Creating a Professional Learning Community
It takes careful planning to form a useful and functional PLC, but once the foundation is built, the benefits will soon be evident. How is it possible for a school to create an effective professional learning community? Here are a few things if implemented correctly will help answer this question:
Teach participants how to collaborate– The success of PLCs depends on collaboration, but one cannot assume it will come naturally. Help teams develop their own protocols and norms. Typically, this is well received by your staff when this process is facilitated by an administrator. According to Miller (2020), you need to teach your staff how to ask questions that don’t put people on the defensive. This process takes time, but with help, willingness, and encouragement groups begin to learn how to make it work.
Create an Atmosphere of Trust– To people in education, trust is something that must be handled with care. Most educators are accustomed to closing their class door and sometimes are reluctant about sharing information about techniques. For some its discomforting. Ultimately it is up to the school leader to establish trust. The PLC leaders of each group have to be clear that the goal is collaboration and not competition. According to Dufour (2004), “The powerful collaboration that characterizes professional learning communities is a systematic process in which teachers work together to analyze and improve their classroom practice” (para. 16).
Allow time for PLCs– It is very important when creating a PLC that your administration carves out time for learning teams to meet and work together regularly. A standard weekly meeting would be of great help when starting.
Include all school staff– Most schools may create their PLC groups to include on teachers, but it is important to include a broader population such as administrators, parents, and classified employees. The objective is to align everyone’s interests and expertise with the school’s vision and goals.
Outside assistance– It might be a good idea for a district to hire a consultant whose has expertise with managing efficiently a PLC group. They may help with complex situations that can be difficult to resolve from within. Someone who could provide an intense focus and have those tougher conversations about standards and curriculum mapping. The purpose would be to help facilitate the PLCs in the right direction.
Remember that creating a PLC takes time and will not go perfectly when it first starts, but if introduced correctly with the right support it could eventually turn into a strong platform for teachers and staff to effectively work together in a purposeful manner. Are PLCs meant just for teachers and staff to collaborate for themselves? No. They are meant for staff to collaborate for school and student improvement. According to Education Reform (2014), “professional learning communities tend to serve to two broad purposes: (1) improving the skills and knowledge of educators through collaborative study, expertise exchange, and professional dialogue, and (2) improving the educational aspirations, achievement, and attainment of students through stronger leadership and teaching” (para. 3).
As an educator at a school that has had PLCs for eight years now, I can honestly say that it not only has made me a better collaborator with my team, but also a better teacher for my students. It has allowed me to be creative, take risks, ask questions, and learn things from my colleagues. PLCs when structured well is about innovation and risk taking. They can be teams that constantly learn together and work to discover what is best for students.
References:
DuFour, R. (2004, May). What Is a Professional Learning Community? Retrieved January 23, 2021, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may04/vol61/num08/What-Is-a-Professional-Learning-Community%C2%A2.aspx
Miller, A. (2020, January 04). Creating Effective Professional Learning Communities. Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-effective-professional-learning-communities
Professional Learning Community Definition. (2014, March 03). Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.edglossary.org/professional-learning-community/#:~:text=Professional%20learning%20communities%20tend%20serve,students%20through%20stronger%20leadership%20and