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A 21st Century Learning Community
Outcomes
Participants should be able to:• define Professional Learning
Communities,• discuss the principles associated with
starting a PLC• describe the components necessary for
maintaining a PLC• synthesize ways in which PLCs may be
extended beyond the course levels
Defining “Professional Learning Community”
“We’re a school and we’re a community – so we’re a learning community”
- a high school teacher
Communities of learners “operate with a commitment to the norms of continuous improvement and experimentation and engage their members in improving their daily work to advance the achievement of school district and school goals for student learning.”
- National Staff Development Council
Communities of learners “operate with a commitment to the norms of continuous improvement and experimentation and engage their members in improving their daily work to advance the achievement of school district and school goals for student learning.”
- National Staff Development Council
“…groups of people engaged in intellectual interaction for the purposes of learning.”
- Patricia Cross
Three Primary Characteristics
1. Shared vision
2. Collaboration
3. Collective responsibility
Strata of Learning Communities
School faculty
Academic departments
Subject levels
Districts and diocese larg
elarge
large
large
large
large
Formal vs.
informal
Learning Communities
Creating a Professional Learning Community
a Case Study
• Five instructors• Weekly meetings
– for a half-hour– with an agenda– with minutes
• and Action Items
• Discuss– overarching questions– enduring
understandings
• Review curriculum• Plan assessments• Discuss instruction
Creating this Learning Community
• Grant to redesign curriculum– “Understanding by Design” model
• Personnel changes– Me plus one
• instituted weekly meetings
– Us two plus one– We three plus two– In August, five minus one, plus one
Maintaining a Professional Learning Community
• Compatible personalities
• Socialization
• Shared Mission and vision
• Trust and respect
• Sense of responsibility
• Ongoing professional development
“People
Capacities”
- Shirley Hord
• “Physical Conditions”–Space
• private
• near materials
–Time
“Without time, the work of collaboration doesn’t get done … or doesn’t get done well.”
Important Components
• Compatible personalities• Socialization• Shared Mission and vision• Trust and respect• Sense of responsibility• Ongoing professional development• Space• Time• Administrative protection
Think – Pair - Table-share
1. To what extent do these exist in your Department or school?
2. What is needed in order to improve the professional learning communities in your Department or school?
3. What is your role?
Extending the Culture of Collaboration
Departmental PLCs
• Departmental scope & sequence
• Observations
• Mentoring
• Collaboration around content and pedagogy
Inter-disciplinary Collaboration
• Share resources– Websites and internet tools– Videos– Maps– Models and manipulatives
• Joint guest speakers• Inter-disciplinary Units
– Literature and History of WWII– Math and History of the Maya– Poems and Religions of the Abrahamic religions
Inter-scholastic Collaboration
• Archdiocesan Chairs meetings
• Science Faires
• Art shows
• Plays
• Music and choral productions
• Inter-scholastic lessons– Pen-pals, collaborative web-pages, class
debates, etc
Think – Pair - Share
• Given the earlier warning against PLCs larger than subject levels, how else can a culture of collaboration be developed and nurtured within a department or school?
Conclusion
The three most necessary components of a professional learning community are:
1.Teachers pursuing a shared vision of enduring outcomes
2.Teachers collaborating on the learning activities and assessments, and
3.Teachers taking collective responsibility for student learning.
References
Cross, K. P. (1998).Why Learning Communities? Why Now? About Campus. 3, 4-11.
National Staff Development Council, (2006). Standards - Learning communities. Retrieved October 31, 2006, from NSDC.org Web site: http://www.nsdc.org/standards/learningcommunities.cfm
Hord, S. "Professional Learning Communities: What Are They and Why Are They Important?" Issues ... about Change 6.11997 1 Nov 2006 <http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues61.html>.
Contact Information
Eric E CastroSaint Ignatius College PreparatorySan Francisco, CAecastro@siprep.orghttp://www.siprep.org/faculty/ecastro
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