Jennifer+Pavlik

=** Week 5 PLC: **** Studying Teaching Practice in Professional Learning Communities **= // [Note to PLC Leaders: ////Make sure that you have read the PLC Assignment on our Assignments page so you fully understand your role and requirements as a Leader for this class meeting.//

Start copying right below this line and paste into a new page linked to your PLC page. Remember to delete all of these PLC Leader notes and add in what you are required to add!]

PLC Meeting Location: RM 328 PLC Meeting Time:9:30 AM

[Note to PLC Leaders: make sure you tell groups how much of this plan you all will do together and what, if any, parts—such as the Engage and Explore sections—that members will do on their own ahead of time

. There is also a portion of the Elaborate section—reading and viewing Modules 4 and 5 of the QUEST Teacher Research Initiative that you might want to have members do ahead of time. Consider where you are meeting—if you will not have internet access or separate computers, you may have them do this ahead of time.]

Hour 1
Please view the video below as an anticipatory set for today’s lesson, to get your attention focused on using Inquiry to study Teaching Practice in collaborative groups: [] (seems to take a while to load and displays very small, but is worth it! Approximately 15 min.)
 * //ENGAGE//**

//[Note to PLC leaders: Post to your Group space a second reading, resource, or website for your team to explore in order to broaden or deepen member understanding of studying teaching in collaboratively in groups. (One suggestion: [])]//
 * //EXPLORE//**
 * //http://www.ncpublicschools.org/profdev/resources/proflearn///**

Hour 2
//[Note to PLC Leaders: You will lead the group in responding to the video and other resources. Here is where you will post to your group space at least 3 open-ended discussion questions (For example, one discussion question might be, What would it take to provide time in a school day for teachers to discuss together?). Each PLC member should have an opportunity to share his or her understanding of the content.]// 1. Have any of you observed a PLC at your school? If so, what are your reactions? 2. How would you approach your principal and other teachers about creating time and space for a PLC? 3. Are learning communities that important? I know this semester we participate in this class, but as a teacher do you feel like this is something that you truly need or are you more of an individual worker? Why are they important?
 * //EXPLAIN//**

//[Note to PLC leaders: Normally, here is where you would present a brief activity for the group to test its collective understanding and to push it into new directions. Today, I’m suggesting two activities for you to practice real teaching inquiry and analysis with your PLC! You can post this as is, or modify if you like.]//
 * //ELABORATE//**

First, take turns discussing the data you have collected so far on your Child Inquiry. These questions might guide your conversation:
 * Who did I choose?
 * What did I see?
 * What does it mean?

Next, it is time to analyze the data you have collected, or in other words, figure out what is going on with this student! Either individually, or in partners, take some time right now to read and listen to Modules 4 and 5. Once everyone has gone through these, discuss. Finally, the Inquiry #2 assignment requires you to select a teaching practice of your cooperating teacher to study—something that seems to work or something that doesn’t seem to work or something that has just caught your eye. Could be:
 * Grouping
 * Presenting
 * Classroom management
 * Communicating
 * Technology use

As a group, make a list of teaching strategies that you see used in your class. Take turns formulating a “wondering” about one strategy. How can your PLC group help you to initiate, analyze, and write-up this inquiry?

Hour 3
1. As a group, reflect on what you have learned today about studying teaching in collaborative groups.
 * //EVALUATE//**

2. As a group, draft a brief statement (approx 1-2 paragraphs) of what you learned or new understandings you came to during this discussion. What did you agree with/about, and what did you not agree with/about? How do you KNOW you learned and grew?! Post this statement to your PLC page. We all agreed that PLC meetings are helpful and we wish they would occur more in the schools. PLCs are a great place to vent and support your teaching partners. We learned some teachers don't even have planning times and that they are having to meet during there lunch periods which is even more stressful. If PLCs were made more of a priority at the school teachers would be more supported. We also discussed how the required PLC meetings in this class are a great support and resource. We were given the opportunity to discuss how our lessons are going and give each other support. We all have a few lessons under our belt, most of which have not gone as we had planned. It was good to know that other people were dealing with some discouraging feelings.

During the discussion we all learned that each classroom does centers differenlty, some ways work and others don't. We also learned that some classrooms use technology ﻿all of the time, while others hardly ever use technology. We also went over different issues with classroom management in the classroom. We all grew by hearing how different each of our teachers run their classrooms and how it would be different in our classroom. 3. As a group, please look at the Assignments page for the description and grading rubric for the Inquiry #2 assignment. Now is the time to being Inquiry #2, selecting a teaching practice of your cooperating teacher to study. The format is the same as your Child study, and you should use what you learned through the five QUEST Teacher Research Modules.

4. Individually, please send your PLC Check as an email to Caroline so that she can get you recorded as "attending" in the gradebook:
 * What/Who worked well in today’s PLC meeting?
 * What/Who didn’t work so well in today’s PLC meeting?