Chapter Three
What would it take in your school to have environments that provide the leadership and support to sustain the creativity and vitality of your learning communities?
Changes that will give renewed vitality to our school is to change the structures of our professional learning communities. This past school year, weekly formal meetings were held to focus on steps towards experts in principles of 7 Habits and Leader in Me curriculum integration. Our lighthouse team has worked diligently to order posted and signs for leadership and shared ideas to staff on activities for habit of the week. How can we utilize the lead teachers and parents in order to enhance the creativity and vitality for our PLCs? Our school can unify both cultural proficiency language and beliefs since our school mission and goal is to create global leaders of tomorrow. Our school demographics is predominantly English Speakers from caucasian descent. These students will become global leaders by continuing to share literature, videos and activities on languages, cultures, religions, and sexual orientation. Within our weekly meeting, the Lighthouse team members collaborate in order to develop leadership activities, this can be feasible if we tie in value of difference cultures to enhance students’ empathy and appreciation towards cultures.
What is your understanding of culturally proficient learning communities? In what ways are you and your colleagues in community learning? How might a culturally proficient learning community support your current practices?
After reading the chapter on evolution of learning communities, it was evident on how a culturally proficient learning community should have share of student academic excellence and continue to ask administrators and teachers this question on page 35, “What can we learn and do that will enable su to be more successful with our students?” By allowing the perspective of students and families in the community, administrators and teachers can best serve the needs of the community. Within culturally proficient learning communities’ success there needs to be some reflective dialogue amongst teachers about different culture, languages, religions, sexual orientations, etc and through the purposeful collaboration to reach the goal of success for all students.
A prime example of community learning at riverview Language Academy, is the Lighthouse Team weekly meetings, in which we have a common goal to become a Lighthouse status school that demonstrates leadership skills through cultural and language appreciation events for families and community members. The Lighthouse team is composed of three parents, two administrators, lead teachers from kinder through fifth grade. Each week, we share our ideas on upcoming events like Leader in Me curriculum, Leadership Day, Parent informational nights on 7 Habits and International Day. All these events include the voices of students and families. In addition, we have collaboratively worked with Panda Express to provide food for parent informational nights.
Culturally proficient learning community support our current practices by providing additional support to our teachers in the methods and strategies to share common language on embracing the diverse community we serve. In addition, it would be a great opportunity to share literature the focus on value of cultural difference and leads children to be proactive participants in their own community. By collaborating in PLCs, educators can model the various ways we value each other’s perspective and ideas because we each can contribute for a greater good in academic success for all students.
Changes that will give renewed vitality to our school is to change the structures of our professional learning communities. This past school year, weekly formal meetings were held to focus on steps towards experts in principles of 7 Habits and Leader in Me curriculum integration. Our lighthouse team has worked diligently to order posted and signs for leadership and shared ideas to staff on activities for habit of the week. How can we utilize the lead teachers and parents in order to enhance the creativity and vitality for our PLCs? Our school can unify both cultural proficiency language and beliefs since our school mission and goal is to create global leaders of tomorrow. Our school demographics is predominantly English Speakers from caucasian descent. These students will become global leaders by continuing to share literature, videos and activities on languages, cultures, religions, and sexual orientation. Within our weekly meeting, the Lighthouse team members collaborate in order to develop leadership activities, this can be feasible if we tie in value of difference cultures to enhance students’ empathy and appreciation towards cultures.
What is your understanding of culturally proficient learning communities? In what ways are you and your colleagues in community learning? How might a culturally proficient learning community support your current practices?
After reading the chapter on evolution of learning communities, it was evident on how a culturally proficient learning community should have share of student academic excellence and continue to ask administrators and teachers this question on page 35, “What can we learn and do that will enable su to be more successful with our students?” By allowing the perspective of students and families in the community, administrators and teachers can best serve the needs of the community. Within culturally proficient learning communities’ success there needs to be some reflective dialogue amongst teachers about different culture, languages, religions, sexual orientations, etc and through the purposeful collaboration to reach the goal of success for all students.
A prime example of community learning at riverview Language Academy, is the Lighthouse Team weekly meetings, in which we have a common goal to become a Lighthouse status school that demonstrates leadership skills through cultural and language appreciation events for families and community members. The Lighthouse team is composed of three parents, two administrators, lead teachers from kinder through fifth grade. Each week, we share our ideas on upcoming events like Leader in Me curriculum, Leadership Day, Parent informational nights on 7 Habits and International Day. All these events include the voices of students and families. In addition, we have collaboratively worked with Panda Express to provide food for parent informational nights.
Culturally proficient learning community support our current practices by providing additional support to our teachers in the methods and strategies to share common language on embracing the diverse community we serve. In addition, it would be a great opportunity to share literature the focus on value of cultural difference and leads children to be proactive participants in their own community. By collaborating in PLCs, educators can model the various ways we value each other’s perspective and ideas because we each can contribute for a greater good in academic success for all students.
Going Deeper: 3 Keys
Quotes
Questions
The various terminologies within this chapter of “professionals who come together with a common desire to learn in a community, to inquire into expanded possibilities, and to strive for continually improving professional practices.” (Lindsey, et al., pg. 38) In addition, on page 47 by demonstrating the examples of how culturally proficient community leaders explicitly arranged accessible meeting time and space, materials and resources for the community. These examples made is feasible to service the school-community and to develop those relationships to expand of the goal of student academic success. Lastly, Hord’s five tenets integrated with cultural proficient provided with a solid idea of important components to ensure a successful culturally proficient learning community.
Resource
Lindsey, D., Jungwirth, L., Pahl, J., & Lindsey, R. (2009). Culturally proficient learning communities confronting inequities through collaborative curiosity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
- “Educators who make the paradigmatic shift to being responsible for better serving their students are engaged as culturally proficient learning communities.” (Lindsey, et al., pg. 37)
- “Aspiring to be culturally proficient school administrators and seeking to broaden the school’s leadership, paying attention to equity and the future cultural needs of the school may be achieved by embracing the Guiding Principles and Essential Elements of Cultural Proficiency.” (Lindsey, et al., pg. 36)
- “School leaders who intentionally structure conversations and dialogue to help surface these deeply held assumptions, values, and beliefs are aware that these are the initial steps in creating a common, shared vision and mission as a learning community.” (Lindsey, et al., pg. 48)
Questions
- Riverview and Winter Gardens will have a shift in administration, how can we advise the upcoming administrators about developing a culturally proficient learning community? Which teachers can become school leaders to develop purposeful PLCs?
- In the book it states “engaging the perspective and voices of families, students, and the community is critical to the learning of the PLC.” How can we include their voices in PLC and continue to reflect on what’s best for our students and community?
- “In what ways do learning communities systematically assess their culture, exhibit value of diversity within their community, manage the dynamics of difference found within the community, adapt to those differences and institutionalize new cultural knowledge?” (Lindsey, et al., pg. 49)
The various terminologies within this chapter of “professionals who come together with a common desire to learn in a community, to inquire into expanded possibilities, and to strive for continually improving professional practices.” (Lindsey, et al., pg. 38) In addition, on page 47 by demonstrating the examples of how culturally proficient community leaders explicitly arranged accessible meeting time and space, materials and resources for the community. These examples made is feasible to service the school-community and to develop those relationships to expand of the goal of student academic success. Lastly, Hord’s five tenets integrated with cultural proficient provided with a solid idea of important components to ensure a successful culturally proficient learning community.
Resource
Lindsey, D., Jungwirth, L., Pahl, J., & Lindsey, R. (2009). Culturally proficient learning communities confronting inequities through collaborative curiosity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.