A Study Guide and Assessment Instrument for Strengthening and Enriching Your Professional Learning Community: The Art of Learning Together

• For those without much experience in building learning communities, the primary focus should be on the core process itself, with more to be understood as the community develops.
• For others with more experience, the book acts as a tool for strengthening and enriching what you already do.

The book is a process book because, as the introduction says, there is no recipe that, when followed, creates an instant learning community. All communities and individuals, like all relationships, are works in progress. So the word "process" is used to convey the notion that the development of a great community is an ongoing process.

I. Research Foundations

The research and theoretical foundations for the processes and procedures described in this book are found in several places. We begin with the two chapters in section 1 and appendix B on "the field of listening."

1. Chapter 1: Foundations for Professional Development.
   
   1. The chapter suggests that there should be two layers of development as educators become more proficient. What are the two layers? Why are they both necessary? To what extent does any current program that you are using embrace both layers?
   2. The chapter points out that great professional development always has three critical elements. They are relaxed alertness as an optimal state of mind; orchestrated immersion of the learner in complex experience; and the active processing of experience. What are some of the critical features of each element? Do you have any personal experience with aspects of each of these elements? To what extent does any current program that you are using embrace all three elements? How can you tell?
2. Chapter 2: Effective Learning Communities.
   
   1. The chapter introduces four different types of learning community. In what ways are they alike and in what ways are they different? What personal experiences have you had with any of them? If you are currently in a learning community, what sort is it, based on the four types identified in this chapter? What sort of learning community do you want to have?
   2. The chapter suggests that an essential ingredient in any effective professional learning community is a field of listening. Appendix B expands upon the field of listening. What three types of listening does it describe? What personal experiences have you had with each of them? What sort of listening would you like in your professional learning community? What sort of listening currently takes place in your community? What, on reflection, is a "field of listening?" Based on the ideas and processes in this book, how might you improve upon the way that people listen to each other in your current learning community?
   3. Next, the chapter introduces Process Learning Circles (PrLCs). What is a Process Learning Circle? What are the two primary objectives of a PrLC? Have a preliminary discussion about the ways in which the PrLC's combine the different types of learning community identified in the chapter.
3. Now take some time to revisit the core ideas in both the chapters and Appendix B. Working with others, discuss the sorts of features and elements you would like to find in your professional learning community. Create some sort of tool (e.g. a checklist) that you could use to assess your own process.
4. Finally, the two chapters also suggest that developing the right school climate is an essential foundation for success. Revisit and discuss what the right climate is and why it is so important. At the end of chapter one you will find an instrument to help you assess your current learning climate. Either separately or working with others, complete that instrument now.

II. How to Conduct Process Learning Circles

Most of the relevant material can be found in section two. Some additional guidance is found in section three, and that will be addressed later in this guide. A word of caution is also needed here. You should NOT examine these steps in great detail at this time. The reason is that the key learning comes from experience. If you study the process too much in advance, it changes the nature of your experience, and reduces its value. The key, here, is to become familiar with the skeleton—the framework—of the overall process.

1. The overall format is described in chapter 3. Logistical issues are dealt with in chapter 4. The various phases of the circle meetings are described in depth in chapters 5 through 8. With this in mind, here are some basic structural questions:
   
   • What is the preferred circle size?
   • Who can and should participate?
   • Where should circles meet?
   • How often should circles meet, ideally?
   • What are the four phases in each circle meeting?
   • What is the primary purpose of each phase? Briefly describe the process of each phase.
   • If a circle meets twice a month, the emphasis of each meeting is different. Describe and explain the differences.
2. Now that you have an overview of the process, take some time to discuss the ways in which the research foundations (from the first part of the book) are being implemented. Where do you see the two layers of development? Where do you see aspects of the three critical elements of professional development? How do the PrLCs guide listening?
3. Now, take some time to review your thoughts and experiences as you have worked through this study and guide and assessment instrument so far. What ideas and procedures have you dealt with? What processes have you used? What has been the primary benefit so far? What most interests you?

III. Process Leadership

Chapter 9 is explicitly about the process leader and process leadership. And chapter 10 is about asking the right questions (Additional material on process leadership can be found in several other chapters).

1. Chapter 9
   
   1. A process leader is defined as someone who creates the conditions that allow others to succeed. Discuss this definition. The chapter identifies some important skills and capacities of process leaders. Explain these in your own words. Then provide some examples of situations where you have experienced them in others—anywhere. Individually or collectively, conduct a brief self-assessment: which of the skills and capacities do you have to a significant extent? Which need most development? What suggestions are provided in the chapter for leadership development? How does any professional learning community in which you currently participate address the issue of leadership? In what ways can the approach to leadership in your current professional learning community be supplemented by the ideas and procedures in this book?
   2. Leadership is addressed in several different ways, both directly and indirectly. On the basis of what you have read so far, discuss different ways in which the entire process contributes to an understanding of and development of leadership capacities.
2. Chapter 10
   
   1. Chapter 10 begins by pointing out that there is a great deal of disagreement about important issues. Why is asking the right question actually quite complex?
   2. Chapter 10 says that leaders need a philosophy of change. What is meant by a "philosophy of change?"
   3. The chapter goes on to say that some aspects of professional development should not be dealt with in the process described in this book. In fact, the book suggests that they are not actually professional development. What are they? And why are they off the table?
   4. The chapter then suggests that the place to begin is with the school climate. Revisit your earlier discussion of school climate. Why is it so important?
   5. The next suggestion is to make sure that any issue that is selected for the PrLC to work with is a "big issue." Two examples are given. What are they? In what ways are they big issues? What conclusions do you draw for how to identify big issues? If you are already participating in a professional learning community how would you characterize the issue or issues with which you are currently dealing?
   6. Finally, it is clear that one of the key roles of a leader is in helping to identify the issues to be working on. On the basis of your prior experience and what you have read and studied to date, what role should the various participants play in selecting the issues to explore?

IV. Advanced Keys for Success

The bulk of material on this topic is introduced in section three. It includes chapters on individual differences, group dynamics, process principles, and the path forward. It is supplemented by chapter 10, which is about asking the right questions. And it is supplemented by Appendix A, which is a summary of research about how people learn. In the long run, all of this is very important. Right now, the key is to gain a bird's eye view of the content, and then revisit it from time to time as you use the process in the book.

1. Chapter 12
   
   1. Chapter 12 is about individual differences. What approaches to individual differences have you dealt with in the past? What are the key learning styles introduced in the book? Even in the absence of a profile (available online at www.cainelearning.com) what seem to you to be the learning styles of you and your colleagues in any professional learning community in which you are currently participating?
   2. Chapter 13 is about group dynamics. These will become apparent as you work with your PrLC. However, they will also have been present in other groups in which you have participated. Briefly list the phases that tend to occur in the formation of a group. To what extent have you experienced them in other groups?
   3. The chapter introduces two tools to use in learning communities. What are they? How might you use them in your current work environment, even if you have not yet formed a PrLC?
2. Chapter 14
   
   1. Chapter 14 introduces the notion of process principles. These are guidelines for working well to learn together over time. Take some time to identify and discuss the 10 principles. As you discuss them, refer back to personal experiences that illustrate them. How could these principles support any current professional learning community in which you are participating?
3. Chapter 15
   
   1. Chapter 15 describes the path forward. It says that professional development needs to be continuous. And it suggests very strongly that there is at least one crucial shift that needs to be made. What is that shift? Why is it so important?
   2. Revisit your discussion on "asking the right question." What connections are there between asking the right question and the first shift in teaching that this chapter says must be made? What further shifts need to be taken?
   3. At the end of the chapter, and in some other places, the book mentions the importance of technology. How does the book address the role of information technology and the online world?

V. Final Thoughts: How People Learn

Everything in this book is grounded in research, experience, and ideas about how people learn naturally. The topic is summarized in Appendix A: How People Learn. We suggest that when you implement the process in this book, the first big question you address is how people learn. And we suggest that Appendix A be the primary source that you use for the first year of your process learning circle (supplemented with other readings). After all, is anything more important for an educator that a solid appreciation for and understanding of how all learners learn?

Strengthening and Enriching Your Professional Learning Community: The Art of Learning Together was written by Geoffrey Caine and Renate N. Caine. This 200-page, 6" x 9" book (Stock #110085; ISBN: 978-1-4166-1089-2) is available from ASCD for $19.95 (ASCD member) or $26.95 (nonmember). Copyright © 2010 by ASCD. To order a copy, call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723 (in Virginia 1-703-578-9600) and press 2 for the Service Center. Or buy the book from ASCD's Online Store.