The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Professional Development

Coaching Inquiry-Oriented Learning Communities
Nancy Fichtman Dana - University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
Diane Yendol-Hoppey - University of North Florida, USA
The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Professional Development
May 2008 | 208 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781452239255
Available from January 0001
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ISBN: 9781412955805
Available from January 0001

Description

"A tool box overflowing with ideas that will help every staff developer craft a school culture hospitable to adult and student learning."
—Roland S. Barth, Author, Lessons Learned

"The book speaks to many audiences, including instructional coaches, PLC leaders, action researchers and group leaders, and university professors working with action researchers and PLCs."
—Gail Ritchie, Coleader, Teacher Researcher Network
Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

"A terrific resource for connecting teacher networks and action research to create powerful professional development opportunities. This book is a joy to read."
—Ellen Meyers, Senior Vice President
Teachers Network

Powerful tools for facilitating teachers' professional development and optimizing school improvement efforts!

Professional learning communities (PLCs) and action research are popular and proven frameworks for professional development. While both can greatly improve teaching and learning, few resources have combined the two practices into one coherent approach.

The Reflective Educator's Guide to Professional Development provides educators with strategies, activities, and tools to develop inquiry-oriented PLCs. Nationally known school reform experts Nancy Fichtman Dana and Diane Yendol-Hoppey cover the ten essential elements of a healthy PLC, provide case studies of actual inquiry-based PLCs, and present lessons learned to help good coaches become great coaches. With this step-by-step guide, readers will be able to:

  • Organize, assess, and maintain high-functioning, inquiry-oriented PLCs
  • Facilitate the development of study questions
  • Establish the trust and collective commitment necessary for successful action research
  • Enable PLC members to develop, analyze, and share research results
  • Lead successful renewal and reform efforts

By combining two powerful training practices, coaches, workshop leaders, and staff developers can ensure continuous, robust school-based professional development.

Contents

List of Figures

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Tables

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

  • 1. Facilitating the Professional Development of Others: The Role of Action Research and Professional Learning Communities
  • What Constitutes Powerful Professional Development?
  • What Is Action Research?
  • What Are Professional Learning Communities?
  • How Can Action Research and Professional Learning Communities Become the Dynamic Duo?
  • What's in a Name?: The Importance of Clarifying Language
  • What Might an Inquiry-Oriented Professional Learning Community Look Like?
  • 2. Establishing and Maintaining a Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLC
  • Ten Essential Elements of Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
  • Assessing the Health of Your PLC
  • Using Action Research to Advance Inquiry-Oriented PLC Work
  • 3. Helping PLC Members Locate a Wondering
  • The Wondering Playground
  • The Wondering Litmus Test
  • Looking Across the Litmus Test Questions and Stories
  • 4. Helping PLC Members Develop an Action Research Plan
  • Facilitating the Development of an Inquiry Brief: The Inquiry-Planning Meeting
  • The Inquiry Brief Litmus Test
  • 5. Helping PLC Members Analyze Data
  • Data Analysis for the Action Researcher: A Review
  • Coaching Analysis: The Data Analysis Meeting
  • 6. Helping PLC Members Share Their Work With Others
  • The Importance of Sharing: A Review
  • Creating a Space and Time for Sharing
  • Sharing PLC Inquiry Work With a Larger Audience
  • Four Core Components of Sharing
  • 7. From Good to Great: Lessons Learned in Coaching an Inquiry-Oriented PLC
  • One Dozen Lessons for Coaching Inquiry-Oriented PLCs

References

References

Index

Index

Additional materials

Description

"A tool box overflowing with ideas that will help every staff developer craft a school culture hospitable to adult and student learning."
—Roland S. Barth, Author, Lessons Learned

"The book speaks to many audiences, including instructional coaches, PLC leaders, action researchers and group leaders, and university professors working with action researchers and PLCs."
—Gail Ritchie, Coleader, Teacher Researcher Network
Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

"A terrific resource for connecting teacher networks and action research to create powerful professional development opportunities. This book is a joy to read."
—Ellen Meyers, Senior Vice President
Teachers Network

Powerful tools for facilitating teachers' professional development and optimizing school improvement efforts!

Professional learning communities (PLCs) and action research are popular and proven frameworks for professional development. While both can greatly improve teaching and learning, few resources have combined the two practices into one coherent approach.

The Reflective Educator's Guide to Professional Development provides educators with strategies, activities, and tools to develop inquiry-oriented PLCs. Nationally known school reform experts Nancy Fichtman Dana and Diane Yendol-Hoppey cover the ten essential elements of a healthy PLC, provide case studies of actual inquiry-based PLCs, and present lessons learned to help good coaches become great coaches. With this step-by-step guide, readers will be able to:

  • Organize, assess, and maintain high-functioning, inquiry-oriented PLCs
  • Facilitate the development of study questions
  • Establish the trust and collective commitment necessary for successful action research
  • Enable PLC members to develop, analyze, and share research results
  • Lead successful renewal and reform efforts

By combining two powerful training practices, coaches, workshop leaders, and staff developers can ensure continuous, robust school-based professional development.

Contents

List of Figures

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Tables

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

  • 1. Facilitating the Professional Development of Others: The Role of Action Research and Professional Learning Communities
  • What Constitutes Powerful Professional Development?
  • What Is Action Research?
  • What Are Professional Learning Communities?
  • How Can Action Research and Professional Learning Communities Become the Dynamic Duo?
  • What's in a Name?: The Importance of Clarifying Language
  • What Might an Inquiry-Oriented Professional Learning Community Look Like?
  • 2. Establishing and Maintaining a Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLC
  • Ten Essential Elements of Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
  • Assessing the Health of Your PLC
  • Using Action Research to Advance Inquiry-Oriented PLC Work
  • 3. Helping PLC Members Locate a Wondering
  • The Wondering Playground
  • The Wondering Litmus Test
  • Looking Across the Litmus Test Questions and Stories
  • 4. Helping PLC Members Develop an Action Research Plan
  • Facilitating the Development of an Inquiry Brief: The Inquiry-Planning Meeting
  • The Inquiry Brief Litmus Test
  • 5. Helping PLC Members Analyze Data
  • Data Analysis for the Action Researcher: A Review
  • Coaching Analysis: The Data Analysis Meeting
  • 6. Helping PLC Members Share Their Work With Others
  • The Importance of Sharing: A Review
  • Creating a Space and Time for Sharing
  • Sharing PLC Inquiry Work With a Larger Audience
  • Four Core Components of Sharing
  • 7. From Good to Great: Lessons Learned in Coaching an Inquiry-Oriented PLC
  • One Dozen Lessons for Coaching Inquiry-Oriented PLCs

References

References

Index

Index

Additional materials

SAGE Publishing Logo

The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Professional Development

Coaching Inquiry-Oriented Learning Communities


May 2008 | 208 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 27/02/2023 9781412955805 $40.95
Hardcover 27/02/2023 9781412955799 $90.95
Lifetime 27/02/2023 9781452239255 $37.00

"A tool box overflowing with ideas that will help every staff developer craft a school culture hospitable to adult and student learning."
—Roland S. Barth, Author, Lessons Learned

"The book speaks to many audiences, including instructional coaches, PLC leaders, action researchers and group leaders, and university professors working with action researchers and PLCs."
—Gail Ritchie, Coleader, Teacher Researcher Network
Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

"A terrific resource for connecting teacher networks and action research to create powerful professional development opportunities. This book is a joy to read."
—Ellen Meyers, Senior Vice President
Teachers Network

Powerful tools for facilitating teachers' professional development and optimizing school improvement efforts!

Professional learning communities (PLCs) and action research are popular and proven frameworks for professional development. While both can greatly improve teaching and learning, few resources have combined the two practices into one coherent approach.

The Reflective Educator's Guide to Professional Development provides educators with strategies, activities, and tools to develop inquiry-oriented PLCs. Nationally known school reform experts Nancy Fichtman Dana and Diane Yendol-Hoppey cover the ten essential elements of a healthy PLC, provide case studies of actual inquiry-based PLCs, and present lessons learned to help good coaches become great coaches. With this step-by-step guide, readers will be able to:

  • Organize, assess, and maintain high-functioning, inquiry-oriented PLCs
  • Facilitate the development of study questions
  • Establish the trust and collective commitment necessary for successful action research
  • Enable PLC members to develop, analyze, and share research results
  • Lead successful renewal and reform efforts

By combining two powerful training practices, coaches, workshop leaders, and staff developers can ensure continuous, robust school-based professional development.


Table Of Contents:

  • List of Figures
  • List of Tables
  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Authors
  • 1. Facilitating the Professional Development of Others: The Role of Action Research and Professional Learning Communities
  • What Constitutes Powerful Professional Development?
  • What Is Action Research?
  • What Are Professional Learning Communities?
  • How Can Action Research and Professional Learning Communities Become the Dynamic Duo?
  • What's in a Name?: The Importance of Clarifying Language
  • What Might an Inquiry-Oriented Professional Learning Community Look Like?
  • 2. Establishing and Maintaining a Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLC
  • Ten Essential Elements of Healthy Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
  • Assessing the Health of Your PLC
  • Using Action Research to Advance Inquiry-Oriented PLC Work
  • 3. Helping PLC Members Locate a Wondering
  • The Wondering Playground
  • The Wondering Litmus Test
  • Looking Across the Litmus Test Questions and Stories
  • 4. Helping PLC Members Develop an Action Research Plan
  • Facilitating the Development of an Inquiry Brief: The Inquiry-Planning Meeting
  • The Inquiry Brief Litmus Test
  • 5. Helping PLC Members Analyze Data
  • Data Analysis for the Action Researcher: A Review
  • Coaching Analysis: The Data Analysis Meeting
  • 6. Helping PLC Members Share Their Work With Others
  • The Importance of Sharing: A Review
  • Creating a Space and Time for Sharing
  • Sharing PLC Inquiry Work With a Larger Audience
  • Four Core Components of Sharing
  • 7. From Good to Great: Lessons Learned in Coaching an Inquiry-Oriented PLC
  • One Dozen Lessons for Coaching Inquiry-Oriented PLCs
  • References
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

"Congratulations to Nancy Fichtman Dana and Diane Yendol-Hoppey—and to all of us who are committed to helping teachers find their voice through the development of action research studies. We now have a terrific resource that provides a road map for connecting teacher networks and action research to create powerful professional development opportunities. The authors bring learning communities and teacher research to life because they put this work in the context of real schools and relate wonderful anecdotes of actual teachers. This book is a joy to read."
Ellen Meyers, Senior Vice President, Teachers Network
"A tool box overflowing with ideas that will help every staff developer craft a school culture hospitable to adult and student learning."
Roland S. Barth, Author, Lessons Learned
"The reader gets to be a fly on the wall, listening as the coaches facilitate and problem solve with their groups. The authors are truly passionate about providing the reader with tools, protocols, and vocabulary to aid coaches in their role as facilitator of teacher professional learning communities."
Bill Osman, Supervisor of Professional Development and Mentoring, Hamilton Township Public Schools, NJ
"Offers a new perspective on professional development that any school could implement. This book gave me ideas to share with my principals on how to get teachers to be active learners in the professional development process."
Gina Segobiano, Superintendent, Harmony Emge School District #175, Belleville, IL
"The book speaks to many audiences, including instructional coaches, PLC leaders, action researchers and group leaders, and university professors working with action researchers and PLCs."
Gail Ritchie, Coleader, Teacher Researcher Network, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

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