Professional
Learning Communities
UNESCO has recently provided a very helpful definition of this complex
thing we call 'literacy'. "Literacy is about more than reading and
writing… it is about how to communicate and participate in society.
It is about social practices and relationships, about knowledge language
and culture." In our technological age, the definition of literacy
is likely to include not just the ability to read and write, but also
basic technological, visual and information literacy. With the rapid
expansion of knowledge, students will need to be able to find, sort,
assess, make decisions and apply knowledge and information to a variety
of problems and situations.
Because communicative competence is so fundamental to all learning,
we need to create a collaborative culture that includes everyone on
the school literacy team. We have to develop methodologies and practices,
common across the curriculum, to be used in all classrooms and shared
with parents and other adults in children's lives if we are going
to support literacy growth for all our students.
The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement
is developing the capacity of people working with young people to
function as professional learning communities. It makes perfect sense
that you can't have students learning continuously and working together
successfully unless those who teach them and serve as their role models
do the same.
Organizational capacity to boost student literacy and learning in
general depends on teachers having shared purposes, collaborative
activity to support students' success in all subject areas and the
assumption of collective responsibility for students' progress by
all the staff.
Learning through literacy can become a metaphor for change and improvement
in our schools. When we focus on using the many functions of language
for real purposes across the curriculum, we will contribute to the
development of literacy skills which will equip our students for their
futures.
One of the key non-negotiables for school-based Professional Learning
Communities that ensure literacy learning and high achievement for
all students is a school leader/principal who is a catalyst for collective
commitment and action. This principal sees the collaborative team,
the analysis of relevant data, and thoughtful consideration of practice
and results as the building blocks of the intelligent school.
The way we do things in schools, or the culture of the place, is a
complex pattern of norms, attitudes, beliefs, values and rituals.
Stephen Covey was right when he said "Replacing a deeply embedded
bad habit with a good one… takes deep understanding of self and the
principles of growth and change. These include assessment, commitment,
feedback and follow-through." The job of the school leader is to align
strategy, structure, culture and skills.
If you want to be a school leader who makes a difference for students'
literacy learning, see how you and your school rate on the following
scale about STRATEGIC SKILLS:
Strategic skills: the "technology of schooling---knowing and being
able to implement practices which lead to improved learning for students.
Chose one of the following four categories to assess your progress
in each of the areas of the chart.
1. I am concerned about this
2. We've made some progress but there's a long way to go
3. Generally satisfactory but could be enhanced
4. I really like what I see
Click here to download
chart.
After you fill in this chart, take it to a staff discussion where
others can do the same and you can compare your perceptions with your
colleagues. This may lead to a very enlightening dialogue about how
people see things unfolding in your school. This may prove to be an
affirmation of the efficacy of current work or an eye-opener that
may, in turn, help shape important next steps! |
Telementoring
Using Our Brains...
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