PLCs and the Power of Embracing Vulnerability

The teachers of Mounds View Public Schools are engaged in a grand social experiment. In response to the state mandate that Minnesota districts develop a new teacher development and appraisal process (or adopt the state created plan), a task force comprised of K-12 teachers and administrators created a system in Mounds View whereby collaborative teams of teachers are appraised based on their ability to cause and respond to student performance, both in ways that deepen understanding for proficient leaners, and in ways that provide different and creative re-learning opportunities for learners that aren't yet proficient.

The underlying theory of Mounds View's system is that the added dynamic of teacher appraisal to the collaborative process would create increased collective accountability for the learning of all students across a grade level or course. It was also believed that collective appraisal would generate necessary urgency for teams to know their cumulative impact on learning, and to continuously improve and implement practices most likely to yield increased learning for all. 

The early returns on Mounds View's investment in teacher collaboration are as interesting as they are formative. While many teams have shown an ability to collaboratively plan a progression of learning aligned to a priority standard and measured by a common formative assessment, great variability exists in the capacity of teams to generate "creative solutions to non-routine learning problems" (Sagor, 2010). For the teams challenged most by data suggesting students didn't meet learning goals, it has become increasingly clear that individual and collective vulnerability is among the greatest barriers to improvement.  Teachers appear fearful of how they'll be perceived by others when their students fail to perform up to expectation.

In her Ted Talk entitled "The Power of Vulnerability," researcher and story teller Brene Brown discusses vulnerability as "the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness."  She shares many important messages, four of which I will adopt as a framework for encouraging teachers to view mistakes and failure as a springboard to finding joy, creativity, and success.

1.  "Connection is why we exist...It gives purpose and meaning to our lives."

Brown says that when people don't feel a strong sense of love and belonging, they begin to fear they're not worthy of connection. To become a highly effective collaborative team, each member must believe they are worthy of belonging to the group. One way to increase feelings of connectedness within a team is to find compassion for self. Brown says people are not inherently kind to themselves. The judge in our own head is by far our most critical evaluator. In Positive Intelligence, Chamine suggests disarming your inner-critic by assigning it a name, and becoming intentional about discerning a situation rather than casting judgement upon it. When the judge in our head is named and silenced, we become more willing to embrace vulnerability, and we begin to accept and value others for their imperfections.

2. "Blame is a way to discharge pain and discomfort."

It feels terrible when we work extremely hard to cause learning to happen for all, only to see many students fall short of our learning goals. Over time, teacher ineffectiveness can lead to feelings of shame ('I'm not good enough'), as well as to the blaming of others. Attribution is a powerful way of discharging the discomfort, tension and stress that results from continued struggle. Educators have to begin to view blaming as a call for help. When a teacher or a team of teachers is engaged in blaming type behavior it is an acknowledgment that they're stressed, hurting, or perhaps burning out. 

For more on blame, watch Dr. Brown's video below:

3. "We all need to have the courage to be imperfect."

Embracing vulnerability is the most effective way for teachers to let go of shame and blame. We all have to be willing to be seen, and see others, as the imperfect human beings we are.  Causing learning to happen for all kids will never be easy. Every teacher flops. Every teacher makes mistakes. Collaborative teams must adopt the mindset that their mistakes don't become failures until they refuse to fix them.  

A PLC's effectiveness should not be measured by the initial performance of their students; rather, teams should be appraised for the actions they take in response to data suggesting students didn't learn, as well as for how they respond when data suggests students are ready to go deeper.  The teams most capable of producing their desired result view imperfection as a springboard for growth (both their own and that of their students).

4. "Vulnerability is the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness, but it appears that it's also the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, and of love." 
When teachers live in fear of what others might think about them personally or professionally, they are far less likely to generate the kind of creative approaches to teaching and learning necessary for producing universal achievement. It is only when we embrace our limitations and vulnerabilities as  human beings (and as a team of educators) that we can begin to rediscover the joy of teaching. When members of collaborative teams own and share their faults and flops with each other, they become increasingly interdependent. As DuFour, Fullan, Hattie and others have shown, teacher interdependence, truly relying upon each other to increase the overall impact each member has on the learning of their students, produces vastly improved results.

For more on the Power of Vulnerability, view Brene Brown's Ted Talk below: