s professional learning activities enhance each member s professional growth and development related to improving student performance, as both an individual and a team member. How can the members sustain their work within the team and use it as a foundation to build team and school capacity? Analyze what you learn from the team building and group learning experiences and solicit feedback from the teachers about your team building and group learning facilitation skills. Draw on theory, research, and best practices on leadership development, professional team building, and group learning; and the role of interpersonal skills in group facilitation. Finally, identify problems and successes in facilitating team building and group learning, including how you enabled teachers to take the lead in initiating change. Draw implications from this work for improving your own team building and group learning facilitation skills for the future. Artifacts, Documents and Commentary This section provides instructions for school leadership candidate submissions for the review process: Your three artifacts: a description of the priority area and the team, the plan and its implementation, and feedback on the team learning. 6

7 Other documents that support your artifacts. Your commentary in narrative form in response to a series of prompts about the development of your leadership skills while completing this task. Artifacts The artifacts that you submit for scoring are described below. They are to be submitted as three files: (1) a description of the priority area and team; (2) a presentation or report on the team learning plan, its implementation, and team experiences; and (3) feedback on the team learning. Each can take the form of a report or memo to the principal or superintendent. Artifact #1: Description of the Priority Area and the Team In a memo of up to two single-spaced pages (up to 1000 words) to the principal or superintendent, explain the academic priority focus area and the group of teachers that will address it. Include the following specifically: A description of a student learning priority area for team learning and the focus the group selected. Explain how the team decided on its area of focus or shared work, and how you facilitated the group s decision to narrow its focus within the priority area for student learning. Explain your use of data and how you considered competing priorities and demands. As part of this task, do the following: An analysis and interpretation of student demographic, academic performance, and relevant other data on the importance of this student learning priority area, with reference sources provided as appropriate. An explanation of the focus of work for a group of teachers (i.e., curriculum, instruction, assessment, or school culture) Identification of the other focuses that were considered, and the rationale and process for the team s choice. A brief explanation of the relationship of the focus to school or district priorities and practices. An explanation of how school context and student, teacher and school culture influences the focus area. Note: Synthesize the data used to define your student learning priority area and the focus selected. Do not present tables of information without interpretation and 7

8 conclusions about the focus used for this task. Use tables of data judiciously to guide and inform readers. A description of the team or group selected for this task that includes a list of the members (by role, not name), and the reasons for each member s inclusion. Placement of this proposed team within the school context by including the following information: An analysis of the role that team learning currently plays in the school s teacher and student culture, as an active part of school improvement efforts. Identification of the types of teams that exist in the school. Information on recent formal training on professional learning communities, team building, or group process; and the nature of this training. An explanation of how you obtained team members commitment to participate, including their reasons for doing so. Artifact #2: Description of the Team Learning Experiences and Results In a report (of no more than five single-spaced pages, or 2500 words) to the principal or superintendent, provide a summary description of what the team or group did over the course of the project, its learning experiences, and the new types of practice that members employed to improve student learning. Specifically, include the following information: An explanation of how you engaged teachers or others in a team learning process in order to enable them to improve their own practice in a manner that will positively influence student learning. A justification of how the selected approach(es) supported group learning. An explanation of how the team learning approach is situated within the school s professional learning culture, history, and demographic context. A description of the group learning norms that were created and sustained to support how they worked together. A brief explanation of the nature of the group s learning and how the learning was structured, including a description of how protocols were used to support group learning during and between meetings. Summaries of the work that the group did to foster learning in the focus area, and of the group s experiences in supporting each other s learning, including the ideas 8

9 discussed during regular meetings and the learning activities, such as trying out new content or practices between meetings. An explanation of how you garnered and structured time and resources to support the group s work that includes the following information: How you scheduled meeting time. How you secured staff support to enable group work. How you secured other, non-staff resources to support group work or pilot new strategies. How you gained approvals for the group work. Other time and resources used. A description of your role as a resource to the group and to individual teachers as each person tried out new practices, including an explanation of your role in supporting their work and moving it forward. A description of the challenges and problems, including conflicts and member differences, that arose and how you and the group addressed them. Artifact #3. Findings, Feedback, and Recommendations In a memo to the principal or superintendent of up to three single-spaced pages, (and no more than 1500 words) provide an analysis of the group members feedback on team learning, group task accomplishment(s), and your facilitation role. Also provide evidence of the benefits of the work for improving teaching practice and student learning. Specifically, the memo should include the following information: An analysis and interpretation of group or team members feedback that you collected about the following aspects of the task, including a list of the individuals (by role, not name) who provided feedback and a brief description of how you obtained feedback: Their experiences learning together as group. Your group facilitation and support skills. How group member disagreements or conflicts were addressed and how group members learned to work to resolve differences. Accomplishments, challenges, and implications for improving their teaching practices. 9

10 Preliminary evidence of how their work together is impacting student learning. The potential for sustaining the group and what the group learned. Recommendations for further use of teams or groups to foster a professional learning culture in the school to improve student learning. NOTE: All supporting documents, reports, and tables of data that are referenced in these artifacts must be included in the section Documents and should be appropriately cited. Documents You must complete a confidentiality and anonymity form. The form is available online in ShowEvidence, as part of Task 2. Complete and upload, as you submit your work products for Task 2. In addition to the artifact files described above, include the following documents used in the task, combined as appropriate as one file for of the six categories below: (Category #1) Background data and other information on the student learning priority area and focus. (Category #2) A list of teacher or other staff teams or groups in the school. (Category #3) A list of the team building and discussion group protocols the group used. (Category #4) The agendas and summary minutes for all the team meetings. (Category #5) Other materials that are relevant to the work that the team undertook. (Category #6) The team learning feedback form and summary findings. Commentary Write a personal commentary of up to two single-spaced pages (and no more than 1000 words) on your own learning and leadership development through this experience. Base your analysis on the activities and on the feedback received from team members on your leadership and their professional learning. Use the prompts below for your commentary: How effectively did you facilitate the group and its learning? What leadership skills did you develop for team building and group learning? 10

11 In what ways did you help the group members make progress in improving teaching for the focal area selected? What problems did you face and what successes did you achieve in facilitating team building and group learning? How did you handle conflict or group member differences? What insights did you gain about a leader s role in facilitating group learning to improve practice? How would you gain support for similar group learning efforts in the future? What would you do differently and why? How would you improve your leadership skills? Task 2: Instructional Leadership for Professional Learning Culture Rubrics How will the evidence of your leadership practice be assessed? As you prepare your artifacts and commentary, use the following rubrics to guide your thinking, planning, action, analysis, and presentation. 11

12 Rubric 2.a: Plan to Facilitate Team Learning MA Standard 4. Professional Culture: Promotes success for all students by nurturing and sustaining a school culture of reflective practice, high expectations, and continuous learning for staff. MA Standard 1. Instructional Leadership: Promotes the learning and growth of all students and the success of all staff by cultivating a shared vision that makes effective teaching and learning the central focus of schooling. How does the candidate plan for a professional learning to improve teaching and student learning? Team identification Beginning Developing Meeting Exceeding Identifies one or more teachers with whom to work, without forming a group culture. Selects a group of teachers to work on a learning focus with limited attention to their strengths and interest in the priority area. Selects a purposeful group of teachers based on their individual strengths and their relationship to the priority area and interest in a focus for improving teaching practice. Engages a purposeful group of teachers, with school and teacher leader input, based on their individual and collective strengths clearly connected to the priority area and focus. MA PAL Component, Artifact, Commentary Components 1, 2 Artifact 1 Team learning plan Provides limited information on school Does not synthesize or interpret data used to define priority area Uses data to explain how the priority area Provides evidence of initial group member commitment and understanding of the priority area and focus. Uses data to explain how the priority area is influenced by school Components 1, 2 Artifact 1 12

13 context for team learning. and vaguely addresses school context or culture. is influenced by school context and culture. context and culture and how competing priorities were evaluated and considered. 13

14 Rubric 2.b: Enact a Professional Learning Culture to Support Team Learning MA Standard 4. Professional Culture: Promotes success for all students by nurturing and sustaining a school culture of reflective practice, high expectations, and continuous learning for staff. MA Standard 1. Instructional Leadership: Promotes the learning and growth of all students and the success of all staff by cultivating a shared vision that makes effective teaching and learning the central focus of schooling. How does the candidate support team learning? Team process Team learning and work Beginning Developing Meeting Exceeding Provides little or no Consistently facilitates support to facilitate group learning related group learning. the focus area. Does not establish group learning norms. Unsystematically shares information with others about practices. Leads teachers with limited support for engaging group learning. Establishes general group learning norms. Directs teachers with limited information and support for individual and collective work. Establishes and uses shared norms for working and decision making. Supports teachers ongoing individual and collective work. Shares responsibility for facilitating group learning. Establishes and uses shared norms for problem solving, resolving conflicts, monitoring, and eliciting feedback. Promotes and deepens teachers ongoing individual and collective work through cycles of preparing, acting, monitoring, assessing, and sharing. MA PAL Component, Artifact, Commentary Components 2, 3 Artifacts 2, 3 Component 3 Artifacts 2, 3 Commentary 14

15 Rubric 2.c: Assess Team Learning to Improve Ongoing Group Learning MA Standard 4. Professional Culture: Promotes success for all students by nurturing and sustaining a school culture of reflective practice, high expectations, and continuous learning for staff. How does the candidate assess progress and change pertaining to a team learning task? Assessment of team process and team work Assessment of leadership skills and practices Beginning Developing Meeting Exceeding Describes own learning Describes what team accomplishments, with members tried out or limited attention to what occurred in the others learning team process, and the experiences. task accomplishments. Gives little attention to his or her leadership skills. Makes weak or no links between team process and team accomplishments. Conducts cursory analysis of his or her leadership skills and practices used for group learning. Uses teacher feedback and other data on how team process facilitates team s learning and task accomplishments (individually and collectively). Identifies his or her leadership skills and practices used to facilitate group learning and accomplishments. Draws on experiences and feedback in completing this task. Uses data to show how team s learning and task accomplishments (individually and collectively) led to changes in teaching practices. Provides evidence that the team developed capacity as an ongoing learning community. Analyses how he or she adjusted leadership practices throughout the task. Proposes specific strategies to improve his or her practice. MA PAL Component, Artifact, Commentary Component 4 Artifact 3 Commentary Component 4 Commentary 15