What Is A Professional Learning Community?

1. What Is A Professional Learning Community?

2. Definition of PLCs • Independently think and write down a statement or phrase that defines: What is a professional learning community? • Share your response with others at your table • Share whole group

3. DuFour’s Definition “ A Professional Learning Community is a collaboration of teachers, administrators, parents, and students, who work together to seek out best practices, test them in the classroom, continuously improve processes, and focus on results.” Rick DuFour, 2002

4. Fundamental Assumptions • We can make a difference: Our schools can be more effective. • Improving our people is the key to improving our schools. • Significant school improvement will impact teaching and learning.

5. The ONE Thing in a Professional Learning Community, “learning” rather than “teaching” is the fundamental purpose of your school.

6. Three Big Ideas • Focus on Learning • Collaboration • Focus on Results

7. Four Corollary Questions 1. What should students know and be able to do as a result of this course, class, or grade level? 2. How will we know that the students are not learning? 3. How do we respond when students do not learn? 4. How do we respond when students learn more?

8. Why should we engage in Professional Learning Communities?

9. Why should we engage in Professional Learning Communities? PAPER CUP ACTIVITY Individually, think of and write down as many uses for a paper cup as you can.

10. Why should we engage in Professional Learning Communities? • As a team, compare your lists and designate the total number of uses compiled • Share your results with the whole group

11. Why should we engage in Professional Learning Communities? • Stand and find a partner from another table • Discuss the benefits or possible benefits of working in a PLC • Return to your table group and share your new insights whole group

12. Research says…. For Staff: • Reduction of isolation • Increased commitment to school mission, vision and goals • Shared responsibility for student success • Powerful learning that defines good teaching and creates new instructional knowledge • Higher likelihood of increased staff motivation and inspiration • Significant advance in adapting teaching to students in quicker time • Greater commitment to making significant and lasting change and undertaking systemic change

13. Research says ….. For Students: • Decreased dropout rate and fewer classes "skipped". • Lower rates of absenteeism. • Increased learning that is distributed more equitably in the smaller high schools. • Greater academic gains in math, science, history, and reading than in traditional schools. • Smaller achievement gaps between students from different backgrounds.

14. Resource • What Does the Research Say? – Team to Teach Facilitators Guide Article on research surrounding how good teaching matters and the need for teachers to be involved in collaborative professional development leads to multiple benefits.

15. How can rural sites build PLCs together? • Read the article : Solo to Ensemble: Fine arts teachers find a harmonious solution to their isolation

16. Group Activity • Number off by 5’s and form a table group • Each team member will: a. Describe their current teaching assignment (including others who may share this assignment) b. Describe how they are currently collaborating about instructional or school practices c. Describe any barriers to their current collaborative structure 3. As a group the team will: Using the article information, discuss ideas on how networking with other APL-Core participants might work for them