How Schools Thrive: Building a Coaching Culture for Collaborative Teams in PLCs at Work® (Effective coaching strategies for PLCs at Work®)

by Thomas W. Many, Michael J. Maffoni, Susan K. Sparks, Tesha Ferriby Thomas

Overview

Strengthen your professional learning community (PLC) by building a highly effective coaching culture for collaborative teams. A companion to Amplify Your Impact, this resource drills deeper into the more complex aspects of PLC at Work®. Instructional coaches and leaders will acquire new insights and strategies for improving their team’s professional practice around the essential elements of the PLC process, including continuous improvement, collective inquiry, action orientation, and a focus on results.

Gain effective coaching strategies for implementing the PLC at Work framework in your school or district:

• Review essential elements of effective PLCs and how these essential elements influence the instructional coaching of collaborative teams.
• Study the Strategy Implementation Guide (SIG) and Pathways for Coaching Collaborative Teams tools and how to use them in the coaching of collaborative teams.
• Acquire new insights, confront new questions, and explore new approaches that promote higher levels of student learning and effective professional learning communities for teachers.
• Discover numerous strategies to use during the effective group coaching of collaborative teams at every stage of learning to meet adaptive challenges.
• Learn the benefits of "drilling deeper" into the PLC process, as well as viewing the teacher as a reflective practitioner.

Contents:
Introduction
Foreword by Robert Eaker
Part I: Making a Commitment to Coaching Teams
Chapter 1: Creating Habits of Professional Practice
Chapter 2: Identifying How the Essential Elements of a PLC Thrive in a Coaching Culture
Part II: Understanding Essential Elements of Highly Effective Teams in a PLC
Chapter 3: Learning Together—The Power of Collective Inquiry
Chapter 4: Staying Restless—The Impact of Continuous Improvement
Chapter 5: Being Urgent—The Value of an Action Orientation
Chapter 6: Getting Better—The Significance of a Focus on Results
Part III: Coaching Collaborative Teams in PLCs at Work
Chapter 7: Coaching for Assessing a Team's Current Reality
Chapter 8: Believing in Your Team—Coaching Collective Efficacy
Chapter 9: Creating an Action Plan for Coaching Collaborative Teams
Appendix A: Stages of Learning and Essential Elements of a Highly Effective PLC
Appendix B: Action Planning Template
Appendix C: Communicating the Roll-Out Plan
References and Resources

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781947604599
Publisher:	Solution Tree Press
Publication date:	10/25/2019
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

About the Authors xiii

Foreword Robert Eaker xvii

Introduction 1

Taking PLC Practice to the Next Level 2

Using Tools to Drill Deeper 4

The SIG 5

The Pathways for Coaching Collaborative Teams 8

Applying the Best Thinking 10

Moving Forward 11

Part I

Chapter 1 Creating Habits of Professional Practice 15

Productivity and Collaborative Teams 18

The Causes of Unproductive Habits 19

How Habits of Professional Practice Are Formed 20

The Role of Clarity, Feedback, and Support 22

Clarity: Creating Routines Around the Right Work 22

Feedback: Reinforcing Routines Around the Right Work 22

Support: Building Capacity Around the Right Work 23

The Best Habits for Stacking: The Fundamentals 23

Moving Forward 26

Summary 26

Reflection Questions 27

Chapter 2 Identifying How PLC Elements Thrive in a Coaching Culture 29

The Impact of Coaching 30

What Is the Relationship Between Coaching and Collaboration? 30

What Does the Research Say About the Value of a Coaching Culture? 30

What Constitutes a Strong Coaching Culture, and How Do I Recognize One When I See It? 31

What Are Some Characteristics of a Strong Coaching Culture? 32

Can Coaching Change School Culture, and How Does It Impact Collaborative Culture? 34

Who Can Coach, and Who Is Responsible for Creating and Maintaining a Coaching Culture? 34

Learning Together: Collective Inquiry 36

Staying Restless: Continuous Improvement 36

Being Urgent: Action Orientation 37

Getting Better at Getting Better: A Results Orientation 38

Moving Forward 38

Summary 38

Reflection Questions 39

Part II

Chapter 3 Learning Together-The Power of Collective Inquiry 43

Understanding Collective Inquiry 43

Coaching Collective Inquiry Routines and Habits 45

Promoting a Spirit of Inquiry 46

Using the Seven Norms of Collaboration in a PLC 48

Example 1 Secondary Language Arts Team 48

Example 2 Elementary Team 49

Coaching a Shift to a Collective Focus 50

Coaching to Promote Inquiry Through Questioning 51

Coaching to Set a Realistic Vision 53

Using the Inquiry SIG and Pathways Tools 54

Moving Forward 57

Summary 57

Reflection Questions 57

Chapter 4 Staying Restless-The Impact of Continuous Improvement 59

A Continuum of Professional Practice 60

Malpractice 60

Safe Practice 61

Best Practice 61

Next Practice 61

Reflection and Current Practice 62

The PDSA Cycle 63

Plan 63

Do 64

Study 64

Act 64

The PDSA Cycle in Action 64

A Long-Term Commitment 66

Using the Continuous-Improvement SIG and Pathways Tools 67

Moving Forward 68

Summary 68

Reflection Questions 69

Chapter 5 Being Urgent-The Value of an Action Orientation 71

Connecting Learning to the Work 73

Doing Action Research 74

Understanding the Action Research Process 74

Step 1 Identify the Problem and Create a Vision 75

Step 2 Learn, Research, and Explore the Literature 75

Step 3 Develop and Implement an Action Plan 75

Step 4 Observe and Collect Data 76

Step 5 Reflect and Share Results 76

Applying Findings 76

Using the Action-Orientation SIG and Pathways Tools 78

Moving Forward 81

Summary 81

Reflection Questions 82

Chapter 6 Getting Better-The Significance of a Results Orientation 83

Creating a Results-Oriented Culture 85

Measuring Progress 87

Broadening the Definition of Results 88

Using the Results-Orientation SIG and Pathways Tools 89

Moving Forward 92

Summary 92

Reflection Questions 93

Part III

Chapter 7 Assessing a Team's Current Reality 97

Using the Four Stages of Competence 98

Coaching Unconsciously Incompetent Teams 99

Coaching Consciously Incompetent Teams 100

Coaching Consciously Competent Teams 101

Coaching Unconsciously Competent Teams 101

Coaching the Essential Elements as Teams Move Through the Quadrants 102

Moving Through the Quadrants for Collective Inquiry 102

Moving Through the Quadrants for Continuous Improvement 103

Moving Through the Quadrants for Action Orientation 105

Moving Through the Quadrants for Results Orientation 106

Moving Forward 107

Summary 108

Reflection Questions 108

Chapter 8 Believing in Your Team-Creating Collective Efficacy 109

Collective Efficacy 109

Collective Efficacy and PLCs 110

How to Build Collective Teacher Efficacy 111

Mastery Experiences 111

Vicarious Experiences 113

Social Persuasion 114

Affective States 115

Moving Forward 115

Summary 116

Reflection Questions 116

Chapter 9 Creating an Action Plan for Coaching Collaborative Teams 117

Stage 1 Building Shared Knowledge 119

Stage 2 Generating Collective Commitments 119

Stage 3 Providing Opportunities for Learning About the Work (Guided Practice) 120

Stage 4 Providing Opportunities for Doing the Work (Independent Practice) 122

Stage 5 Encouraging Conscious Innovation 122

Stage 6 Ensuring Systemic Sustainability 123

Moving Forward 124

Summary 125

Reflection Questions 125

Appendix A Stages of Learning and Essential Elements of a Highly Effective PLC 127

Collective inquiry 127

Quadrant 1 Teams Don't Know What They Don't Know 127

Quadrant 2 Teams Know What They Don't Know 128

Quadrant 3 Teams Know What They Know 128

Quadrant 4 Teams Don't Just Know It, They Live It! 129

Continuous Improvement 129

Quadrant 1 Teams Don't Know What They Don't Know 129

Quadrant 2 Teams Know What They Don't Know 130

Quadrant 3 Teams Know What They Know 130

Quadrant 4 Teams Don't Just Know It, They Live It! 131

Action Orientation 131

Quadrant 1 Teams Don't Know What They Don't Know 131

Quadrant 2 Teams Know What They Don't Know 132

Quadrant 3 Teams Know What They Know 133

Quadrant 4 Teams Don't Just Know It, They Live It! 133

Results Orientation 134

Quadrant 1 Teams Don't Know What They Don't Know 134

Quadrant 2 Teams Know What They Don't Know 134

Quadrant 3 Teams Know What They Know 135

Quadrant 4 Teams Don't Just Know It, They Live It! 136

Appendix B Action Planning 139

Action-Planning Template 140

Coaching Collaborative Teams in a PLC at Work: PLC 100-Day Plan Implementation Checkpoints 141

Appendix C Communicating the Action Plan 143

Directions for Preparing An Action Plan 144

Action Planning Form for Part I 152

Action Planning Form for Part II 154

Action Planning Form for Part III 155

Action Planning Form for Part IV 156

References and Resources 157

Index 165

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The ideas, concepts, practices, protocols, and other resources inside this book are a powerful tool for enhancing team performance and ultimately student success. What is more important than that?” —From the Foreword by Robert Eaker