Teachers as Learners

Know Thy Impact. Pakenham Springs is focused on student learning.

Each year the Professional Learning Community at Pakenham Springs Primary School have a ‘Date with Data’. This is to see what impact our teaching practise has had on student learning. Each P.L.T. showcases the achievements that have been made in student learning. Teams present data gathered before and after teaching the skills in the power standards, and use this data to guide planning for student learning. Teachers explain how they used best practice to achieve the results. Teacher’s also outline how tier one and tier two intervention has targeted students who had not grasped the concept, those who had to consolidate their understanding and also how students were extended in their skills and knowledge. The cycle continues each year. How can we now improve student learning? It is a continuous learning journey for Pakenham Springs Primary School.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

At Pakenham Springs our major emphasise is to ensure our focus at all times is on improving student learning. To ensure this focus, Pakenham Springs is seen as a Professional Learning Community.

Over the last three years we have:

• embraced the premise that the fundamental purpose of the school is to ensure that all students learn at high levels and we have enlisted the staff in examining existing practices, programs, and procedures to ensure it aligns with that purpose;
• organized staff into meaningful collaborative teams that take collective responsibility for student learning and work interdependently to achieve shared goals for which members hold themselves mutually accountable;
• established a guaranteed and viable curriculum for each curriculum area that clarifies the essential learning for all students; we have teams agree on pacing guidelines, and develop and administer common formative assessments to monitor each student’s learning at the end of each lesson sequence;
• used the evidence of student learning to identify:
• students who need additional time and support to become proficient
• students who need enrichment and extension of their learning because they’re already highly proficient
• teachers who help students achieve at high levels so team members can examine those teachers’ practices
• teachers who struggle to help students become proficient so team members can assist in supporting the development of their professional practice
• skills or concepts that none of the teachers were able to help students achieve at the intended level so the team can expand its learning beyond its members to become more effective in teaching those skills or concepts.
• created a coordinated intervention plan that ensures that students who struggle receive additional time and support for learning in a way that is timely, directive, diagnostic, precise, and most important, systematic.

As part of our work towards becoming a Professional Learning Community we submitted a progress report and our learning data to Solution Tree in America to apply for Accreditation. Following the application of this report, the school received the following notification:

We just finished reviewing your application for becoming a model PLC under “Evidence of Effectiveness.” Thanks so much for taking time to complete and share such a wonderful example of the PLC at Work process – can’t wait to see your information go live….it shouldn’t be long:) Pakenham Springs will be the first Australian school on the site – congratulations to you and your entire school community!

Wishing you continued success on the journey.

All the Best,
Becky & Rick DuFour

Becky and Rick DuFour are the main drivers of Professional Learning Community work across America.

It is fantastic to see Pakenham Springs being recognised as the first school in Australia to be officially accredited as a Professional Learning Community.