Lindsay

=** Week 5 PLC: **** Studying Teaching Practice in Professional Learning Communities **=

PLC Meeting Location: ooVoo PLC Meeting Time: 3pm

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//**

[] http://www.idra.org/IDRA_Newsletter/June_-_July_2004%3A_Self-Renewing_Schools%E2%80%A6Leadership/The_Role_of_Mentoring_in_Teacher_Quality_and_Retention/
 * //EXPLORE://**

Hour 2
//1. How can we use study groups and our peer educators constructively?// //2. Why are teacher support and dialogue important in the school environment?// //3. What are the biggest benefits of teacher discussion, and how can we utilize this as student teachers?//
 * //EXPLAIN//**

1. How can we use study groups and our peer educators constructively? To release frustration, help tailor lessons to individual learners, and discuss discipline issues in the classroom. It’s also a great way to share ideas and discuss what does and does not work in specific lessons.

2. Why are teacher support and dialogue important in the school environment? It helps to keep teachers from feeling so isolated. They have a way to share their worries and frustrations with others that are experiencing the same thing. The group gives them the opportunity to hear one another.

3. What are the biggest benefits of teacher discussion, and how can we utilize this as student teachers? The biggest benefit of teacher discussion is to create a support network for one another. As student teachers, we can use our own support network to plan for our classes, discuss our lessons, and help to keep each other informed of what is coming up next.

First, take turns discussing the data you have collected so far on your Child Inquiry. These questions might guide your conversation:
 * //ELABORATE//**
 * 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.

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?

Group Evaluation:

We learned that in the elementary school environment, it is really important to have a support network of other teachers to go to for personal development, assistance, and moral support. Peer teachers help us learn about where we succeed, our shortcomings, strengths and weaknesses, and how to become better teachers. We learned support networks help teachers feel less isolated and that having someone else to share advice and ideas with helps teachers release stress.

We agreed that support networks are useful for teachers. If we utilize them and put them into correct practice they will help us become effective teachers, and assist us in utilizing professional development in a less formal setting. We disagreed with the idea of teachers feeling isolated in the classroom. We think there are many opportunities during the school day for teachers to interact with each other, and they may make a choice to feel isolated by not taking advantage of those opportunities.

We know we learned and grew because we discussed our own experiences as QUEST students in the elementary school setting. We were also able to bring in our experiences from working in our PLC thus far in the semester. We were able to relate to the way the teachers in the videos felt, and what it was like to experience it for ourselves and have the support of our fellow student teachers.