Professional Learning Communities... Not Just For Adults
Professional Learning Communities or PLC's as they are called- have recently gained much attention by the educational world. Typically, the concept of PLC's has applied to adults who work in teams and conduct action research to increase academic achievement. PLC's ensure that all students learn, promote a culture of collaboration and focus on results. The "Big Ideas" of PLC's include teams asking questions like:
- What do we want students to learn?
- How will we know when students have learned it?
- How will we respond when students aren't learning?
Adults aren't the only ones who can function as a learning community. There are many benefits of organizing student into learning teams as well. By constructing a cooperative learning environment with a focus on student ownership, accountability and responsibility- students can engage in the improvement of their own learning. A "Continuous Improvement Classroom" is in fact, a student learning community. Learn more about the continuous improvement classroom and its 8 components.
What are your experiences with Professional Learning Communities? What kind of collaboration occurs at your school? Are educators engaged in action research in your district? How do you respond when students have difficulty learning?
Learn more about PLC's online:
http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues61.html
http://www.nsdc.org/standards/learningcommunities.cfm
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/virtualwkshp/virtualwkshp005.shtml
Comments
We are doing both PLC and Performance Excellence in our district. Our teachers have seen how the two dovetail into one another. Our students are the biggest winners of these programs. Our district has 9 Initiaitives that have been introduced gradualy and that has moved our district forward.
Posted by: Lisa Crane | August 20, 2006 02:42 PM
Lisa,
I'm glad to hear that you are implementing PLCs in your district. I'd like to hear more about the other 9 initiatives as well. Thanks for your comment.
Jay
Posted by: Jay Marino | August 25, 2006 09:14 AM
Our district is dovetailing the following programs and they are beginning to come together:
Curriculum- using Lynn Erichson
Assessment- using Rick Stiggins
Instruction- Robert Marzano- Diminsions of Learning, and What Works in Schools
Unit Design- Unit By Design
Behavior Management-Love & Logic and Character Education
Performance Excellence
Professional Learning Communities-Rick Dufore
Study Teams
Intrinsic Motivation-Schlecty's Working on the Work
Each of these initiaitves have been taken one at a time but now after 5 years, the teachers are seeing how each work hand in hand with the next. It is so exciting to see once you have gone down the road, you can't do it without pieces of the each of the programs.
Posted by: Lisa Crane | August 27, 2006 08:56 PM
Jay:
PLC's, in their most recent iterations, are really gathering steam. I know you have advocated districts doing PDSAs as part of continuous improvement, but are PLC's really doing Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) loops?
Thanks,
CJ
Posted by: cj | September 15, 2006 10:05 AM
CJ,
I've not heard the term; DMAIC loops before. Is that an educational term or does it come from industry or healthcare?
What are your experiences with Professional Learning Communities?
Jay
Posted by: Jay Marino | September 15, 2006 10:48 AM