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Teacher learning teams

Develop Learning Teams that actually improve student outcomes

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Focus your learning teams’ effort on planning for original instruction that reaches all learners.

Too often learning teams get stuck pouring over data without a clear path for how to address immediate student learning needs. Even if they do find a path forward, often it leads only to endless cycles of remediation.

Pull your learning teams out of autopsy and reactive modes and shift their attention to planning for original instruction that engages and reaches all learners with Learning Forward’s Learning Team professional learning.

We provide the structure your learning team needs to begin with a strong interpretation of the data and to connect those student learning needs to the professional learning that supports teacher learning. New teacher learning leads to implementation and refinement of new teaching behaviors, followed by assessment of the leading indicators of impact.

By emphasizing use of the collaborative learning team structure to predict, plan, and implement new teaching behaviors; and then monitor student progress, attention can be shifted from a reactive focus on student deficits to proactive planning of high-quality original instruction that considers and responds to the needs of all learners.

The Learning Teams model is an adaptable structure that can work in combination with other popular PLC-based approaches. Contact us today to discuss how we can customize professional learning to establish or strengthen your learning teams.

Ensure the time you structure for learning actually results in improvement. Give them a path to action.

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What we do

Guide continuous improvement

Promote collective responsibility

Ensure goal alignment

Our Work

Teacher-led learning teams

Effective professional learning communities engage teams in a cycle of continuous improvement, promote collective responsibility for student learning, and support alignment of individual, team, school, and school system goals.

While many schools use PLCs or other collaborative structures for teacher learning, Learning Forward’s support for teacher-led learning focuses on the day-to-day actions in classrooms between students, educators, and instructional materials, and provides a clear road map showing how to use that time for maximum impact.

Using Becoming a Learning Team framework, schools implement the five-step teacher-led cycle of continuous improvement that guides the work of learning teams:

  1. Analyzing data to identify student learning needs.
  2. Setting learning goals for their students.
  3. Selecting or constructing learning designs that facilitate their own learning so they may address student learning goals.
  4. Implementing new instructional strategies in their classrooms.
  5. Monitoring, assessing, and adjusting practice.

Through whole group sessions, coaching and observation for school-based teams, and ongoing virtual support for teacher teams, professional learning facilitators, and school leaders, we provide step-by-step guidance in using collaborative learning time to meet adult and student learning needs: 

Becoming a Learning Team outcomes:

  • Understand the value and importance of collaborative learning to improve teaching and learning;
  • Launch a learning team cycle with five key stages;
  • Support the meaningful implementation of high-quality instructional materials;
  • Implement each of the five stages with specific strategies and supporting protocols;
  • Adapt the cycle to fit the specific school and system calendars and initiatives; and
  • Engage external support in sustaining learning teams.

Learn more about how we help ensure your teachers work in the community to address their own and their students’ learning needs.

Leadership support for learning teams

School and system leaders play a critical role in ensuring that schools implement learning teams effectively. Sustaining a culture of continuous learning requires a systemwide investment in professional learning and in creating a culture of continuous improvement in schools. 

Without the support and ongoing engagement of leadership, learning teams will be unable to effectively implement and sustain the cycle of continuous improvement.

Principals in particular have a critical role not only in providing time and resources or learning but in creating a vision and culture in which ongoing collaboration is part of a teacher’s daily work.

Learning Forward works with leaders at the school and system levels to understand and embrace their roles in implementing effective learning teams. 

We help leaders understand and implement the creating conditions for successful implementation of learning teams, including:

  • Vision and leadership
  • Time
  • Alignment and accountability
  • Clarity of team goals
  • Facilitation
  • Collaboration skills
  • Commitment to collective responsibility
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Learn more about how we can support your education leaders in implementing effective learning teams.

Standards Assessment Inventory

The first step toward school improvement is assessing the current state of professional learning in your school or system.

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Leadership Coaching

Develop learning leaders for learning schools.

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Meet with us to learn more

Learning Forward contracts with systems, districts, and states to provide high-impact professional learning services and tools to transform professional learning, increase educator capacity, and improve student achievement.

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