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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