We are excited to publish our 2018-19 Meeting Schedule! Please mark your calendars now, and plan to join us as we connect, collaborate, learn, and lead together!

• September 28, 2018: Highland Park ISD @ SMU
• October 19, 2018: Keller ISD
• November 9, 2018: Mesquite ISD
• January 18, 2019: Lewisville ISD
• February 22, 2019: Richardson ISD
• April 12, 2019: Plano ISD
• May 10, 2019: Frisco ISD

Meeting Times:

• 9:00-11:30am: Collaborative/Critical Friend Groups
  • We would love to have you join us as we work on projects, give/get feedback, and collaborate on topics that are set by the group in attendance.
• 1pm-3pm: LFNTX Meetings
  • Our regular meetings feature best practices in professional learning, facilitation, and feedback.

2018-19 Topics:

To provide our host districts with a little direction as they plan the facilitated learning portion of our day, please complete the survey below to indicate your district needs/interest.

Topic Feedback Form

Prior to each meeting we will post updated information, RSVP links, topics and directions. Sign-up for updates, or check back for more information!

Little Elm ISD, Zellars Center for Learning & Leadership (PL1)

300 Lobo Lane

Little Elm, TX 75068

Click Here to RSVP

In April, we continued to compile resources for our collaborative product: A Professional Learning Handbook.  This is a tool that we can all use or adapt in our settings to provide an accessible resource of best practices for new and experienced facilitators. This month we will continue to work on this project and create a plan for our time together in the 2018-19 school year.

What to Bring: Resources, articles, books, and your brain!

This month we will be learning from and with each other as we give and receive feedback through the use of protocols.

In order for us to learn together, we’ll need authentic experiences from which to work. To that end, please consider bringing something from your practice to present in a small group. This “artifact” might include:

• a question about your practice
• an issue that’s not yet fully formed
• a dilemma in your practice
• a coaching plan you designed
• something you’ve been working on that has you feeling “stuck.”

Please bring 10 copies of any document(s) with you. 

Whether or not you can join us this month-we would love to have your feedback as we plan for next year.

Link to LFNTX Survey

We are looking to publish a schedule of meetings as soon as possible so we can get these very valuable learning opportunities on everyone’s calendars!  If you are interested in hosting a meeting, please select the month, and then type in the DATE.  (for questions about hosting, please email Ashley: ashley.helms@pisd.edu)

Your responsibilities as a host:

• Reserve the space in your district.
• Communicate Date/Time/RSVP/Materials with LFNTX Membership
• Design and facilitate learning.
• Provide water/drinks (snacks/meal not neccessary)

Sign-Up To Host

• Plano ISD Administration Building, Board Room
• 2700 W. 15th Street, Plano, TX 75075

At our January meeting, we began brainstorming ideas for our collaborative product: A Professional Learning Handbook.  This is a tool that we can all use or adapt in our settings to provide an accessible resource of best practices for new and experienced facilitators.

What to Bring: Resources, articles, books, and your brain! We will start to form teams that will define the section of our handbook and then we will get to work!

Outside of the “Box” Professional Learning

We are excited to have guests from Happy Apples Professional Learning joining us via Skype! 

Happy Apple PL is just the bud of a project created by two resource teachers who fancy themselves the Jane Appleseeds of Professional Learning. The goal is to provide innovative professional learning that makes teachers happy.

• Their website: http://happyapplespl.weebly.com/
• The article that caught our attention: https://www.edsurge.com/writers/crystal-marshall-krauss

Join us as we learn from their experiences and think together about what “boxes” we can create as a team!

If you would like to join us, but are unable to be here in person, log in to the Zoom Conference at 1:30 using the info below:

Topic: Happy Apples Zoom

Time: Apr 19, 2018 1:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/948866885

Or iPhone one-tap :

US: +16468769923,,948866885#  or +16699006833,,948866885#

Or Telephone:

Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 646 876 9923  or +1 669 900 6833  or +1 408 638 0968

Meeting ID: 948 866 885

International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/bE1AOrUgj

Location details:

McKinney ISD Administration Building, Board Room

1 Duvall St

McKinney, TX 75069

Link to RSVP: https://goo.gl/forms/LrMjfuLC6tGRQnIB3

9:00AM-11:30AM-Problem Of Practice

At our January meeting, we began brainstorming ideas for our collaborative product: A Professional Learning Handbook.  This is a tool that we can all use or adapt in our settings to provide an accessible resource of best practices for new and experienced facilitators.  At this meeting, we will organize work groups to begin curating content for each of these sections of the handbook:

• Intro: Meeting the Needs of Adult Learners
• Quality Planning
• Checklist of things to consider
• Evaluation Impact
• Learning Designs
• Text protocols
• Collaboration
• The Day Of
• Differentiation/Formative Assessment
• A Skilled Facilitator
• Troubleshooting/Dos and Don’t/ Post-mortem
• Working with a co-presenter
• Marketing
• Resources

What to Bring: Resources, articles, books, and your brain! We will start to form teams that will define the section of our handbook and then we will get to work!

12:30-2:30PM-Instructional Coaches

Making the Most of these Job-embedded Professional Developers

Join us as we learn about instructional coaches as a form of job-embedded professional development!  McKinney ISD will share our journey to create an instructional coach program that provides high-quality learning and support for our teachers.  Engage in a collaborative discussion about the successes and continued challenges of maintaining a quality instructional coach program!

What to Bring: Information about your district’s instructional coaches you would like to share!

• Keller ISD
• The Education Center, Texas Rooms (350 Keller Pkwy, Keller TX 76248)
• For more information, contact: Vicki Arrington, vicki.arrington@kellerisd.net
• Please complete this form to RSVP

Problem Of Practice: Through collaborative inquiry and research we will meet the diverse needs of adult learners through differentiated professional learning.

We have spent the fall learning together and establishing a common understanding of our problem. In this first meeting of 2018 we will begin working on our collaborative product: A Professional Learning Handbook

We are hoping to create a tool that we can all use or adapt in our settings to provide an accessible resource of best practices for new and experienced facilitators.

Other products will surely emerge as we work towards “solving” our problem of practice, and we are excited about the collaborative work ahead as we all work together to ensure meaningful learning for teachers across North Texas!

What to Bring: Resources, articles, books, and your brain! We will start to form teams that will define the section of our handbook and then we will get to work!

Professional Learning: A Year in Review

Start preparing NOW for a powerful meeting of the minds during our learning portion of our time together!! While you are attending the Learning Forward Conference, plan to bring your best learning, biggest AHA, or must share with you in January! If you aren’t attending the Learning Forward National Conference, that is OK…we know you have been learning elsewhere this year!!

We will have the opportunity to share with and learn from each other during our afternoon time together!

As always, feel free to bring your lunch and bring a friend! Looking forward to seeing you all in January!

Learning Forward North Texas Monthly Meeting

• Forney ISD Administration Building
• 600 S Bois D Arc St, Forney, TX 75126
• For more information, contact: Dana Curry, dana.curry@forneyisd.net
• Please complete this form to RSVP

Problem Of Practice: Through collaborative inquiry and research we will meet the diverse needs of adult learners through differentiated professional learning.

In the afternoon Forney ISD will share with us the process they have used to build their innovative school calendar that focuses on embedding time for professional learning. They will share their thinking about minutes and days, but also take us deeper into the logistics of planning for teacher learning, and how that planning will impact their students. We will also hear from a special group of students who have unique insight into what meaningful professional learning can look like. Join us for an afternoon of insight and innovation as we work through the process and the products of professional learning planning.

Bring with you: A copy of your current school calendar.

Problem Of Practice: Through collaborative inquiry and research we will meet the diverse needs of adult learners through differentiated professional learning.

We will be focusing on the first part of the problem: Adult Learners have diverse learning needs.

Please come prepared to share something with the group that will help us define and explore the diverse learning needs we encounter in leading adult learning. Consider:

• Bringing an article to share (20ish copies)
• Identifying challenges in your role that you are willing to share.
• Tweeting resources or thinking using the hashtag: #lfntxpop