Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work

1. Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work Chapter 3

2. Making the Case for Professional Learning Communities “ The use of professional learning communities is the best, least expensive, most professional rewarding way to improve schools… Such communities hold out immense, unprecedented hope for schools and the improvement of teaching.” Mike Schmoker

3. The Message from this Chapter In short , the case for PLC’s is compelling, and we have discovered it is not difficult to persuade educators of the merits of the PLC concept. What is difficult, however, is to persuade them to implement the practices essential to the concept. -Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work Pg. 79

4. Discussion Think of a time in your professional career when you were persuaded to implement a new technique or strategy by someone: • How was the idea presented? • What was your opinion of the person? • What made you decide to implement the technique or strategy?

5. What principals can we apply to persuade people to develop professional learning communities?

6. How to Win Friends & Influence People – A Few Principals • Smile • Be a good listener • Give honest and sincere appreciation • Become genuinely interested in other people • Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely • The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it • If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically • Let the other person feel that the idea is theirs • Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view • Ask questions instead of giving direct orders • Praise the slightest improvements and praise every improvement • Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person