What Is A Professional Learning Community?

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What Is A Professional Learning Community?
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Definition of PLCs

• Independently think and write down a statement or
  phrase that defines What is a professional
  learning community?
• Share your response with others at your table
• Share whole group

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DuFours Definition

• A Professional Learning Community is a
  collaboration of teachers, administrators,
  parents, and students, who work together to seek
  out best practices, test them in the classroom,
  continuously improve processes, and focus on
  results.
• Rick DuFour, 2002

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Fundamental Assumptions

• We can make a difference Our schools can be more
  effective.
• Improving our people is the key to improving our
  schools.
• Significant school improvement will impact
  teaching and learning.

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• The ONE Thing
• in a
• Professional Learning Community,
• learning rather than teaching
• is the fundamental purpose of your school.

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Three Big Ideas

• Focus on Learning
• Collaboration
• Focus on Results

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Four Corollary Questions

• 1. What should students know and be able to do as
  a result of this course, class, or grade level?
• 2. How will we know that the students are not
  learning?
• 3. How do we respond when students do not learn?
• 4. How do we respond when students learn more?

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Why should we engage in Professional Learning
Communities?
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Why should we engage in Professional Learning
Communities?
PAPER CUP ACTIVITY Individually, think of and
write down as many uses for a paper cup as you
can.
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Why should we engage in Professional Learning
Communities?

• As a team, compare your lists and designate the
  total number of uses compiled
• Share your results with the whole group

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Why should we engage in Professional Learning
Communities?

• Stand and find a partner from another table
• Discuss the benefits or possible benefits of
  working in a PLC
• Return to your table group and share your new
  insights whole group

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Research says.

• For Staff
• Reduction of isolation
• Increased commitment to school mission, vision
  and goals
• Shared responsibility for student success
• Powerful learning that defines good teaching and
  creates new instructional knowledge
• Higher likelihood of increased staff motivation
  and inspiration
• Significant advance in adapting teaching to
  students in quicker time
• Greater commitment to making significant and
  lasting change and undertaking systemic change

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Research says ..

• For Students
• Decreased dropout rate and fewer classes
  "skipped".
• Lower rates of absenteeism.
• Increased learning that is distributed more
  equitably in the smaller high schools.
• Greater academic gains in math, science, history,
  and reading than in traditional schools.
• Smaller achievement gaps between students from
  different backgrounds.

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Resource

• What Does the Research Say? Team to Teach
  Facilitators Guide
• Article on research surrounding how good
  teaching matters and the need for teachers to be
  involved in collaborative professional
  development leads to multiple benefits.

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How can rural sites build PLCs together?

• Read the article
• Solo to Ensemble Fine arts teachers find a
  harmonious solution to their isolation

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Group Activity

• Number off by 5s and form a table group
• Each team member will
• a. Describe their current teaching assignment
  (including others who may share this assignment)
• b. Describe how they are currently collaborating
  about instructional or school practices
• c. Describe any barriers to their current
  collaborative structure
• 3. As a group the team will
• Using the article information, discuss ideas on
  how networking with other APL-Core participants
  might work for them