Collaboration - Interactions Download

Collaboration is a critical component in the building a Professional Learning Community. Respond to the following questions:

What are the benefits to operating our school as an interdependent work place? Benefits to our students, staff members and parents?
What structures do we need in order to support our best work together?
What attitudes are in the way of our interdependence?

Review your thoughts and prioritize what you believe to be the top 5 structures and attitudes needed to move your school to more collaboration.

MY BIG “5”

Using the following “Development Levels of Professional Learning Communities, where is your school in each category?

Characteristics of Collaborative Culture	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced
Teacher Community	Constructing a teacher community; developing collaborative norms	Developing a norm of questioning; beginning to develop shared language/community of explanation	Becoming a learning community focused on improved practice and share accountability
Shared Leadership	Developing systems to manage reform work	Broadening teachers’ leadership roles in reform	Establishing ownership of reform work among most of faculty
Focused Efforts	Creating a focused effort to guide school reform efforts	Clarifying vision; developing work plans to enact vision	Establishing coherence of school reform efforts; managing external pressures
Data Use	Discovering value of data and how to use it	Managing data so that it can be used in better ways	Developing systems for managing data
Inquiry Procedures	Experimenting with inquiry and creating procedures.	Focusing on teaching and learning; identifying indicators of student progress	Connecting whole-school, subunit, and classroom inquiry focus and practice.

Adapted from Building School-Based Teacher Learning Communities, Milbrey W. McLaughlin and Joan E. Talbert