Meeting 9/12/12

Agenda

PLC Meeting #2

September 12, 2012

1. Set goals for the meeting using this agenda as a guide.

Feedback Form (link)

1. A short time at the beginning of this PLC meeting and each of the remaining four PLC meetings this semester will be devoted to exploring the 21st Century Skills embedded in your standards. The 21st Century Skill to explore today is Critical Thinking and Reasoning. Review the definition of this skill for your content (see attached document) and discuss the following three questions:

Critical Thinking and Reasoning (Reading, Writing and Communicating)

Critical thinking and reasoning are vital to advance in the technologically sophisticated world we live in. In order for students to be successful and powerful readers, writers, and communicators, they must incorporate critical thinking and reasoning skills. Students need to be able to successfully argue a point, justify reasoning, evaluate for a purpose, infer to predict and draw
conclusions, problem-solve, and understand and use logic to inform critical thinking.

• How does the skill of critical thinking connect to something you already do in your classroom?

• How might you integrate this skill more explicitly in your lessons?

• What will you do to help students become better with this skill?

Common Assessment #1

Essential Learnings from last meeting (we should build an assessment from one of these.)

1. Students will write thesis statements that are clear, specific, debatable and provable. Through this process students
2. Students will display the ability to read and interpret literature critically by evaluating such literary elements as plot, characterization, motif, and conflict.
3. Students will develop the ability to think abstractly about such literary elements as theme, symbol, and figurative language.
4. Students will develop the ability to speak formally to their peers by presenting information concisely and logically, supporting presentations with evidence, and integrating technology effectively, and interacting with an audience actively.

Which one do we want to use? Is the thesis a slam dunk, or are there other options?

Which Rubric?

If time: Coolest English Teacher Ever (link)

Note: Next Meeting is 10/3. We need to have data for a common assessment

Meeting 8/29/12

TO DO (from Leah):

1. List your PLC facilitator’s name with an asterisk (*), all PLC members’ names, and your meeting location on the attached PLC Feedback Form #1. (DONE)

2. Create a list of norms to help your PLC work effectively as a group. (DONE)
3. (From Leah--can you help?)
   Last year, PLC  members worked hard to align their curriculum with the new standards. This semester, we will examine the five 21st Century Skills that are embedded in the standards to ensure that we are providing opportunities for all students to progress toward mastery of these skills. The skills are Critical Thinking and Reasoning, Information Literacy, Collaboration, Self-Direction, and Invention.  You can find content specific descriptions of these skills in your standards and also on the attached document from the Colorado Department of Education. At each of the remaining five PLC meetings this semester beginning at PLC Meeting #2, we will focus on one of these skills. Please include this work in your PLC goals for the year.
   
   
   Feedback Form (Anyone can edit)
   21st Century Goals
4. 2. 2. 3. Examine your course descriptions and flowcharts in the Arapahoe High School Pathfinder.  Determine whether the course descriptions and/or the flowcharts need to change as a result of your curriculum alignment work last year. If changes are necessary, please submit the corrected course descriptions and flowcharts to Kevin Kolasa by Wednesday, October 31st.

4. Set goals for the year and for the first meeting. (Fill out on Form)

5. Use the questions below to guide your discussions of Essential Learnings, Common Formative Assessments, and Supplemental Interventions. Note: What are our essential learnings from last year?

Here's the list we came up at the first meeting:

--Creating thesis statements that are clear, specific, refutable, and proveable. (Synthesis papers)

--Reading comprehension/interpretation: e.g. motif, theme, characterization, figurative lang.

--Grammar/mechanics: e.g. subject/verb agreement, comma splices.

--Formal public speaking: book talks, persuasive speeches.

• Determine the Essential Learnings for your course using these three criteria.

• Endurance – Does the learning address knowledge and skills that will endure throughout a student’s academic career and professional life?
• Leverage – Does the learning address knowledge and skills that will be of value in multiple content areas?
• Necessity – Does the learning provide the essential knowledge and skills that students need to succeed in the next grade level?

• Create Common Formative Assessments for each of your Essential Learnings.

• Which specific students did not demonstrate mastery?
• Which instructional practices proved to be most effective?
• What patterns can we identify from the student mistakes?
• How can we improve this assessment?
• What interventions are needed to provide failed students additional time and support?

• Develop a list of Supplemental Interventions.

• Which interventions are targeted to help failed learners?
• Which interventions are targeted to help intentional nonlearners?
• Are we accurately identifying every student in need of intervention, determining why each student is struggling, and placing each student in the proper intervention?
• How often will we monitor progress and revise student placement?

6. Complete the yellow sections of PLC Feedback Form #1.  Please send me your completed PLC Feedback Form #1 as well as  a list of all of your identified essential learnings from last year by Friday, August  31st.       We need to do this.

7. After you administer your first common assessment and analyze the data you collect, use the attached PLC Progress Report #1 to record and report your results.

Meeting 8/16/12

Minutes for 8/16 (10th grade PLC)

Who will be our PLC Facilitator this year?
Who will be members of our PLC?
What were our successes and challenges last year in answering the four PLC critical questions listed below?    
What are our PLC's goals this year?
What are our norms this year?
What support do we need to accomplish our goals?

The Four PLC Critical Questions
What is essential for students to learn?
How will we know when each student has learned it?
How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?
How will we respond when a student already knows it?

Notes:
1. Spare is facilitator.
2. Members: Annette, Steve, Tom, Lauren, Kristin, Rob.
2. Spare will use Edmodo to store documents. Join the group if you want to.
3. Challenges:

• directives from admin are not always continuous or consistent, which leaves the group confused as to how to proceed.
• Difficult to make PLCs/DDD’s meaningful to our classrooms.

4. Successes: group dynamic has always been good.
5. Possible ELO’s:

• Creating thesis statements that are clear, specific, refutable, and proveable. (Synthesis papers)
• Reading comprehension/interpretation: e.g. motif, theme, characterization, figurative lang.
• Grammar/mechanics: e.g. subject/verb agreement, comma splices.
• Formal public speaking: book talks, persuasive speeches.

6. Norms for Tenth PLC:

a. Allow others to finish thoughts before jumping in.

b. Stay focused on the PLC agenda.

c. Be on time and mentally present.

d. If necessary, to avoid circular discussions, call for a vote.

e. Respect the PLC process and seek to make it meaningful/pertinent to our classrooms.

6. Support: We need more specific directives from leaderhsip about how to proceed.