RSA
#2 Creating a Results Orientation in a Professional Learning Community
A school that embraces professional learning communities
(PLCs) ensures high levels of learning for all students. The school identifies what
is it that students need to learn and have a way of monitoring student
learning.
In the book, Learning
By Doing by Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, and Many, they state that members of a
PLC have to be committed to achieving results and reviewing evidence that
proves their efforts have worked. Results-orientated goals are discussed as essential
to effective teams. The authors state “a results orientation is a focus on
outcomes rather than inputs or intentions.” They go on to explain that there
isn’t a lack of data in schools, just a lack of valuable data to compare with
others to identify strengths and weaknesses in teaching. Teachers need to have feedback
on what is working and not, and ongoing support to learn better techniques. “The
best way to provide powerful feedback to teachers and to turn data into information
that can improve teaching and learning is through team-developed and
team-analyzed common formative assessments.” (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker & Many,
2006)
The article, Integrating
Testing with Teaching, by Herbert Rudman, describes how testing and
teaching are not done in isolation. The article includes ways that testing is
linked to teaching, including that testing can be used to determine what
students know, assist in grouping students, as well as help to determine pacing
of content. Students’ perspectives were analyzed, and the analysis found that “students feel that frequent
testing helps them retain more content, reduces test anxiety, and aids their
own monitoring of their progress” (Rudman, 1989).
The article relates to Capter 7, Using Relevant Information
to Improve Results, in Learning By Doing.
Both articles describe the importance that assessments measure how effective teaching
impacts student learning. The article Integrating
Testing with Teaching could be a follow-up to the book, because it seems to
take the concept of results orientation and assessments to the next level,
describing different aspects of assessments.
References
DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2006). Learning
by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work.
Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Rudman, H. C. (1989). Integrating testing with teaching. Retrieved
from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=1&n=6
Do
you have valuable data?
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