Deprivatising practice
The importance of sharing ideas and learning from each other.
Duration: 02:23
Quality learning circles
In this story Gary Punler describes how learning circles were redeveloped in his school, as part of the Ariki project.
More information about QLCs
More information about QLCs
For further information on quality learning circles (QLCs) read:
Lovett, S., & Verstappen, P. (2004) Improving teachers’ professional learning: the quality learning circle approach. New Zealand Journal of Educational Leadership, 19, 2, 31-43.
Katz, S., Earl, L.& Jaafar, S. (2009). Building and Connecting Learning Communities. The power of Networks for School Improvement. Corwin, California.
Gary also recommends this additional reference for quality learning circles:
Stevens, K. & D. Stewart. (2005). Cybercells: Learning in Actual and Virtual Groups (Chapter 7). Melbourne: Thompson/Dunmore Press.
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Two years ago we had a focus in our school around writing, and our data suggested that we needed to support the kids - a group of children a little bit more with that. So what I ended up doing was getting some support from outside advisers as well. We talked about it within our own school staff and put together a PD programme.
What I was able to do, was to then look at what teachers were saying in their own diaries because this is replicated within the school. So what I do as a principal within my group, (the process I just described before), also then happens within my own school and those other principals’ schools.
So they would have put something into a web diary. They would have gone off to a quality learning circle, done a presentation, had the reflective questions did the summary side of things as well. Because of the way that it was set up, I was able to get the summary sheets back from the quality learning circles within my own school and just see where people’s thinking was.
So as a result of that we knew that writing was something we wanted to look at. We set up a professional development plan. The result of that was to focus on two or three children in our room, find out what worked in writing with a particular group that we were focusing in on and then monitor that over the period of time and then look at the outcome of that for students. So what was the increased or enhanced learning that they had done? So that’s an example of something where what I had looked at as being a focused intent had trickled into the classroom, if you like, and was quite connected.
And there’s been lots of other things we’ve talked about - e-learning, key competencies, any of the curriculum areas, boys’ learning, Māori learning, Pacific learning. There’s been a number of those things have come through because those intentions that I have for learning come out of our school goals which are part of our charter.
