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The Learning Network
Table of Contents
The
Learning Network® is a registered trademark.
Fourth edition of Understanding The Learning Network © 2002 by Richard
C. Owen Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. Printed March 2002.
An Introduction to The Learning Network®
The Learning Network is a dynamic design for student
achievement and school improvement
developed by practicing educators associated with Richard C. Owen Publishers,
Inc. It seeks to
address the current challenges faced by schools like those set out by the
National Staff Development
Council concerning:
students facing higher achievement
standards
teachers requiring stronger
professional development opportunities
schools needing to refocus on student
achievement, and
teachers and schools being held
accountable for student achievement.
The
US Department of Education and other organizations such as the American
Federation of
Teachers, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Center
for Research on
Teacher Learning, and National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future
have each proposed
the need for teachers to:
develop deeper understandings about
teaching and learning
work more collegially within their
school communities
develop greater awareness of current
trends in research, and
have sufficient time and resources for
professional support on the job.
Support by The Learning Network directly addresses these challenges.
The need for school reform led the federal government to
establish the Comprehensive School
Reform
Demonstration (CSRD) grant and to authorize the Northwest Regional Educational
Laboratory
(NWREL)to create the Catalog of School Reform Models. The Learning Network is one
of a
small number of school-wide
plans recognized by NWREL in the new version of the catalog.
In August 2001, CSRD identified 35 schools out of 2100 as
“promising sites.” The criteria for
selection
included student achievement, progress in improvement in instruction, and
evidence of
program sustainability. Three of the 35 chosen sites are schools supported by The Learning Network:
Maple
Elementary in
Jeffersonville, IN, Park Elementary in Michigan City, IN, and Auburn Elementary
in Salem, OR.
Many years of planning and implementation have shaped
The Learning Network, which has been
greatly influenced by the work of education researchers and writers, including Richard
Allington,
Linda Darling-Hammond,
Richard Elmore, William Firestone, Michael Fullan, Thomas Sergiovanni,
Dennis
Sparks, Bruce Joyce, and
Beverly Showers. Refinements
continue to be made as our
experience grows. The support provided by The Network
will help you and your staff create an
improved culture of professional
development in your school, which will
ultimately and directly
benefit your students.
What is The Learning Network®?
The Learning Network® (TLN) involves
schools with common understandings about effective
teaching
and learning. The Learning Network brings an outside change agent into a school
to work
directly with the
faculty on their understandings about teaching reading and writing. These
understandings are what
underlie the practices of teachers and administrators seeking to meet
a range of
student learning needs.
To develop consistent understandings and practices that produce
increased
student achievement,
The Learning Network:
is based on the belief that administrators and teachers will make
fundamental and sustainable
changes to the way they approach challenges in all aspects of their work.
To achieve this goal, The Learning Network:
is site based and job embedded
links understandings with practice through reflective discussion, and
continues as part of the administrator’s and teachers’ daily work.
The Learning Network’s principles of student‑centered teaching and
learning apply:
across all curriculum areas
in all grades, and
with all students.
The Learning Network provides support and guidance to
facilitate reform among faculties who work
together to improve instruction.
Characteristics of a Learning Network School [1]
There are a number of essential characteristics of a
school supported by The Learning Network.
These characteristics develop as a result of continually seeking:
quality in teaching and
learning
consistency
in understandings and
procedures
capacity to meet the needs of all students, and
interdependence
and the development of
a collegial culture among
the faculty.
[1]
For a deeper look at the climate of Learning Network
schools, please request “A Model Learning Network
School” 4-page
pamphlet by Marilyn Herzog from Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc./The
Learning Network.
Benefits of The Learning Network
The Learning Network focuses on classroom, school faculty, school
leadership, and district levels.
Administrators are active and involved instructional leaders,
accountable for achieving district and
state standards. Teachers develop
deep understandings that drive effective classroom practice.
They are effective decision-makers. Students
learn in an environment that is consistent from classroom
to classroom and grade level to grade level. They become confident, accomplished
readers and writers,
and
enthusiastic, independent learners. Schools
focus on learning. They are enriched environments for all
members
of the school community.
The Learning Network Principles
The principles that guide the structure and content of Learning Network
support are drawn from research
and
understandings about how learning occurs for adults and for children.[1]
Structure
Research shows that the
job-embedded structure of The Learning Network and the on-going support
of an outside change agent result in deep, long-lasting change in faculty
understandings and classroom
practice.
Content
Good classroom practice is based on considering teaching
and learning a cyclic activity. Assessment
and evaluation drive planning and teaching. Good teaching
for students or adults starts with evaluating
what the learner knows and determining what the learner needs to know. Careful
planning creates the most
appropriate experiences to lift the learner to a new level of understanding.
Achievement
Data collected from
TLN schools shows improvement in student achievement that goes beyond the
reading
and writing curriculum.
[1]
For more information, see the booklet “Research and Data Supporting the
Content and Structure
of The Learning Network,” available from Richard C.
Owen Publishers, Inc./The Learning Network.
The Learning Network® in Action
Changing the culture
of a school requires more than making changes in individual classrooms.
To
facilitate reform at the individual, classroom, school, and district levels,
The Learning Network
provides an extensive support structure.
The Learning Network Organizational Chart
Leadership
Leadership in a Learning
Network school is based on the mutual support of an administrator
(usually the principal), The Learning Network coordinator (the outside
change agent), and the
teacher leaders (teachers already on staff), who form a critical
triangle that assumes
responsibility
to refocus the school’s energy toward learning and achievement. A description
of the expectations of
each member of the critical triangle is on page 8. As The Learning Network
develops within the school,
the leadership team often
expands to include contributions from the assistant principal, curriculum
coordinators, other members of the school faculty, and district level
administrators.
The Learning Network® Timetable
This ideal implementation of The Learning Network incorporates the summer
institute, Leadership Seminar,
and Learning Network conference into a cycle of site visits from Learning
Network coordinators. The formal
training of teacher leaders takes two years. Continuing contact will help keep
the process alive indefinitely.
| Fall and Winter Prior to Implementation | |||
|
Administrator and
faculty make a commitment to focus staff development on improving literacy.
|
Key
staff people explore The
Learning Network as an option for school development, often visiting a
school supported by TLN
|
School eliminates
ineffective and theoretically contrary programs from the budget.
|
Entire faculty is
introduced to TLN through inservice, site visits, and/or awareness video. Budgeting for Year 1 and Year 2 begins. |
| Spring and Summer Prior to Implementation | |||
|
District
representative completes district application
|
Key administrator
completes school application; signs Administrator’s Declaration of
Support Learning Network class formed (optimal size: eight TLs total from four area schools) |
Contract
signed by administrator, district representative, and Richard C. Owen
Publishers, Inc.
Baseline data,
including the Annual School Survey, is collected |
Leadership team
attends Literacy Learning in the Classroom summer institute
|
| School Year 1 | |||
|
TLN coordinator spends
eight contact days in each school meeting with the two TLs and key
administrator School begins planning release time for TLs (for planning, observation, and instructional dialogue) for School Year 2
|
Teacher leaders in TLN class meet one half-day in a
focus meeting with TLN coordinator and the key administrators on a contact
day School faculty establishes an instructional resource room
|
Teacher leaders and
key administrators in TLN class meet one half-day without TLN coordinator Leadership team attends The Leadership Seminar
|
School articulates
Year 1 goal and begins to collect specific data to plan for growth
|
| Summer Between Years 1 and 2 | |||
| TLs and teachers they will be supporting attend summer institute | Key administrator encouraged to attend summer institute | TLs and administrators attend The Learning Network conference | |
| School Year 2 | |||
|
Baseline data,
including the Annual School Survey, is collected TLN focus meetings twice per month, once with TLN coordinator and once without |
TLN coordinator spends
eight contact days in each school supporting TLs as they work with
teachers Key administrator continues to work alongside TLN coordinator during visits |
TLs begin work with teachers in their classrooms (a TL
released 50% of the time from his or her classroom can support eight
teachers) Leadership team and district administrator attends The Leadership Seminar |
TLN coordinator
continues to work with TLs in their classrooms At least one policy statement is written and in place by the end of Year 2 |
| Beyond School Year 2 | |||
| Pattern of new teachers attending the summer institute and working with the TLs during the following school year continues |
TLN focus meetings
continue without TLN coordinator |
Attendance at The
Learning Network conference by key administrator, TLs, and teachers is
encouraged |
A maximum of four days per school year of continuing contact with a TLN
coordinator is recommended |
The Learning Network® Roles and Expectations
The Learning Network coordinator (TLN coordinator) is the professional educator
from
Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc./The Learning Network who comes into a school
eight contact
days per school year (about one visit per month) over two years.
The coordinator works with the
key administrator and teacher leaders both in
their classrooms and as they begin to work with
colleagues. Learning Network
coordinators may also support faculty, department, district, or parent
meetings, budget planning or data collection, or guide the selection of
resources, to mention only a
few areas. Our Learning Network coordinators have
developed a deep understanding of working with
adults as learners through
extensive on-going training.
The key administrator, usually the principal, is an instructional leader
with a commitment,
willingness, and ability to provide active support for
teacher leaders and receives support from The
Learning Network
coordinator to be
a more effective instructional leader. The role of the administrator
is to
support the growth of individual teachers and to monitor classroom student
achievement, basing
decisions on the collected data.
In this role, the key
administrator completes action plans, attends the
observation and instructional
dialogues
of teacher leaders, and participates in Learning Network focus
meetings with The Learning Network coordinator
and other key administrators on
an on-going basis. The
key administrator must attend the summer Literacy
Learning institute and is expected to attend the
Leadership Seminar and The
Learning Network conference annually.
The key administrator may also coordinate release time
for teacher leaders, ordering materials, and
registrations
for institutes,
seminars, and conferences.
Each key administrator is expected to sign the Administrator’s
Declaration of Support and to
honor the
commitments. A copy of this
declaration is included with the application.
Two teacher leaders (TLs) are chosen from the faculty of each school
receiving support. In Year 1
the
two TLs work directly
with The Learning Network coordinator to develop their understandings of the
model
of teaching and learning while maintaining their full-time classroom
responsibilities.
In Year 2, the teacher
leaders begin to support up to eight teachers each in their classrooms while
being
released
from their classrooms half time. The Learning Network
coordinator’s responsibilities now focus on
increasing the
TLs’ skill in
guiding and supporting their colleagues.
In subsequent years, the trained
teacher leaders continue to support classroom teachers. Only those
teachers
supported directly by a TLN coordinator are considered teacher leaders.
During the first two years teacher
leaders and the key administrator work with other TLs and administrators
in
their area in a Learning Network class (see
“The Learning Network Focus Meetings” on page 11).
Identifying
the best people for the two teacher leader positions is vital to the success of
this initiative.
Criteria to
assist the principal to determine who can do the
job most effectively and the Teacher Leader’s
Declaration of
Support that
teacher leaders sign and are expected to honor is available with the
application.
Professional Growth in Years 1 and 2
The Reflective Process Personal and professional growth occurs when a teacher
or administrator
describes his or her own practice or behavior, then analyzes it
to uncover the theory and understandings
that drive it. Do the
understandings
and the practice agree? Do they hold up to current research and
concepts? These
challenges lead to the construction of new understandings, which result in
changes in
practice. In schools supported by The Learning Network, the
reflective process becomes formalized through
instructional dialogue. Growth
is supported by the TLN coordinator, the outside change agent.
School Year 1: Focus on the Teacher Leader’s Classroom Practice
|
Action Plans
Action Plan An action plan is form that provides structure for educators to plan for their own growth. In Year 1, the teacher leader completes an action plan each week and begins to implement it in his or her classroom practice. In School Year 2 the action plan is also used by classroom teachers. Administrators complete an Administrator Action Plan to use when the TLN coordinator visits. Observation In School Year 1, after reviewing the teacher leader’s most recent action plans, the TLN coordinator observes the TL’s classroom practice, making notes keyed to the current action plan. The key administrator observes alongside the TLN coordinator. |
 |
Instructional Dialogue
A unique element of The Learning Network is instructional
dialogue, the
professional conversation that occurs
after observation. The TLN coordinator guides the teacher leader
through an exploration of his or her understandings about teaching
and learning using the reflective
process and an instructional
dialogue sheet. At the end of the dialogue the teacher leader
considers
a next learning step and a new action plan.
|
Teacher
Leader Curriculum
The teacher
leader
curriculum
in The Learning Network Handbook outline the specific
areas within reading, writing, and spelling that teacher
leaders explore in Year 1.
Benchmarks and Indicators Benchmarks and indicators, also in The Learning Network Handbook, allow teacher leaders to organize their understandings and document their growth. In Year 1, Benchmarks and Indicators of Teaching focus understandings in the classroom. In Year 2 and beyond, Benchmarks and Indicators of Observation and Instructional Dialogue focus TLs on instructional leadership, and the former become a supportive tool when planning for instructional dialogue with teachers. |
The Learning Network Focus Meetings
Learning Network classes
of approximately
eight teacher
leaders are formed from four schools in communities convenient to one another.
These classes gather twice
monthly over eight months in the school year for Learning Network focus
meetings. The class meets one
half-day with the TLN coordinator and the key administrators on a contact day
and one half-day without the
TLN coordinator and the key administrators. The schools take turns hosting the
focus meetings. During focus
meetings, videos of teaching episodes, case studies, and other experiences allow
coordinators to deepen
learning,
skills, and understandings within the entire group rather than with one
individual at a time.
End-of-the-Year Review At the end of each year, schools are asked to
submit a copy of the strategic
plan or school improvement plan that is assembled for their own school district,
school board, and community.
This report often includes a brief description of the school and community,
demographic data, evidence of
growth,
and next steps for the school.
Policy Statements
Policy statements are
content-specific documents based on current understandings of teaching and
learning
that connect the actions of teachers in their classrooms with state standards
and district requirements. Over
the course of two years, the school is developing the capacity to write
policy statements on reading, writing,
spelling, and handwriting development. Policy statements are powerful tools for
developing a school-wide
continuum
of learning for all students. A policy statement becomes a vehicle for students
to move seamlessly
through the
school, grade by grade, experiencing consistency, quality, and continuity in the
school’s instructional
program.
The expectation of The Learning Network is that by the end of Year 2 the school
has one policy
statement from
these areas written and in place and a model for developing statements in these
and other
curriculum areas.
School Year 2: Focus on the Teacher Leaders’ Work with Other Teachers
Teacher Leaders Supporting Teachers
In School Year 2,
teacher leaders begin to support teachers
who have attended Literacy Learning in the Classroom in their classrooms once a
week. A teacher leader
with 50% release time can support up to eight teachers. The teachers now complete
action plans, which
guide the
weekly observation and instructional dialogue they have with the teacher leader.
Tiered Dialogue
The teacher leader continues
to use action plans, but the teacher leader and the TLN
coordinator now focus on the teacher leader’s ability to guide other adults to
new learning. Instructional
dialogue becomes tiered. During TLN coordinator site visits, first the
teacher leader observes and works
with a teacher, focusing on that teacher’s understandings while being observed
by the TLN coordinator.
Then the coordinator engages the teacher leader in instructional dialogue about
the teacher leader’s
understandings in working with the teacher. The TLN coordinator continues to
observe the TLs in their
own
classrooms as well.
Professional Growth Beyond Year 2
Continuing Contact
The
support provided by The Learning Network does not end after School Year 2.
Teachers who will be
supported by teacher leaders attend the summer institute. The leadership team
attends the leadership
seminar and The Learning Network conference. One key to continued growth is for
schools to arrange for
two, three, or four days of continuing contact in the years following the
training of teacher leaders.
Why? Because additional support from a TLN coordinator helps to maintain focus,
further develop
understandings, and refine skills. In addition, because The Learning Network is
a learning organization,
there is more for TLN to contribute to the growth of the school.
In continuing contact, the
leadership team works with the school faculty and the TLN coordinator to
identify a specific objective from the school policy statement that will be used
to evaluate current
effectiveness. Between visits from the coordinator, the leadership team collects
evidence, evaluates it
to determine the strengths and the next steps for the school, and creates a plan
of action. Faculties
engaged in continuing contact transform the school into a learning organization.
The cycle of data
collection and evaluation becomes an ongoing part of the regular work of the
school.
Continuing Involvement
In continuing involvement situations, although
formal continuing contact with a Learning Network
coordinator has not been arranged, the leadership team continues the cycle of
support in teachers’
classrooms. Teacher leaders are provided with release time to support teachers.
Data is collected and
shared with The Network. The Learning Network encourages the school faculties to
continue attending
the summer institute, leadership seminars, and the annual Learning Network
conference, to participate
in electronic discussions on the listserve, and to contact the organization with
challenges, successes,
data, and innovations.
Recognition by The Learning Network
Schools involved in Year 1 or Year 2 are considered
part of The Learning Network. Following the successful
completion of two years of training of at least one teacher leader, the school
will continue to be recognized
by The Learning Network if certain conditions are met:
the
school has at least one trained teacher leader,
the
amount of release time for teacher leaders and the
number of teachers receiving support is consistent with
The Learning Network’s guidelines,
the
leadership team holds regular meetings for planning
school growth, and
the school submits
data regarding student achievement to
The Learning Network.