Learning Action Cell: Foothold To Professional Development

LEARNING ACTION CELL:

LEARNING ACTION CELL: FOOTHOLD TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTLD TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OBJECTIVES  Describe Learning Action Cell (LAC)

 Identify the processes and key elements/aspects of the Learning Action Cell (LAC)  Appreciate the Learning Action Cell as a professional learning tool that emphasizes reflection and collaboration;  Understand why LACs are important and how they can support teachers in their practice;  Create next steps to start or strengthen our LAC practice as a school. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Who has conducted or facilitated a LAC session? Who has participated in a LAC session?

Manaet Elementary School

Time for (Individual) Reflection (2 mins)

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What is a Learning Action Cell (LAC) for you? What are some of the elements of LAC? How are LAC Sessions done?

San Roque Elementary School

Group Activity

Share what you wrote (your ideas and stories) with your groupmates. Make sure that everyone has a chance to contribute to the discussion.

Assign a documenter, facilitator, and reporter for the plenary discussion. This group activity runs for 10 minutes.

Group Activity

Summarize your group’s discussion. Write your answer on metacard. A. What is a Learning Action Cell (LAC) for you? B. What are some of the elements of LAC? C. How are LAC Sessions done?

Reporting (1-2 minutes per group)

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LAC definition/description and LAC name/s

Teachers in schools practice different forms of LACs. There are many names for LACs, but they essentially mean the same.

LACs = PLCs = COPs = TQCs = TCCs

• Learning Action Cells • Professional Learning Communities • • Communities of Practice • Teacher Quality Circles • Teacher Collegiality Circles •

Lac explainer video

What are Learning Action Cells? Learning Action Cells are groups of teachers who engage in collaborative learning sessions to continuously improve their practice and/or to solve shared challenges encountered in the school/cluster of schools/district. Rizal Elementary School

From D.O. 35, Series of 2016

Formation of LACs • LACs can be organized by key stage, grade level, learning area, or school programs or projects depending on the identified professional development needs of teachers. • Ideally, a LAC is composed of 5 to 15 members. It can be adjusted based on the number of teachers in every school or cluster of schools. • Each teacher will be part of a LAC. • We can organize as many LACs as necessary depending on our needs. • LACs are to be done at least once a month. San Roque Elementary School

Needs assessment as a starting point • According to the policy,

San Roque Elementary School

“conducting a needs assessment/analysis is something that needs to be done before forming LACs and conducting LAC sessions. Conducting thorough and consultative needs assessment helps in understanding what the needs of teachers and students are.”

Types of LAC Groupings

COMPOSITION OF LAC

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

What do we talk about in LACs?

• Topics and themes to support our teaching and learning practice, and other professional development needs • Shared challenges in teaching Baybay Central School

• Teaching strategies and best practices • Skills and knowledge learned in recent trainings

Themes/topics in the LAC: •Learner diversity and student inclusion; •Content and pedagogy of the K-12 Basic; Education Program •Assessment and Reporting in the K to !2 Program

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Themes/topics in the LAC:

•21st Century Skills and ICT Integration in Instruction and Assessment; and •Curriculum contextualization, localization and indigenization

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

LAC Implementation Process

PLANNING

 Creation of LAC Plan Needs Assessment Identification of topics Scheduling of topics and sessions

Identification of available resources Identifying roles and tasks of LAC members

Creation of progress monitoring tool DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

LAC Planning Elements Needs Assessment What are the professional development needs of our teachers? Logistics How should teachers be distributed in LACs? Who will be my initial facilitators? When will it happen? What will I need? Teacher Engagement How do we engage the teachers in LACs? How do we communicate the importance of LACs in a delightful and meaningful way? DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

LAC Implementation Process

IMPLEMENTATION  Establishment of goals and vision

 Culture and norm setting  Conduct of the LAC sessions  Continuous progress monitoring

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

LAC Implementation Process

EVALUATION  Consolidation of progress monitoring results  Report making  Celebration and sharing of practices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

LAC TIME!!

Time to simulate a LAC session! Pretend you are a newly-formed LAC . Two school groups can merge if the school representatives are below 5. Division of Mandaluyong

How to Conduct School-Based Learning Action Cell Session/Meeting

Before the Meeting • Remind the LAC members to bring their Teacher’s Guides or any upcoming lessons to the meeting. • Tell them to prepare to share orally experiences, bring student work or learning materials developed.

Sharing Sessions (30 minutes) • Share in pair, groups, subject groups the experiences and reflections pertaining to new materials, new activities, new approaches they have tried.

Introduction of Topic (30 minutes) • Introduce new topic. • Teachers can view video capsules. • Guide questions in the guidebook can be used to stimulate discussions.

Activity ( 50 minutes) • Professional Activity ( making materials/preparing for lessons/demonstration teaching) • Look at the TGs and select lessons or activities where they can apply what has been introduced or discussed in the meeting. This can be done in pairs, small groups or individually.

Sharing What We Will Do (10 minutes) • LAC members can share what they are planning to do and together in small groups discuss and help each other identify what they will collect in terms of evidence on the outcome. • At the next session, they will share experiences, collected data/evidences and reflection on what they tried and how it worked.

After the Meeting • Confirm dates for next LAC meeting. The school head may confirm with some teachers schedule of classroom observations.

What are the key aspects/ elements of a LAC?

Key Aspects / Essential Elements of a LAC Ongoing collaborative learning / problem solving within a shared domain of professional interest

From D.O. 35, Series of 2016

Key Aspects / Essential Elements in a LAC Self-directed learning

From D.O. 35, Series of 2016

Key Aspects / Essential Elements in a LAC

Reflective practice leading to action and self-evaluation

From D.O. 35, Series of 2016

Key Aspects / Essential Elements in a LAC

Collective competence development

From D.O. 35, Series of 2016

Why LACs?

Teachers learn best through collaboration and work-based learning!

Lingayon Elementary School

K-12 and the need to support teachers LACs are a way to support teachers especially in the implementation of the new curriculum and pedagogy introduced in K-12. Hinabuyan Elementary School

K-12 and the need to support teachers LACs aim to provide a supportive environment so that teachers can reflect on their practice and work together to continuously improve teaching.

San Roque Elementary School

LACs are the most costeffective CPD process! There may be minor costs for meetings and handouts but the schools’ MOOEs can be tapped according to utilization guidelines. Funds can be raised for ongoing teacher development!

Starter Guide for LAC Leaders

The materials are also available for download at:

www.bit.ly/LACToolkitWave1

As ______________________________, I feel ____________________________ I think___________________________ and I will_____________________________.

LACs can have an impact on teachers becoming a community of reflective practitioners…and it can be fun too!

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

San Roque Elementary School