How can professional learning communities be improved?

How to create a winning professional learning community at your…

1. Educate your team on what a PLC really means.
2. Start with learning.
3. Embrace a collaborative culture built on trust.
4. Decide together how things should run.
5. Set SMART goals.
6. Consider bringing in outside help.
7. Know that these things take time.

What limitations do professional learning communities have?

Five Dysfunctions of a Professional Learning Community

• What Is a Professional Learning Community (PLC)?
• From Isolation to Collaboration.
• All Teams Are Potentially Dysfunctional.
• Dysfunction #1: Lack of Norms.
• Dysfunction #2: Lack of Team Goals.
• Dysfunction #3: Lack of Trust.
• Dysfunction #4: Lack of Communication.

Why do professional learning communities fail?

When a school’s PLC isn’t working, common reasons include: Insufficient access to timely data on which to base instructional decisions; Poor infrastructure (especially lack of scheduled time for teachers to meet, or inefficient use of the limited time available);

What is the biggest negative to a professional learning community at a school?

Improper Implementation. The most common drawbacks of PLCs come from incorrect implementation. This could be on the part of the teachers or the administrators. For example, if the administrators dominate PLC time and don’t share leadership roles, this results in an ineffective PLC.

What are the 3 components of professional learning community?

In “What Is A Professional Learning Community,” Richard DuFour outlines three critical components that distinguish a PLC from other groupings.

• PLCs focus on what students learn, not what teachers teach.
• PLCs focus on a culture of collaboration.
• PLCs focus on results.

Do you think PLC will improve the school situation?

PLCs allow educators opportunities to directly improve teaching and learning. Meeting with your PLC gives you the ability to share student progress, and when the data is shared across grade levels within the building, educators and administrators take ownership of every child’s education.

How often should PLCs meet?

When, How Long, and How Often PLCs that are too small or too large suffer from a deficit or excess of varying perspectives (see Establishing PLC Teams, Chapter 2). For teachers to adequately benefit from being in a PLC, I recommend teams meet at least weekly, for at least an hour each time.

Do you think Plc will improve the school situation?

What activities can be done in a professional learning community?

Typically, PLC meetings include the following activities: 1) Reviewing student data, 2) setting learning goals, 3) reflecting on teaching practice, 4) exploring resources to learn about new practices, and 5) planning how to apply new learning.

How can PLCs support learners?

The PLC model gives schools a framework to form high- performing, collaborative teams of teachers that are all united toward the improvement of student learning. During collaborative team meetings, teachers share their concerns, reflect on their teaching strategies, and make decisions based on data.

What does an effective PLC look like?

Educators in a PLC benefit from clarity regarding their shared purpose, a common understanding of the school they are trying to create, collective communities to help move the school in the desired direction, and specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time- bound (SMART) goals to mark their progress.

How can I improve my PLC?

4 Ways to Build Effective PLCs

1. Set clear objectives that are focused on student learning.
2. Provide structure and guidance for PLC time.
3. Foster a culture of collaboration.
4. Focus on results.

How can the PLC help teachers take risks?

The PLC is designed for teacher learning, and thus the team must balance risk taking and teacher autonomy with shared expectations for student learning. It’s important that teachers in a team have that clear understanding of purpose so that everyone feels safe to take risks.

Why do PLCs need a facilitator?

This clarity can make space for open conversation. PLCs need strong facilitators in order to engage in conversations that promote learning, risk taking, and innovation. However, the facilitators or leaders of those teams may be torn between advocating for ideas and managing the complex process of moving the team forward.

What is the biggest dysfunction of PLC’s?

That’s the biggest dysfunction of PLC’s – breaking through the perception that a PLC is just another admin-driven meeting. Imagine being told that, “teachers will now attend PLC meetings.. and don’t forget to fill out the PLC report form and turn it in to your administrator.”

How do you build a successful plc?

First and foremost, assess if everyone in the school has made a commitment to the first big idea of a PLC—a focus on learning. If not, return to clarifying that the fundamental purpose of the school must be learning. All members, or at least the critical mass, must see this as a priority before the rest of the work can be supported.