Stoll, Louise

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Booklet 9PlanningPlanning your professional learning communityProfessional Learning Communities:source materials for school leaders andother leaders of professional learningLouise Stoll, Ray Bolam, Agnes McMahon, Sally Thomas, Mike Wallace, Angela Greenwood and Kate HawkeyProfessional learning communities don’t just happen. They need to be nurtured and developed. Planning is an important part of this.2 Professional Learning Communities: source materialsThis activity is designed to help you to plan the development of your school, early yearssetting, centre, college, department or team as a professional learning community (PLC). Itenables you and your colleagues to approachplanning in three main ways, probably workingmore or less in parallel with each other:1 planning to develop selected characteristicsand processes of the overall PLC 2 planning to ensure that individual initiativesand innovations simultaneously draw uponthe strengths of the PLC and contribute toits ongoing development over time3 thinking about how you need to adapt your planning over timeTo assist in these approaches, we suggest two complementary methods, one using acollaborative planning process, the other usingan adapted mind map. The methods could be applied to either task, depending on your preferences.We have also included a chart at the end tohelp you reflect on how you might changeyour planning according to the broad stageyou feel you have reached in your PLC’sdevelopment. In both cases, arrangementsshould be put in place for the outcomes to be fed into the ongoing process ofdeveloping and sustaining the PLC.Notice displayed in a project school staffroomPurpose of this activityUsing the collaborative planning chartThis is designed for a small group or teamworking collaboratively, but it can be carriedout by an individual or adapted for a wholestaff. The precise timing of this activity andhow long it takes will depend on how far you have already completed certain otheractivities. Here we would imagine that youhave already completed the Exploring the ideaof professional learning communities activityin booklet 5, and one or more of the Auditactivities in booklets 6–8. There are eight steps in the activity.Professional Learning Communities: source materials 3Method A: Collaborative planningCollaborative planningTopic: Step 1: What is your priority for action?Review the outcomes of earlier activities (eg from your audits) to confirm or modify prioritiesfor action. It will probably make sense to concentrate on selected PLC characteristics and/orprocesses rather than trying to tackle too many at once (you will find these in the What is aprofessional learning community? A summary card in the introductory source materials). We are using promoting inclusive membership here as a running example but you will want to focus on your own chosen characteristic or process.Write in your prority here:Step 2: What exactly is the present position?Clarify and agree present practice on inclusive membership. If necessary, consult staff via a staff meeting or a quick staff survey. Write in present practice in your priority here:Driving forces promoting change Restraining forces resisting change4 Professional Learning Communities: source materialsStep 3: What needs to be done?Brainstorm and agree the main action steps for your priority. Perhaps use the relevant parts of the Developing your professional learning community materials in booklet 10 (ie on Promoting inclusive membership) as a trigger.Write in action steps for your priority here:Step 4: What resources are needed?Identify the resources needed – in terms of time, space, equipment, money – and how theywill be accessed and organised.Step 5: What are the main driving and restraining forces?List the forces that are working for and against you and see if you can find ways to increasethe driving forces and decrease the restraining forces. You may want to use a force-fieldanalysis to help you with this1.1 Lewin, K, 1947, Frontiers in group dynamics, Human Relations, 1 (1), 5-41Step 6: How will you know what has been achieved?Brainstorm and agree the main practical objectives and targets and how they are to beevaluated. You may also wish to link this step to the Monitoring and evaluationactivities in booklets 12–13.Step 7: Who does what?Agree on roles and responsibilities.Step 8: What is the timetable?Agree when the various tasks are to be completed and on a procedure for reporting back to this group.Professional Learning Communities: source materials 5Using the mapping planThis method focuses you on making the most of your PLC when you are introducinginitiatives and innovations. Mind maps, asdescribed by Tony Buzan2, are a creative formof note-taking. Different colours, words andspecial codes can be used to help identify keypoints and make connections between them,showing where relationships lie. Because theideas are captured on one page, mind mapscan be helpful in providing a succinct overviewof an issue. Use large paper and severaldifferent coloured pens for drawing your map.You will need to choose an initiative to put in the centre of your mapping plan. If severalpeople are doing this, you might want to work in groups, each focusing on a differentinitiative and then look at all the mapstogether to see where you can connect upactivities, cutting out unnecessary overlap.In the example map below, the four sphereslinked to the initiative are the four mainprocesses involved in creating and developingAdd your initiativeOptimising resourcesand structures topromote the PLC as itrelates to your initiativeLeading and managing topromote the PLC as itrelates to your initiativePromotingprofessional learningappropriate to yourinitiativeEvaluating andsustaining the PLC tosupport your initiative6 Professional Learning Communities: source materialsMethod B: Mapping plans 2 Buzan, T, 1998, Make the Most of Your Mind, London, Pan BooksMapping plana PLC that we found in our project. Each one of these contains more detailed processes (look at the resource card What is a professionallearning community? A summary in theintroductory source materials, for specificexamples). Working through each process, askyourselves questions about what you need to doin this area if you want to introduce, developand embed the initiative you have chosen acrossyour school, early years setting, centre or college.In the questions we have used as examples, wehave chosen Assessment for Learning as aninitiative people might want to promote. So, for example, what needs to happen so youor the colleagues you are supporting can:• build trust related to promoting assessmentfor learning?• create time for staff to work together to develop assessment for learning?• strategically co-ordinate continuingprofessional development related toassessment for learning?• identify factors that might inhibit staffcollaborating to build assessment forlearning into their practice?Whether you are focusing on planning thedevelopment of the PLC as a whole or aspecific initiative in relation to your PLC, it isuseful to think about the extent you want tovary your plans according to the broad phaseof the journey you have already reached indeveloping your PLC. The following chart isincluded as a prompt to help you look backover the activities and processes you haveplanned using methods A and B, and considerwhich ones are priorities to focus on atdifferent points in time. Depending where you currently are on your journey of PLCdevelopment, you may find it relevant to fill out only part of the chart.Thinking about your planning over timeWhat will you plan to do at different phases of the PLC development journey?Starting out: Developing: Deepening: Sustaining:to begin to evolve to start embedding to continue…and finallyHaving planned for the development of your PLC and for its support of your various initiatives, you willclearly want to put your plans into action. You may find the activities on Developing your professionallearning community (Booklet 10) and Bringing about change (Booklet 11) helpful to support you in this.Professional Learning Communities: source materials 7© Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Thomas, Wallace, Greenwood and Hawkey, 2006National College forSchool LeadershipTriumph RoadNottingham NG8 1DHT: 0870 001 1155F: 0115 872 2001E: nlc@ncsl.org.ukW: www.ncsl.org.uk/nlcGeneral Teaching Council for England Whittington House19-30 Alfred PlaceLondon WC1E 7EAT: 0870 001 0308F: 020 7023 3909E: info@gtce.org.ukW: www.gtce.org.ukDfES Innovation UnitSanctuary BuildingsGreat Smith StreetLondon SW1P 3BTT: 0870 000 2288E: innovation.unit@dfes.gsi.gov.ukW: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/innovation-unitEffective Professional Learning Communities University of BristolGraduate School of Education8-10 Berkeley SquareBristolBS8 1HHW: www.eplc.infoPlanningPlanning your professional learning communityTo order a copy of this publication, please email dfes@prolog.uk.com quoting reference number DfES-0187-2006 or download from www.ncsl.org.uk/nlcwww.standards.dfes.gov.uk/innovation-unitwww.gtce.org.ukDfES-0187-2006

Planning your professional learning community

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