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Tag Archives: Team
Collaboration: The Cornerstone of a PLC
Collaboration is viewed as the cornerstone of a Professional Learning Community (DuFour & Eaker, 1998). In a professional learning community teachers are contributing members of a team that is working interdependently to achieve common goals and to improve their professional … Continue reading
What Is A Professional Learning Community?
Does your school operate as a Professional Learning Community? Hundreds of schools across the United States proclaim that they are a professional learning community. The reality is that a faculty meeting, a grade level meeting, a conversation in the parking … Continue reading
Cultural Shifts in a Professional Learning Community
“It is impossible for a school or district to develop the capacity to function as a professional learning community without undergoing profound cultural shifts” (DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2008, p. 91). The school’s culture dictates the curriculum, instruction, opportunity to … Continue reading
The Power of Teams
Teams demand a merging of individual accountability with mutual accountability. Few “teams can perform without investing time to shape and agree upon a common purpose, set of goals, and working approach” (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993, p. 25). Does your team … Continue reading
Leadership Truths for Curriculum Leaders
What is a curriculum leader? A second grade teacher can serve as a curriculum leader. Principals and Assistant Principals should also be viewed as curriculum leaders. A central office staff member may have the title of Chief Academic Officer or … Continue reading
21st Century Skills
What skills should we teach? In 1860, Herbert Spencer wrote, “Before there can be a rational curriculum, we must settle which things it most concerns us to know.” According to Walker & Soltis (1992), “no substantial agreement exists among philosophers, … Continue reading
Learning Targets
One of my favorite baseball teams is the Durham Bulls. The Durham Bulls play their home games approximately fifteen minutes from my home. The Famous Bull, which was featured in the 1988 movie titled Bull Durham, still sits on top … Continue reading
From Isolation to Collaboration
Collaboration is viewed as the cornerstone of a Professional Learning Community (DuFour & Eaker, 1998). In a professional learning community teachers are contributing members of a team that is working interdependently to achieve common goals and to improve their professional … Continue reading
On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities
On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities is a powerful contribution to the field of educational theory and research. The contributing authors comprise a Who’s Who of Educational Leaders. Roland Barth, Rebecca DuFour, Richard DuFour, Robert Eaker, Barbara … Continue reading