Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work. Whatever It Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond When Kids Don't Learn: Study Guide. How to Create a Professional Learning Community. It takes careful planning to form a useful and functional PLC, but once the foundation is built, the benefits will soon be evident. This how-to article accompanies the feature "Teachers and Community Members Practice TLC with PLCs. " Here are a few tips to consider when planning a professional learning community: Teach Participants How to Collaborate The success of PLCs hinges on collaboration, but don't assume it'll come naturally. Help the teams develop their own protocols and norms. Anne Smith, assistant superintendent of Long Island's Mattituck-Cutchogue School District, began by facilitating everything herself.
She wanted her teachers to know that they were not being judged. Credit: Edutopia As a PLC facilitator, Nancy Krakowka, a sixth-grade language arts teacher at the district's Cutchogue East Elementary School, knows that collaboration doesn't happen overnight. Krakowka's group worked to find a common goal -- creating student portfolios. Create an Atmosphere of Trust Get Outside Help. Professional Learning Community Definition. A professional learning community, or PLC, is a group of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise, and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students. The term is also applied to schools or teaching faculties that use small-group collaboration as a form of professional development.
Shirley Hord, an expert on school leadership, came up with perhaps the most efficient description of the strategy: “The three words explain the concept: Professionals coming together in a group—a community—to learn.” Professional learning communities tend serve to two broad purposes: (1) improving the skills and knowledge of educators through collaborative study, expertise exchange, and professional dialogue, and (2) improving the educational aspirations, achievement, and attainment of students through stronger leadership and teaching. In professional learning communities, teams are often built around shared roles or responsibilities.
Reform Debate. Schools as Learning Communities:What Is a Professional Learning Community? Professional Learning Communities by Ellen Ullman. Professional Learning Communities by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter-Hall.