Powerful Conversations About Staff Development Quarterly Meeting
August 25, 2005

Nearly 120 Alabama educators gathered together for the Powerful Conversations about Professional Development Quarterly Meeting on Thursday, August 25, 2005.

The topic for the meeting was Professional Learning Communities (PLC) and the purpose of the meeting was to help participants learn more about PLC’s and how to initiate and/or strength learning community(s) already in place.

During the course of the day, participants were involved in three hands-on activities: A Journey Talk, role playing and viewing and reflecting on a video (Rick DuFour’s “Through New Eyes”) about the impact of a serious learning community on all students.

The Journey Talk asked school teams to develop a pictorial map (using flip chart paper and markers) that depicted their professional development journey. School teams were very creative and produced masterpieces that were displayed on the wall and will be added to the school’s PCP portfolio! Each Quarterly Meeting will provide an opportunity for schools to enhance their Professional Learning Portfolios with an idea, activity, or artifact to promote and demonstrate growth.

The role-playing exercise had schools reflecting on Rick DuFour’s description of three different attitudes of schools in his book, “Whatever it Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond When Kids Don’t Learn.” The schools were named “the Pontius Pilate School,” “the Charles Darwin School,” and “the Chicago Cubs School.”

The role-playing exercise culminated with the airing of the videotape, “Through New Eyes,” which reenacted two very different types of schools’ responses to a student who was falling through the cracks.

Participants also received a professional development activity that they could take back to their school and use about professional learning communities.

1st Grade Teacher – “This seems very worthwhile. We only completed our self-assessment on Tuesday of this week, so we are really new. We have a lot to learn.”

Principal – “These meetings will serve as a reminder for me to stay focused on PD as we plan our yearly inservice. I am glad to meet this early in the school year so that I can better plan.”

Reading Coach – “As [someone] new to this program, I look forward to learning and improving our school.”

Principal – “Was wonderful! Can’t wait to have staff complete “journey maps.”

Principal – “This was an excellent meeting and I am looking forward to continuing with this program.”

Teacher – “They key is follow-up. To tackle this MUST be a long-term commitment…NOT a one-time quick fix.”

The next meeting of the PCP Network Quarterly Meeting is November 10 in Birmingham.