2. Introduction
The following will introduce the three
frameworks of collaborative leadership:
Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
Community of Practice (CoP)
Critical Friends Group (CFG)
3. Professional Learning Communities
(PLC)
• The power of PLCs lays in bringing student work to the
group for shared analysis (Nelson, LeBard, Walters, 2010, p.
36)
• “shared beliefs, values and vision” (Hord, 2008, p.12)
• “Frequent common assessments, developed
collaboratively and scored by every teacher of a grade level
or course, [are] a vital resource in [teachers’] efforts to
monitor student learning” (DuFour, 2004,p. 63).
• “Great teams will deal with the issue themselves, engaging
in open dialogue and applying positive peer pressure to
bring about the desired change” (DuFour, 2004, p. 63).
5. Why does a PLC fit our team?
• Members
– Share beliefs, values, and vision
– Use open dialogue
– Have positive peer pressure
6. Community of Practice (CoP)
• “The three characteristics of a community of practice include the
domain, which defines a shared interest; the community, which
focuses on relationships that enable members to learn from each
other; and the practice, in which members build a shared repertoire
of resources” (Wenger, 2009).
• “Share a common concern or a passion for something they do and
learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 2009).
• “The goal is always sound improvement formed by big ideas"
(Niesz, (2007), p. 610).
• "Communities of practice are informally bound by what members
do as well as what they know ..." (Seaman, 2008, p. 274).
8. Why does a CoP fit our team?
• Members:
– Share a common concern or passion
– Are able to learn from each other
– Share a repertoire of resources
– Have a common goal
9. Critical Friends Group (CFG)
• “Teacher reflection leads to action in a classroom, that
action leads to constructive feedback from a peer, which
then leads to new student achievement, which leads to the
cycle commencing all over again” (Ban, 2015).
• “The key to changing teachers' behaviors is to help them
get in touch with their own beliefs and the commonly held
beliefs of their learning community and identify the gaps in
their own practice” (Baron, 2007).
• "The work involves friends who share a mission, offer
strong support, and nurture a community of learners
(Bambino, 2002, p. 27)
10. Why does a CFG fit our team?
• Members
– Have constructive feedback from peers
– Identify gaps in their practice
– Friends who share a mission and offer support
11. Team Choice
Our team has chosen a Community of Practice
as its leadership framework. Our initiative is to
improve the knowledge of the current
technology at our school. We believe it best fits
our team because it does not necessarily focus
on assessments and data. Instead, it focuses on
our strengths and the ability to share that
information with the larger group.
12. References
Bambino, D. (2002). Critical friends. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 25-27.
Ban, E., Ed.D. (2015). Module 3 presentations: Part 4: Critical Friends. Lecture presented in American College of
Education.
Baron, D. (2007). Critical Friendship: Leading from the Inside Out. Principal Leadership: High School Edition,
7(9), 56-58.
DuFour, R. (2004). Culture shift doesn’t occur overnight – or without conflict. Journal of Staff Development,
25(4), 63-64.
Hord, S. M. (2008). Evolution of the professional learning community. Journal of Staff Development, 29(3), 10-
13.
Nelson, T. H., LeBard, L., & Waters, C. (2010). How to create a professional learning community. Science and
Children, 47(9), 36-40.
Niesz, T. (2007). Why teacher networks (can) work. Phi Delta Kappan, 88(8), 605-610.
Seaman, M. (2008). Communities of practice & knowledge communities, Communication and Teaching
Dialogue, 10(1-2), 269-279.
Wenger, E. Communities of practice: A brief introduction. Self-published report. Retrieved February 18, 2009,
from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/
Editor's Notes
Most common leadership framework at the present time. It is very broad in that it can be described as teachers coming together with a shared belief and vision. In a more specific context, it can be seen as a group that comes together for a shared analysis of common assessment and data.
Based on the previous slide, our group possesses these ideals of a PLC.
CoPs are about coming together with others who share an interest in the topic. In this way it is not necessarily about data or interventions. It’s about big ideas and learning from each other.
Although this video had subtitles and was a little corny, it had some good ideas about a CoP. Everyone needs to see the value and come together for a common goal.
Based on the previous slide, our group possesses these ideals of a CoP.
CFGs focus on reflection and identifying what a teacher/teachers know and what needs to be learned. It is about strong constructive feedback from their peers.
Based on the previous slide, our team possesses these ideals of a CFG.
