Making Teamwork Meaningful in a PLC at Work

So it's a pretty big day in Radical Nation.

Solution Tree finished the cover design for my fourth book, Making Teamwork Meaningful: Leading Progress Driven Collaboration in a PLC at Work -- which I co-authored with Parry Graham and Matt Wight, two of the best principals I've ever had the chance to work with. 

Check it out:

(click to enlarge)

It's designed to introduce readers to sets of tangible strategies for tackling five common frustrations that often stall professional learning communities:

• Getting the right people into the right collaborative places.
• Making collaboration work for singletons and teachers in small schools.
• Designing a master schedule that facilitiates PLC priorities. 
• Building a system of interventions to address the needs of every student.
• Increasing the collaborative capacity of faculty members and learning teams.

Our goal was to remind the leaders of struggling learning communities that there ARE practical steps that they can take in order to help EVERY learning team to make progress and to move forward together -- and early reactions to the content that we've put together have been really positive.

I think what I like the best about MTM is the fact that we use regular examples of leadership and progress BEYOND schools to make our key points. 

Lessons drawn from disastrous Amazonian expeditions, successful stock market analysts, intelligent medical practitioners in America's delivery rooms, and the principles that drive progress in the natural world make the text more relevant, engaging and unique. 

Needless to say, I'm excited to see what y'all think of it when it's finally published! 

 Look for it in January of 2013. 

#jazzed

___________________________

Related Radical Reads:

Building a Professional Learning Community at Work

Teaching the iGeneration

Communicating and Connecting with Social Media

 

Comments

[Matt Townsley]

Looking forward to reading it....and then if it's anything like your previous books, I plan to buy a copy for my teachers.

"Rock on"-
Matt

[Bill Ferriter]

Thanks for the kind words, Matt...

And for the constant support over the years! Youre still one of those guys that I need to actually meet in person. Not a lot of people have meant more to my thinking than you and Russ and the rest of the Goerend/Townsley nation.

Definitely sending you a free copy of the book when its done!

#youearnedit

Rock right on,
Bill

[BGruetzmacher]

Bill @plugusin- Wow. These two jump out at me:
Making collaboration work for singletons and Building a system of interventions to address the needs of every student. Congrats and take care.

Brett

PS-Whose posed for the cover photo? :)

[Bill Ferriter]

Thanks for stopping by, Brett...

And seriously: Our goal with MTM was to convince school leaders that this work IS doable! Those common frustrations are the kinds of things that make people give up. If were successful in helping a few of those leaders find ways around the kinds of barriers that prevent schools from moving forward, well win.

Anyway...rock right on.
Bill

[BP]

Hey Mr.Ferriter,

I just found this blog while trying to see if I could find your e-mail address. You most certainly would not remember me and that is no matter. You were my 6th grade language arts teacher twelve or so years ago. Now, many teachers and professors later, and sitting at Georgetown Law, I want you to know that I still think you are truly the very best. I would go on and on about how much I think educators need to be...well, you, but I really need to put my face back in a book. Hope you are well.
God bless you for the role you played in so many kids' lives,
BP