Professional Learning Communities: Practices for Successful Implementation
Roberta A. Linder, Gina Post, and Kathryn Calabrese
Although these university faculty members began this study to facilitate forming PLCs and develop positive relationships between university and school teachers, the article was interesting to me because it underscored what I've gradually become aware: when teachers get out of their rooms and work together with other teacher on a common goal to improve their teaching and student learning, both tend to improve dramatically.
Under the old system, teachers would attend a workshop outside school and come back excited about what they had experienced. Unfortunately, if no other teachers were at the same workshop, the excitement soon fizzled out and the great ideas (delivered by someone outside the school) went away. It seemed as though teachers couldn't learn or improve themselves; someone else, more educated, more experienced, costing lots of money, was the only person qualified to deliver. However, teachers working together, holding one another accountable and creating common assessments for common lessons improve their individual teaching and the learning within their classrooms. (Perhaps because they get the opportunity to see that they are not alone in their challenges and successes and have others of like mind to help support them and learn from them.)
"Recent research provides evidence that PLCs can produce positive effects on teachers and their instruction, which in turn can lead to improved student performance.... Monthly professional development workshops led teachers to feel a sense of camaraderie with colleagues, connection to their schools, and ownership for the content of the workshops..." (Linder, 2012). As teachers meet together on a regular basis, they become more confident in their abilities to create assessment, manage their data and implement changes in their teaching.
DuFour, D., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2010). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work. Bloomington: Solution Tree Press.
Linder, R., Post, G., & Calabrese, K. (2012) Professional learning communities: Practices for successful implementation Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 78(3), 13-22.
DuFour, D., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2010). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work. Bloomington: Solution Tree Press.
Linder, R., Post, G., & Calabrese, K. (2012) Professional learning communities: Practices for successful implementation Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 78(3), 13-22.
I have found this to be so true! Thanks for emphasizing this!
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