In Their Own Words - Teachers on Learning Teams

The following are letters to the Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent from teachers and administrators about how developing learning teams, with the support of Pearson Learning Teams, has changed schools and improved learning - for both teachers and students!

"We at Wilmington Middle School have been involved in learning teams for several years. Pearson Learning Teams came in three years ago and gave us focus and direction. Student achievement has increased and teacher camaraderie is at a high. I can’t imagine going back to the old way of professional development without the guidance of these researchers. This is the best resource we have ever had that enables our best resources, the teachers, to improve instruction that results in increased student achievement. Please consider this group in your professional development plan. Their training and guidance is indispensable to us."

Sincerely,
Diana Zarro-Martinez: Secondary Mathematics Coach, Wilmington Middle School


"As a facilitator of a learning team with Wilmington Middle School, I am proud to say how much I have enjoyed the Learning Teams experience. As a facilitator I have grown as an educator, a mentor, and in general a more confident teacher. This experience has brought the whole school together in adapting a new way to teach. Our staff has learned to collaborate with each other in a more positive way. Which in turn, has also had a positive outcome in the way our students learn. We have adapted a more rigorous and successful approach to teaching, which has not only boosted our moral, but has united all of us to do the very best we can so that No Student is Left Behind, As you know Wilmington Middle School is doing amazing things in all academic subjects. And yes, I contribute most of the success to our Learning Teams, and also to our dedicated teachers and staff."

Sincerely,
Patricia M. Shaw: Special Education Specialist, Wilmington Middle School


"As a math teacher, dean, department head, and counselor for more than 30 years, I was asked to be the “point person” for Learning Teams (LT) at my school. The Learning Teams program is the best professional development experience for teachers that I have ever encountered.

Two issues which hamper student access to the high school curriculum are: 1) teacher classroom isolation and 2) lack of time for faculty reflection on instruction. LT provides bi-monthly paid after-school opportunities for teachers to improve their craft and promote student success. Workgroup members have the flexibility to choose an instructional need which addresses a particular California Subject Standard and then to design a lesson which helps students to master that Standard.

What sets LT apart is the emphasis upon the analysis of student work. The objective is to obtain a perfect correlation between the goals of the lesson and student understanding. The seven steps of the LT lesson-planning process require teachers to investigate student needs, anticipate misunderstandings, incorporate special strategies for our large EL population, evaluate lessons using data from student work, and make plans for improvement.

By having faculty members who teach Advanced Placement, honors, regular, and Special Education classes on the same team, participants are able to produce the best of differentiated instruction. Groups are also heterogeneous in age/experience. All of our six groups have both new teachers and veterans. LT also provides special training and valuable leadership development for facilitators (one teacher per workgroup).

Funding provided for Learning Teams will positively impact as many as 200 students per teacher per year. I hope that you will be able to continue this valuable program."

Sincerely,
Penelope Jo Black, Ed.D: Testing Coordinator, Birmingham High School