Guiding Principals of Professional Learning Communities Essay Example
Guiding Principles of PLCs
Ashley Newby
EDU677: Monitor & Evaluation, Curriculum & Instruction Systems Thinking
Instructor: Judith Orth
June 11, 2012
The term Professional Learning Community is a continuous process that usually occurs in an education setting. Teachers, administrators, and education specialists unite to develop effective strategies to enhance their goals as professionals to aid students in achieving academic success. Within this process the school culture congregate and form a team to tackle various focus areas. Normally, in a professional learning community also known as a PLC, the educators work together brainstorming ideas, lessons, and activities that will support a plan to be implemented all in hopes of the student’s achievement. A professional learning community can benefit a school’s environment by reinforcing teacher morale and leadership skills. As the school moves forward, every professional in the building must engage with colleagues in the ongoing exploration of three crucial questions that drive the work of those within a professional learning community:
• What do we want each student to learn?
• How will we know when each student has learned it?
• How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?
The answer to the third question separates learning communities from traditional schools.
A PLC can serve as a support system that motivates teachers to follow a guided plan. Educators who are building a professional learning community recognize that they must work together to achieve their collective purpose of learning for all. Therefore, they create structures to promote a collaborative culture. This plan can include classroom assistants, parent volunteers, and other school personnel like librarians. The PLC culture can influence teachers through numbers. When teachers come together and have strength in numbers they can support each other, collaborate, and brainstorm the most effective methods and
Ashley Newby
EDU677: Monitor & Evaluation, Curriculum & Instruction Systems Thinking
Instructor: Judith Orth
June 11, 2012
The term Professional Learning Community is a continuous process that usually occurs in an education setting. Teachers, administrators, and education specialists unite to develop effective strategies to enhance their goals as professionals to aid students in achieving academic success. Within this process the school culture congregate and form a team to tackle various focus areas. Normally, in a professional learning community also known as a PLC, the educators work together brainstorming ideas, lessons, and activities that will support a plan to be implemented all in hopes of the student’s achievement. A professional learning community can benefit a school’s environment by reinforcing teacher morale and leadership skills. As the school moves forward, every professional in the building must engage with colleagues in the ongoing exploration of three crucial questions that drive the work of those within a professional learning community:
• What do we want each student to learn?
• How will we know when each student has learned it?
• How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?
The answer to the third question separates learning communities from traditional schools.
A PLC can serve as a support system that motivates teachers to follow a guided plan. Educators who are building a professional learning community recognize that they must work together to achieve their collective purpose of learning for all. Therefore, they create structures to promote a collaborative culture. This plan can include classroom assistants, parent volunteers, and other school personnel like librarians. The PLC culture can influence teachers through numbers. When teachers come together and have strength in numbers they can support each other, collaborate, and brainstorm the most effective methods and