Professional Learning Communities

Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) has been around for many years, and have become an increasingly popular and regular form of professional development within the educational spectrum. In simplistic terms, PLC’s are a group of professionals collaborating in an effort to share ideas and then transfer those ideas into classroom practice. This practice is for educators to work together where there can be a more consistent and mutually beneficial approach to the educational needs of our students.

A key reason for this increase in popularity is a current trend in reforming our educational system. A study was done in a high school in Illinois that illustrated the dramatic effect that PLC’s can have on student achievement when successfully

In a study done with cooperation from 10 special education school teachers, the three most highly rated components to a successful PLC were: 1) studying a selected topic in-depth, 2) having the assistance and support of administration and 3) selecting, implementing, sharing, and discussing results of activities with each other. (Linder et al.,2012). PLC’s are not without a strong, in-depth knowledge of the particular topic is not known. Professionals cooperated to study so they can increase the breadth of topic knowledge, and to gain the information of the minds of other

It involves a school wide approach and includes educators coming together for the overall benefit of PLC growth. Collective learning can be used to address ways to improve both the PLC and all areas in education. In order for PLC’s to be successful every administrator and teacher should be doing his/her part in the collective learning process.

Along with collecting learning, educators should take ownership of their skill. A commonplace for a strong environment is during classroom walkthroughs and having an open door. Teachers should discuss current school issues and how can they address such problems. To make use of down or free time administrators and educators should visit colleagues’ classrooms to learning new techniques and for the formation of discussion points for future PLC meetings.

In PLC’s the focus should not be solely on techniques and teaching strategies, but on student learning needs. This is the fifth essential that focus on student learning. It should not be forgotten that PLC’s entail numerous elements that combine to promote an equal number of goals. Dufour (2005) agrees with Glickman, Ross, and Ross-Gordon when he suggests that PLC’s should focus on three critical questions: 1) what do we want each student to learn; 2) how will we know when each student has learned it; and 3) how will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? We must remember that student learning