In this practical and engaging book, Brett Taylor presents an innovative, solutions-driven approach to teacher PLCs that unleashes teacher creativity and transforms classrooms. In Design Thinking PLCs: Revolutionize Teacher Collaboration you will learn how to: Demonstrate empathy for your students by connecting your work with their true learning needs to have meaningful impact in the classroom. Brainstorm new ideas to improve your teaching in ways you have never imagined. Think outside the box as a collaborative team to learn from each other and design innovative teaching prototypes. Measure the success of your experiments and show real student learning growth through multiple metrics. Garner support for this PLC model at your school site by connecting with other teachers and converting your administrators.

What makes a powerful and results-driven Professional Learning Community (PLC)? The answer is collaborative work that expands the emphasis on student learning and leverages individual teacher efficacy into collective teacher efficacy. PLC+: Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design calls for strong and effective PLCs plus—and that plus is YOU. Until now, the PLC movement has been focused almost exclusively on students and what they were or were not learning. But keeping student learning at the forefront requires that we also recognize the vital role that you play in the equation of teaching and learning. This means that PLCs must take on two additional challenges: maximizing your individual expertise, while harnessing the power of the collaborative expertise you can develop with your peers. PLC+ is grounded in four cross-cutting themes—a focus on equity of access and opportunity, high expectations for all students, a commitment to building individual self-efficacy and the collective efficacy of the professional learning community and effective team activation and facilitation to move from discussion to action. The PLC+ framework supports educators in considering five essential questions as they work together to improve student learning: Where are we going? Where are we now? How do we move learning forward? What did we learn today? Who benefited and who did not benefit? The PLC+ framework leads educators to question practices as well as outcomes. It broadens the focus on student learning to encompass educational equity and teaching efficacy, and, in doing so, it leads educators to plan and implement learning communities that maximize individual expertise while harnessing the power of collaborative efficacy.

A brief, beautiful introduction to Design Thinking that inspires business creativity and innovative solutions The Design Thinking Quick Start Guide: A 6-Step Process for Generating and Implementing Creative Solutionsshows you how you and your team can become more creative. This book presents methods you can use to innovate playfully and enjoyably. The Design Thinking Quick Start Guide is full of practical tools and activities, like the 6-3-5 method of brainstorming, to help you and your team get creative. For each of the six steps in the design thinking process, the authors offer two warm-ups that get teams ready to contribute and arrive at innovative solutions. Spur innovation with checklists for brainstorming and implementation Learn how to generate new ideas Lead your team in a proven process for doing creative work Whether you’re new to design thinking or experienced, the clearly outlined steps in this guide will inspire you to create and implement great ideas.

By focusing on what students learn rather than what they are taught, schools can redefine their mission and begin the transition to a professional learning community. After interviewing and observing principals, administrators, and teachers, the authors identify seven leadership practices that effective PLC leaders share, along with the techniques that have led them to sustainable success.

This research-based sequel to Leading Professional Learning Communities focuses on the practical process of implementing, improving, and sustaining PLCs. Appropriate for groups at all stages of PLC development, this field book helps educators improve PLC operations by facilitating individual and group development and growth. The authors provide learning opportunities that generate conversations about adult learning and contribute to supportive conditions that strengthen teacher quality and raise student outcomes.

In the third edition of Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work®, authors Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas W. Many, and Mike Mattos provide educators with a comprehensive, bestselling guide to transforming their schools into professional learning communities (PLCs). In this revised version, contributor and Canadian educator Karen Power has adapted the third edition for Canadian educators, emphasizing how Canadian educators can effectively improve learning for each student across their unique and widely diverse provinces and territories. Rewritten so that the scenarios, research, and language appropriately meet the needs of Canadian educators, this version is packed with real-world strategies and advice that will assist readers in transforming their school or district into a successful PLC.

"PLCs: From Origin to Present and Future Technology" is an authoritative guide that explores the evolution and impact of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) in industrial automation. Authored by Ronald Legarski, a telecommunications and automation expert, this book delves into the history, development, and future trends of PLC technology. It provides a comprehensive understanding of PLCs, from their basic components and programming languages to their integration with emerging technologies like AI and IoT. With industry-specific case studies and practical insights, this book is an essential resource for engineers, professionals, and students aiming to master PLC technology and apply it effectively in modern industrial settings. Whether you're new to the field or an experienced practitioner, this book offers valuable knowledge to help you navigate the complexities of PLC systems and succeed in the rapidly evolving world of industrial automation.

What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum. Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.

Design thinking is a person-centered, problem-solving process that's a go-to for innovative businesses and gaining traction with school leaders interested in positive change. But understanding design thinking is one thing; actually putting it in play is something else. Authors Alyssa Gallagher and Kami Thordarson offer educators a practical guide for navigating design thinking's invigorating challenges and reaping its considerable rewards. They dig deep into the five-stage design thinking process, highlighting risk factors and recommending specific steps to keep you moving forward. The 25 downloadable and reproducible tools provide prompts and supports that will help you and your team • Identify change opportunities. • Dig deeper into complex problems. • Analyze topics to isolate specific challenges. • Connect with and solve for user needs. • Apply what you've learned about users to design challenges. • Maximize brainstorming power. • Create and employ solution prototypes. • Pitch solutions and secure buy-in from stakeholders. • Organize and analyze user feedback. • Map out a solution's specific actions and resource requirements. Design Thinking in Play is a must-have for education leaders who are tired of waiting for someone else to solve their problems and ready to take action, have fun, and leverage collective insight to figure out what will really work for their school, their colleagues, and their students.

Provides specific information on how to transform schools into results-oriented professional learning communities, describing the best practices that have been used by schools nationwide.