Team training approach draws praise
By Laura Barrett
Before
he retired as the Belmont Education Association president at the end of last
school year, Bob Antonellis said that establishing Professional Learning Teams in
his district has been “a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”
He added, “It’s one of the things I did as president that
I’m most proud of.”
A
growing number of districts in Massachusetts and across the country are joining
the movement by organizing PLT’s, sometimes referred to as professional learning
communities, in lieu of traditional “stand-and-deliver” professional
development offerings.
In
Belmont, teachers join a PLT organized by grade level, subject matter or common
interest each year. The school schedule includes dedicated time for teams to
work on initiatives to improve teaching and learning in areas of their own
choosing.
In May of
each year, PLT members present their projects and findings to their colleagues at
a conference that resembles a student science fair. The high school field house
is set up with tables and poster-board displays around the perimeter of the
room, allowing participants to check out each other’s work. Break-out sessions
are offered, during which a small number of teams present their projects in
greater depth.
Teachers
approached during last year’s conference on May 22 were generally enthusiastic
about the approach. Janice Darias, assistant superintendent in charge of Belmont’s
PLT program, said that in a survey she administers each year after the
conference, a high percentage express support for this form of PD.
“The
research shows that bringing in somebody for a one-day PD activity is not
effective,” Darias said. Under the old model, the speaker “may or may not
address a particular need of a particular teacher,” she said.
“PLTs give our professionals time and space
and support to work on problems in practice that they have identified,” she
continued. “For example, if your students are struggling with organizing their
writing, a team can come together to work on that for the year and test out new
ways of instruction to make that better. It’s our R&D opportunity to tap
into the expertise of our professionals.”
Antonellis
agreed. “This is what teachers should be doing,” he said. “They’re the experts.
They know what the problems are. They know what needs to be done.”
The
initiative began in the 2010-2011 school year under a former superintendent. At
first, said Antonellis, teachers were required to use some of their contractual
PD time by working together in teams once a month for an hour after school. That
first year, the schedule didn’t work well because teachers were tired after a
long day in the classroom, he said.
The
next year, the district and BEA negotiated a schedule change. The school day is
extended by about 15 minutes four days of the week, but students are dismissed an
hour early every Wednesday. That extra
hour has proven invaluable for giving teachers time during the workday for
PLTs, department meetings, curriculum development and other district
priorities.
Darias
said that the new schedule is symbolically important. “It says that the work we
do together as colleagues is important work and should be part of the school
day, not an extra,” she said.
The teachers presenting their
projects last May were eager to share their findings with others.
“After
all three PLTs I’ve been a part of, I’ve come away with something useful,” said
Beth Manca, a middle school Latin teacher. “I’ve added something to my teaching
every year.”
A team
of second-grade teachers at the Burbank Elementary School were also positive
about their project. Their team was one of 17 in the district to focus on
writing. Their display included a book written and illustrated by second
graders that was a takeoff on the classic, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”
Their theme was, “If You Give a Second-Grader a Dollar.”
A team
of second-grade teachers at the Butler Elementary School gave a PowerPoint presentation
on how they incorporated newly donated iPads into their classrooms.
“My overall impression of the use of iPads is
that it’s a huge success,” said team member Jennifer Mathews.
That said, members of her PLT warned that
their efforts required much more than was allotted in the official PLT schedule.
They often worked on their own time, learning new apps and figuring out how to
incorporate the iPads into their curriculum to improve reading and math
instruction. They also said teachers need ongoing IT support and PD if iPads
are to be used effectively.
Marnie
Wolfe, a member of the Butler team, said that while there are many benefits to
the PLT model, it’s a trade-off.
“Under
the old model, we used to work as a whole school more often,” Wolf said. “I
think that brought us together as a school. Still, everything we’ve done as
part of the PLT has been useful. It’s just that there aren’t enough hours in
the day to do both.”
