The Power of Teacher Teams

Presenter – Diane StillKentucky Dept. of Education

Essential QuestionsHow do we create effective teacher teams?

How can the function of these teams impact student work and the overall effectiveness of a school?

Kentucky’s Definition of Professional Learning

Professional learning is a comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to increase student achievement that strengthens and improves educators’ effectiveness in meeting individual, team, school, school district, and state goals. It is ongoing, relevant, job-embedded learning for educators at all stages of career development.

704 KAR 3:035

List the similarities and differences between these two photographs.

Resources for Learning Experience:

“The Final Word” Protocol

You have an excerpt from an article “How a Learning Community Helped Me Relearn My Job”1. Read the article and choose one “most significant”

idea/quote from the text.2. Choose a person to act as a timekeeper (Cell phone

timer is perfect.) This person also participates.3. Read through the Process section of The Final

Word protocol (Hand out) and choose a person in your group to begin the process.

Why Do Teams Fail?

0The complexities of collaboration are untaught.0Effective teacher leadership is missing.0The need for expertise is ignored or misunderstood.0Pitfalls are unrecognized or poorly addressed.0Team members give up when they do not get along

with each other.0There are no consequences for poor (individual or

team) performance.

5 Conditions of Effective Teacher Teams

Improved Teaching

and Learning

Task Focus

Leadership

Collaborative Climate

Personal Accountability

Structures and Processes

Task Focus...Is the team’s task well-defined and articulated, and does it focus on improving student learning?

Leadership...Does the team encourage leadership?

Collaborative Climate...Does the team promote a working environment that generates trust, communication, and synergy?

Personal Accountability...Is there an articulated expectation of performance improvement for both the team and the individual?

Structures and Processes...Can the team articulate its structure and the team processes it uses to accomplish its goals?

The Importance of Instructional Talk

0 Instructional talk in teacher team meetings improves curriculum and instruction.

0 Instructional talk demands the use of records of practice – tangible artifacts such as teachers’ journals, student work, videotapes, lesson plans, and assessments. Only artifacts can produce tangible evidence of changes made in teaching practice and student learning.

0Teachers are almost never taught how to engage in meaningful instructional talk.

Connecting Instructional Talk to Classroom Practice

0Focus on instruction0Connect instructional talk to curriculum0Connect instructional talk to classroom practice by:

*Using assessment data*Working collaboratively on lesson plans*Conducting classroom observations

Using Team Meetings to Improve Instructional Practice

0Examine student work using protocols.0Use protocols to monitor and assure teachers focus on

curriculum and instruction.0 Implement longer-term professional learning goals

such as instructional rounds and lesson studies.

Framework for Team Effectiveness

Examining a Team

The Principal as Instructional Leader

0Articulate the vision.0Emphasize the importance of collaboration.0Actively engage in team development.

*Provide adequate time.*Provide necessary support.*Provide teaming skill development.*Connect teacher teams to curriculum &

instruction.

Team-Building Tips for Principals

1. Build capacity first: make development of the team a top priority. Don’t assume a team will work well together on its own.

2. Set specific, doable goals and priorities for the team.3. Work collaboratively with teachers to create a team

learning plan. 4. Make sure that the team’s activities are aligned with

its goals.5. Identify and tackle barriers to performance.

Team-Building Tips for Principals (cont.)

6. Communicate clearly and honestly to help team members to survive conflict and develop confidence in themselves and their leader.7. Focus more of the team’s meeting time on instruction rather than logistics.8. Grow other leaders.9. Honor individual and team success.

Team Development andStrategies for Success

0 Establish team norms or behavioral guidelines for collaboration.

0 Appoint specific roles to team members (e.g., facilitator, timekeeper, note-taker, norms/process checker, etc.).

0 Acknowledge team-meeting “sore spots” and take steps to avoid or cure them. For instance, what can be done about too many sidebar discussions?

0 Learn by example. Study other teams and look for underlying problems and solutions. (See case studies.)

0 Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Prioritize, reach agreement, and set aspirations and expectations accordingly.

To Access Today’s Resources:

1. Go to www.jennyray.net2. Choose the PGES tab and the

Professional Learning sub-tab3. Scroll down the page until you

see the following: