Notes from “Learning by Doing” - Dufour, R.doc

PAGE  PAGE 21 Instructor’s Notes Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work DuFour, R. , DuFour R., Eaker, R. Many T. (2006) Raymond B Williams, Ed. D. Notes from “Learning by Doing” - Dufour, R. et. al. (2006) Chapter I - Guide to Action for PLCs at Work “Clarity precedes competence” (Smoker, 2004) Redundancy is better than ambiguity. P. 2 A. Focus on Learning The very essence of a learning community is a focus on and a commitment to the learning of each student. P. 3 If the organization is to become more effective in helping all students learn, the adults in the organization must also be continually learning. P. 3 B. Collaborative Culture with a Focus on Learning for All Collaboration does not lead to improved results unless people are focused on the right issues. Collaboration is a means to an end. P. 3 A PLC is composed of collaborative teams who work interdependently to achieve common goals linked to the purpose of learning. P. 3 C. Collective Inquiry into Best Practice and Current Reality Collective inquiry enables team members to develop new skills and capabilities that in turn lead to new experiences and awareness. Gradually, this heightened awareness transforms into fundamental shifts in attitudes, beliefs, and habits, which over time transform the culture of the school. P. 4 D. Action Orientation The most powerful learning always occurs in a context of taking action. P. 4 E. Commitment to Continuous Improvement The goal is not simply to learn a new strategy, but instead to create conditions for perpetual learning – an environment in which innovation and experimentation are viewed not as tasks to be accomplished or projects to be completed but as ways of conducting day-to-day business, forever. P. 5 F. Results Orientation Our efforts must be assessed on the basis of results rather than intentions. P. 5 “Terms travel easily… but the meaning of the underlying concepts does not” (Fullan 2005, 67). P. 6 “Good is t