LAC Session Implementation Process

Before the LAC Session. In order to plan for LACs, the LAC members guided by the LAC Leader and LAC Facilitator, are expected to identify professional development needs and prioritize issues to be discussed or addressed in the LAC session. These can be recorded in a LAC Plan, which will also require details on how the LAC process will be monitored. A template for the LAC Plan can be found in Annex 1. Schools can revise the template to suit their own needs and contexts.

1. Assessment of Needs. Needs are identified with reference to the professional teacher standards set for one’s career stage. These needs could be captured through different forms like self-assessment tools, classroom observation results, critical reflections, surveys, research-based teacher development needs, students’ assessment results, and other forms.

2. Prioritization of Topics or Agenda. From the needs that have been identified as focus of LAC, members could agree on which of them should be prioritized for their sessions. The basis for prioritization could be in terms of urgency of need, time needed in addressing the need, interest or in whatever way agreed upon by the members of the group. These priority needs or topics could integrate the areas mentioned above.

3. Formation of LAC. Every teacher must be part of a LAC. LACs could be formed based on the prioritized need(s) and depending on the number of teachers in every school or cluster of schools. However, these groupings are flexible according to need and context.

One LAC could be composed of five (5) to 15 members. A school may organize as many LACs as may be deemed necessary depending on the identified needs of the school. In all schools, teachers may convene in groups that are strategically decided. These may be by key stage, grade level, learning area, or programs offered by the school. Multigrade schools may be clustered in different ways by the district or division supervisors based on the objectives of the LACs to be conducted.

Each LAC should have a leader, a facilitator, a documenter, and members as shown in Figure 2. External resource persons may be invited when necessary though the preference is for the LAC resource persons to be from among the LAC members. The terms of reference (ToR) for LAC participants are found in Annex 2.

4. Identification of Appropriate Intervention. The LAC could agree on exploring interventions to address the identified need. Interventions could be in the form of learning materials, instructional materials, equipment, facilities, strategies in teaching, modality in teaching, program, etc.

5. Scheduling of Meetings. The LAC members can decide on the schedule, length, and frequency of meetings. One to two hours a week is strongly recommended but the diversity of teaching conditions may not always allow this. LAC sessions, however, should be conducted at least once a month. Interactions may also be done through ICT when it is difficult to have face-toface sessions, particularly when involving clustered schools. There is a need to prioritize the LACs because this is the support system for teachers who are tasked to deliver basic education, which is the core business of DepEd. Activities that do not support this mandate must not take priority over the learning needs of students. Finally, all schools are encouraged to prioritize LAC sessions instead of administrative meetings, which should be scheduled separately from LAC sessions.

6. Setting Up of Resources. Resources could be human or material that should be prepared or set up before the implementation of the sessions. The human resources could be individuals who are tapped as resource persons of the LAC sessions. Material resources could be the supplies, worksheets, videos, equipment, budget, food, venues and other things needed in the conduct of a LAC session.

The LAC Leader or School Head shall take the lead in identifying the needed resources, ensuring their availability and sustainability.

7. Assignment of Work. The LAC members could be given specific roles to perform during LAC sessions. These roles could be rotated among the members of the group.

8. LAC Implementation Norms. Norms are the framework from which team members commit to conduct business. Developing norms and adhering to them ensure the success of the group, and facilitate the members’ ability to deal with critical issues. Norms have several components that clarify team dynamics. These are some elements to address:

Time and Venue: Where and when will we meet? Will we start on time?

Listening: How will we listen to our peers? How will we discourage interruptions when someone is speaking?

Confidentiality: What content is to be held in confidence? What can be shared after the meeting?

Decision Making: How will we arrive at a decision? What if everyone doesn’t agree with the group decision?

Participation: Is participation optional? Will we have an attendance policy? What will we do if a member constantly misses meetings?

Expectations: What do we expect from team members? Do we need a method for ensuring each member comes to the meeting prepared with appropriate data or other assignments?

9. Preparing Line-item Budget. The budget shall come from the school’s respective MOOE and other external grants, provided that only expenses allowed under the school MOOE may be included, subject to existing accounting rules and regulations.

10. Writing of LAC Plan. For a guided implementation of LAC plans, they should be written and documented following the template in Annex 1. Schools are allowed to modify the template based on their needs. This plan should be integrated or linked with the School Improvement Plan (SIP) or Annual Implementation Plan (AIP).

During the LAC Session. The priorities set out in the LAC Plan are implemented through a variety of activities, which can include stimulus (e.g. lectures, practicum, orientation, coaching, workshops, development and utilization of instructional materials, etc.) followed by collaborative discussion

of possible ways forward. The final activity of the session will involve individual and group action planning in order to implement agreed activities in the classroom.

After the LAC Session. LAC members are expected to implement the proposed strategies or activities in their classroom or school or community as appropriate and evaluate their success. LAC members should be prepared to report back on the success of these activities in future LAC sessions. LAC

facilitators and LAC leaders should monitor these activities and evaluate how far they are contributing to improved outcomes for learners at school. School heads or principals should support the LACs by doing class observations and encourage teachers to continually improve instruction so that student learning will also improve.