The most powerful form of professional learning an educator can experience is collaboration! Ask yourself, what would happen if a team of educators came together and shared what they knew about learning. You are expert at your craft of teaching and learning, individually. Imagine the power of sharing your knowledge in a collaborative setting where colleagues trust and respect each other. Effective educator teams’ use agreed upon protocols to harness the power of their collective knowledge and skill sets.

Protocols are the tools of successful Professional Learning Communities. Teams who employ a protocol acknowledge the importance of time management, meeting focus, conversation equity, and true collaboration. Some teams find the use of protocols to be awkward at first because they offer a prescriptive approach; however, this awkwardness quickly dissolves into smooth and productive team meetings when consistently used. Follow this link to explore Jeanne Purcell’s definition of protocols; she also shares the benefits of using protocols to increase student achievement. You will find an embedded link for access to a variety of protocols to support your collaborative team needs. Jeanne goes further and explores four of the most popular protocols used by professional learning communities; she provides you with an in-depth explanation of these tools.

Administrators:

Use this site to find planning tools for your faculty meetings and professional learning sessions. Remember, your staff respects what you model – if you want them to have effective professional learning community meetings – host them and model best practices.

Teachers:

This site provides you with an introduction to the definition and purpose of protocols for hosting effective and efficient professional learning community meetings. You will also find a variety of tools; four are explained in detail. Use one of these tools at your next team meeting! Follow this link to a plethora of protocols! This site is sponsored by the National School Reform Faculty Harmony Education Center. The link takes you to the home page where you can register as a member of the NSRF organization; however, you can also browse the site as a guest and gain access to excellent protocols that are designed to support the work of educators. Once you click on the section as noted: Learn to lead protocols and activities for more meaningful and efficient communication, problem solving, and learning.

You will be taken deeper into the site and you can access a plethora of protocols as follows:

• A to Z - alphabetical listing of protocols, instructions, and activities;
• Learning Communities - tools useful in building and maintaining learning communities;
• Equity - materials related to exploring equity;
• Inquiry - tools for exploring topics and ideas;
• Team-building and trust-building experiences - activities to help you work together better;
• Dilemma protocols - for use with challenging problems without a clear answer;
• Observation protocols - for peers to learn from one another;
• Text protocols - with a variety of purposes;
• Protocols and activities good to use in the classroom - with a variety of age groups;
• Protocols good for administrative uses - strategic planning and other business tools;
• Brianstorming protocols - tools to brainstorm more effectively.

Administrators and Teachers:

You will find this site so valuable that you will bookmark it as a favorite! Consider your outcome goals for the next meeting you will host, review this site, and select a protocol that will ensure success in your learning community! Click on this link to view a video clip of one team using protocols to establish a professional learning culture of reflection and improvement. As you view the team in action, consider:

• How does using protocols help teachers become more reflective of their teaching practices? Are the team meetings you participate in promoting your reflection?
• What conditions would be necessary for you and your team to make use of this protocol?
• How could you use this protocol with your students?

Administrators and Teachers:

Use this video clip to introduce or refine the work of your Professional Learning Communities through the use of protocols. If you desire effective and efficient meetings, protocols are your answer. If you find you never have time to get the important, reflective, collaborative work done – turn to protocols! The NSRF site offers a variety of tools to meet your needs!