Two years ago Liberty High School started a journey towards a new vision for professional learning. The "sit and gets" were getting stale and faculty was becoming disengaged from the process. Change is never easy so we identified three stages we had to work through to transition to the model of professional learning that we knew would truly benefit learning for all stakeholders.
The Planning Process
We started by identifying a clear vision for what professional learning should be in our building. After a number of conversations we decided upon the non-negotiables that would make up the foundation of our professional learning model:
Stage 1: Moving Towards Collaborative Time
In order to begin building the foundation we recognized the need to start building collaborative momentum. Faculty meetings were split into two portions: standard, schoolwide sharing; and collaborative department time. These collaborative opportunities were created to empower our departmental leaders to determine needs of the staff and provide professional learning opportunities that were department-specific. The primary goal in this stage was to build a culture of professional collaboration.
Stage 2: Eliminating Faculty Meetings
As we progressed towards autonomy we found that faculty meetings were not beneficial to building professional capacity in the staff. Instead, these meetings had become information sessions. This led us to a simple yet complex decision - eliminate faculty meetings. In place of the contractual time afforded for meetings we asked staff to meet in professional learning communities. They were free to meet whenever they chose provided the PLC stayed focused on a clear goal or outcome. The primary goal in this stage was to build a culture of autonomy.
Stage 3: The Final Frontier
This year we enter our third and final stage of our professional learning transition. Teachers will be offered a menu of options from which to choose and will be responsible for completing professional learning opportunities that best meet their individual needs. The goal is to empower our staff to be owners of their own professional learning and to build the final element of a professional learning culture that reflects our non-negotiables.
**Follow along here to track our final stage of this professional learning journey.**
The Planning Process
We started by identifying a clear vision for what professional learning should be in our building. After a number of conversations we decided upon the non-negotiables that would make up the foundation of our professional learning model:
- Professional learning choice needs to be autonomous
- Professional learning opportunities needs to be diverse, collaborative, and offered asynchronously
- Professional learning opportunities needs to be created and led by our staff
- Technology needs to be a major support for professional learning
- Professional learning is stronger than professional development
Stage 1: Moving Towards Collaborative Time
In order to begin building the foundation we recognized the need to start building collaborative momentum. Faculty meetings were split into two portions: standard, schoolwide sharing; and collaborative department time. These collaborative opportunities were created to empower our departmental leaders to determine needs of the staff and provide professional learning opportunities that were department-specific. The primary goal in this stage was to build a culture of professional collaboration.
Stage 2: Eliminating Faculty Meetings
As we progressed towards autonomy we found that faculty meetings were not beneficial to building professional capacity in the staff. Instead, these meetings had become information sessions. This led us to a simple yet complex decision - eliminate faculty meetings. In place of the contractual time afforded for meetings we asked staff to meet in professional learning communities. They were free to meet whenever they chose provided the PLC stayed focused on a clear goal or outcome. The primary goal in this stage was to build a culture of autonomy.
Stage 3: The Final Frontier
This year we enter our third and final stage of our professional learning transition. Teachers will be offered a menu of options from which to choose and will be responsible for completing professional learning opportunities that best meet their individual needs. The goal is to empower our staff to be owners of their own professional learning and to build the final element of a professional learning culture that reflects our non-negotiables.
**Follow along here to track our final stage of this professional learning journey.**