An in-depth look at the people and events that make Encinal excellent

Vol. 2, Issue 2 |   December 22,  2011

 PLC's: When Teachers Learn, Students Do Too

 Professional Learning Communities Benefit Students and Teachers

By Chrisie Wendin, Encinal parent

At Encinal, our kids aren't the only ones continuously learning - our teachers are too. That's thanks to the school's ongoing use of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model. We introduced you to Encinal's initial PLC efforts last year, but now with the widespread adoption of PLCs and the first measurable results, it's time for an update on the exciting progress our school has made!

First, a refresher course: PLCs are teams of educators who work together to better understand, and then improve, student learning in a specific subject or interest area (math, phonics, life skills). They do that through a process of collaborative inquiry in which they continually research and test their ideas in the classroom. For example, they will consider what exactly they want each student to learn, how they will know when he or she has learned it, and what to do when students have difficulty. All the while, they collect and analyze data to see if they have succeeded or need to make adjustments to their teaching plan.

The idea is that when teachers learn, students do too. Says Principal Liner, "It's ultimately about how do we get in the mindset of reflection and collaborating together for student learning."

This year, the school has embraced the approach, with every classroom teacher and specialist choosing to become a team member of one of the following PLCs: Mathematics Lesson Study (K-5), Phonics (K-2), Spanish Immersion Literacy (K-3), 21st-Century Creativity and Innovation (K-5), Lifeskills (K-5), Advisory (4-5), and Writing (K-2 and 3-5). Some PLCs have a specific outcome, such as defining what Spanish literacy looks like from one grade level to the next, while others are more exploratory in nature, such as what defines creativity and innovation in the 21st-century classroom.

The Mathematics Lesson Study, co-led by fourth-grade teacher Heidi Yamada and third-grade-teacher Leah Leff, is an ongoing PLC and, as part of the Silicon Valley Math Initiative, includes educator teams from other local districts. On a visit to Mrs. Yamada's classroom on a recent Thursday, she was busy teaching a lesson on number stories, collecting data to share at an afterschool meeting with the five other Encinal teachers in the PLC. About the iterative process she says, "You think you know how it is going to turn out, then the kids throw something at you." She also appreciates the chance for collaboration: "How often do teachers get to plan a lesson together? Usually we're just handed a guide that is one-size-fits-all. But each school is different, and each child is different - and the PLC approach allows for that."

The Math PLC, along with a Reading PLC in place last year, demonstrates the strong link between teacher development and student achievement. Principal Liner credits these PLCs with achievement gains in reading and math for all students. Over the course of the 2010-2011 academic year, Encinal saw its year-end scores on the Everyday Math Assessment and grade-level benchmarking on the Developmental Reading Assessments (DRA) increase considerably. Equity FOCAL students (defined by the District as those of African-American, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander descent) increased 18% in math and 17% in reading. White and Asian students also grew, gaining 7% in math and 5% in reading. These assessments are considered more accurate indicators of student performance than STAR because they approximate classroom learning; for example, DRA requires that students read one-on-one with the teacher.

Beyond these tangible results, Principal Liner also emphasizes the benefits to teachers, including the opportunity to become teacher-leaders by heading up a PLC. Most of all, she sees it in the engagement teachers bring to the classroom. She says, "PLCs are one of the best things I've done professionally because of the excitement level of staff and the impact on the kids."

Showing, Sharing and Learning - In an Instant

By Chrisie Wendin, Encinal parent

Ask one of Encinal's fourth and fifth grade teachers what the coolest new gadget is, and the answer just might surprise you. While they may covet the latest iPhone or Android for personal use, it's the school's crop of new document cameras that get them excited in the classroom. At first glance, a document camera looks pretty much like the overhead projector many of us remember from our own school days. But today's version does much more than display transparencies. Place anything under the camera - worksheets, student writing journals, science experiments -and it is instantly projected on the board.

This deceptively simple capability means teachers and classmates can show, not just tell, without delay. There's no need to rewrite work on the Smartboard or scan in documents at recess. Students are immediately engaged in the lesson at hand, often collaborating with their peers. 

Says fourth-grade teacher Susan Preston, "Having the document camera, the biggest change I've seen is in the kids' growth in reading and math. There have been a lot of 'a-ha' moments when they say, 'I never thought of doing it this way.'

Being able to visually focus on what's being shared, for example a student story, helps the kids get more out of the exercise. One way that Mrs. Preston sees that is in the level of detail in their Reader Response forms, in which they comment on what they've learned or what they want the writer to know.

The kids love sharing their work, and in the process they are developing public speaking skills. "Self confidence has grown because they are up there sharing, and they feel good about themselves, says Mrs. Preston.

Adds student Sam W., "It's cool because it is way easier to see what everyone else is thinking, and you also learn new strategies by seeing everyone else's work."

Mrs. Yamada uses her new document camera.

Teachers are incorporating the cameras into all kinds of lessons. Recently, when Mrs. Preston's class was learning about California explorers, she was also able to demonstrate and reinforce good study skills. As they followed along reading together, they highlighted the most important concepts, then created study note cards. Being able to compare a fully highlighted page versus one with just key ideas called out, or seeing how to rearrange study cards to write a report, made an immediate impact.

Says student Eliott W., "It was awesome! I didn't know how to do that!"

Encinal also has a document camera in the school's Science Lab. Here teachers can use it to give everyone a perfect view of samples or experiments, as Mrs. Preston's class recently did when investigating what happens when you put food coloring on crystals.

Says Mrs Preston, "I used to say: How did I live without my Smart Board? And now I say, How did I live without my document camera?" Like many teachers, she finds that she uses the document camera about half the time, and the Smart Board the other.

Soon, Encinal's third grade classes will also be getting the cameras, completing the schools' plan to have them in place in all upper-grade classrooms.

Fifth Graders DARE to Make Good Choices

DARE Teaches Fifth Graders to Think for Themselves 

By Kate Kennedy, Encinal Parent

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