The WHAT, HOW and WHY for PLCs

What is a PLC?

A Professional learning community with a variety of educators focused on gaining new information and building on ideas to improve practice and increase students’ learning.
http://www.masonk12.net/academics/professional-learning-communities-plc

Learn by Doing VS Building Professional Communities in Schools
(Durfour, Dufour, Eaker & Many - Learn by Doing)
(Kruze, Louis & Bryk - Building Professional Community in Schools)

 Learn By Doing
1. Focus - improving student learning and  experiences
2. Collaborative teams
3. Engages in collective inquiry into best practice
4. Action oriented
5. Commitment to continuous improvement:  
a. gather evidence of current levels of student understanding
b. develop strategies to build on strengths and weaknesses
c. implementation
d. analyze the impact of the changes (what worked)
e. apply new knowledge in the next cycle  
6. Focuses on results aligned with goals for student learning

 Building Professional Communities in Schools
1. Reflective Dialogue
2. De-Privatization of Teaching Practice
3. Collective Focus on Student Learning
4. Collaboration Among Members

5. Shared Norms and Values  
Starting a NEW PLC at your school                  
  • Must first have a common ground for CHANGE that is required at your school
  • Have an OPEN discussion which involves entire school community
    • Questions, doubts, concerns & affirmations
  • Communicate a GOAL
  • GUIDE conversation towards CHANGES that will IMPROVE student learning
4 Structural Conditions
  1. Time to Meet & Talk
  2. Interdependent Teacher roles
  3. Communication Structures
  4. Teacher Empowerment
The following link will help assist the PLC meeting with guiding questions
Why Implement PLCs at YOUR School
The following benefits have been seen in schools with strong professional learning communities:
  • Teachers build and manage various kinds of knowledge, including content and pedagogy
  • Teachers gain the skills to use this knowledge in practice
  • Teachers and administrators develop shared standards of practice for differentiated instruction and student outcomes
Successfully implementing professional learning communities also has some significant impacts on the culture of your school or district:
  • Learning together becomes a school wide value
  • Both mistakes and successes are opportunities to learn
  • Learning becomes more about increasing student understanding of a topic than about the good grades that result

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