CHETL Part 2

If you followed me @csstem over the last month you realized I have been active in the Common Assignment Study (CAS).  This study combines teachers from three school districts in two different states to develop a common “units” around the new standards in the subject areas of Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts.  The largest challenge in the project is the collaboration of 8-10 teachers who have never previously worked together.  When we all arrived in Seattle to meet last week, the group dynamics and collaboration were some of the best I had ever been a part of.

That brings me to a challenge that we all face and struggle with.  How do we create a Professional Learning Community (PLC) that is effective and leads to highly-effective instruction?  I have been a part of numerous collaborative planning groups in the past that were anything but effective.   I have experienced the group with one person who has to have everything their way and their lessons they have used for decades are the best it can be.  I’ve been a part of the group where no one wants to share anything and we spend the better part of an hour discussing topics that aren’t relative.  I’ve been to professional development on differentiation over ten times.  I’m not sure if they think I missed it the first time or that it has just left my brain each year. We have to stop wasting our planning time and our professional development and start being effective collaborators.

The reason we were so successful in Seattle during the CAS is that prior to meeting, a small cadre of teachers and researchers met and discussed what framework was needed to ensure effective collaboration.  We talked about being open to others’ ideas, not being afraid to share, and structuring time to achieve the assigned tasks.  One of the most important activities we completed was a sharing of an effective community we belong to.  Think about an effective community outside of school that you belong to.  What are the aims of the community? What are the values of the community?  Why do you continue to be a member of the community?

I think these things are all important to ponder when entering a PLN or seeking professional development.  The community I shared with my group values sharing the STEM disciplines and professions with students.  We work together to provide extra opportunities outside of the school day to underrepresented populations in an effort to expose them to as many STEM careers as possible.  This is something that I value as I was simply not aware of all of the career possibilities in STEM when I was a youth.  If I had been exposed to more of the STEM careers it is likely I would have chosen a career other than teaching.  Beyond this, the group pushes me to achieve beyond my individual capacity.  We have applied for numerous grants and put out papers for publishing this summer which I never would have been able to do alone.  Each member of the group challenges me to push my ideas forward for the benefit of students.

As you enter a new school year please actively think about what it is you want to share and receive from your PLN.  Intentionally planning for this area of our profession will result in much more development and in turn more highly-effective and rewarding instruction.