Shared vision can be a pitfall of professional learning communities. Our passionate team specialises in delivering vocational education and training vet qualifications in early childhood education and care. This means that members of a plc adopt a professional attitude. Nzpf conference 3 july 2008 dr cheryl doig powerful professional learning communities 3. Professional learning communities facilitators guide handouts for the what works clearinghouse practice guide. This paper describes a stateled initiative that aims to instil a cooperative approach to teacher learning through the implementation of professional learning communities in singapore schools. Professional learning communities a guideline for south. Teachers who work in more supportive environments become more effective at raising student achievement on. A correlational study a dissertation by david anthony stegall submitted to the graduate school. Further, teaching quality is improved through continuous professional learning. Effective professional learning communities questions. A handbook for professional learning communities at work, 2010. Professional learning communities at work presents researchbased recommendations drawn from the best practices found today in schools nationwide for continuously improving school performance. Address the most pressing instructional challenges 3.
Mount vernon school district 20142015 all in developed in conjunction with the stle 2 grant between the mount vernon school district and manhattan college graphic and slogan developed by claudia carmona and casandre laurent plc representatives from pennington dr. Improvement through professional learning communities means focusing on. The idea of improving schools by developing professional learning communities is currently in vogue. People use this term to describe every imaginable combination of individuals with an interest in educationa gradelevel teaching team, a school committee, a high school department, an entire school district, a state department of education, a national professional organization, and so on. A professional learning community is a collaboration of teachers, administrators, parents, and students, who work together to seek out best practices, test them in. Individually, silently, and honestly assess the current reality of your schools implementation of each indicator listed in the left column. Professional learning communities for teachers lsus. A handbook for professional learning communities at work epub ebook free trial get now.
Pdf professional learning communities and system improvement. Professional learning communities schoolnet south africa. By richard dufour the term professional learning community is used to describe every imaginable combination of individuals with an interest in education. This recent book not only provides a comprehensive description of professional learning communities and how they work, but also includes examples and case studies of professional learning communities in action. In 1983, after the publication of a nation at risk, teacher professionalization and teacher. Provide a clear structure and purpose for plc meetings 2. Questions to guide the work of your professional learning community is intended to help staff members focus on clarifying essential learning goals and then monitor student learning. Introduction there is a growing consensus about the pivotal role of the team of professionals in the. Revisiting professional learning communities at work. Highachieving plcs analyze gaps in student learning, develop. Department of education, institute of education sciences, national center for education evaluation and. In fact, education system, traditional social cultures, and ways of working together is.
Lewis, an assistant principal in essex county new jersey, will make professional learning community implementation easy for those venturing into the worls of plcs. Pdf exploring the characteristics of professional learning. This guide is arranged by chapter, enabling readers to either work their way through the entire book or to focus on the specific topics addressed in a particular chapter. The role of the dbe will be to support the work of plcs by developing activities.
Plcs are a form of professional development in which small groups of educators with shared interests work together with the goals of expanding their knowledge and improving their craft. Jessie the research is replete with cries for principals to. My guest is dr lawrence ingvarson, a principal research fellow at the australian council for educational research acer. Professional learning communities in education research. So, what does an effective plc look like and how do you go about building one. Teaching academic content and literacy to english learners in elementary and middle school rel 2015105. Professional learning communities at work institute orlando. Learning forward standards for professional learning. This work is dedicated to my wonderful and supportive wife, manda, and my unbelievable children, owen and ava. Daphnee lee, helen hong, wanying tay and wing on lee. Expectations and work of professional learning communities teams of teachers, staff, and administrators who work together on common goals for school improvement comprise plcs. In this article, the author defines what happens in the professional learning community and what makes such communities possible.
Pdf professional learning community in relation to. Coming from the perspectives of both a distinguished dean of education and one of america s most widely acclaimed practitioners, this resource provides. Introduction to professional learning communities at work. An ongoing process through which teachers and administrators work collaboratively to seek and. Participants also will develop constructive, criteriabased feedback for the developer. Pdf if professional learning communities offer opportunities for improving the teaching and learning process, then developing strong. Building a professional learning community at work. Building learning communities in schools clusters of learning communities form a learning organization when an organization, as a whole, commits to learn continually from and about its work. Richard dufour, edd, in a distinguished career spanning four decades, was a publicschool educator, serving as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. Typically, a professional learning community consists of a team. Professional learning communities, leadership, and student learning pdf. The organisation of many schools makes it likely that professional learning communities may be operating at a number of different levels.
The professional learning communities at work continuum. Utilize three corollary questions to guide their work as a plc. Address the most pressing instructional challenges. History and purpose of professional learning communities. Verbiest 1 paper presented at the aera conference, 2011, april 7 th 12 th, new orleans. This study guide is a companion to the book learning by doing. Provide support from all levels of the school system. Professional, learning and community professional a plc is the work of professionals. A handbook for professional learning communities at work page. Professional learning communities facilitators guide for the what works clearinghouse practice guide. A helpful feature is the inclusion of a cd with these reproducibles. Sedl insights on implementing effective professional learning communities in districts and schools. Therefore, they create structures to the powerful collaboration that char acterizes professional learning communi ties is a systematic process in which teachers work together to analyze and improve their classroom practice. A guide to the first year a playbyplay guide to implementing plc concepts parry graham, william m.
Department of education, institute of education sciences, national center for education. Organizing a professional learning community scielo colombia. Her work with the creating communities of continuous inquiry and improvement cccii project, which began in the mid1990s, gave rise to learning more about nurturing learning communities. The following section on the history and purpose of plcs is taken from learning by doing by dufour, dufour, eaker, and many 2006. Framework for facilitating a professional learning community. Implementing effective professional learning communities. A handbook for professional learning communities at work third edition by richard dufour, rebecca dufour, robert eaker, thomas w. The reason professional learning communities increase student learning is that they produce more good teaching by more teachers more of the time. Understand how learning communities can impact school improvement. A big picture look at commitment to the success of the plc. In this context, we note that the number of professional development experiences which are made possible by participation in different kinds of teacher learning communities increase every year.
Understanding the basics of a professional learning. Identify the key attributes of professional learning communities. Use student achievement data and samples of student work to maintain a focus on student need. New insights for improving schools by richard dufour, rebecca dufour, and robert eaker. Ccs made the plc the basic framework for instructional planning and reflection in 2010. The establishment of professional learning communities plcs has been indicated as effective in building skills and knowledge for working in innovative contexts. By building strong professional learning communities plcs school leaders can improve not only the quality of teaching, but also student outcomes. Using the idea of a professional learning community could be a valid way of. View inspiring keynotes and practical breakout sessions from plc at work experts on your schedule. It is often used in schools as a way to organize teachers into working groups of practicebased professional learning. Sedl insights on implementing effective professional learning communities. Historically professional learning communities have been traditionally developed to enhance teaching and learning to ensure academic achievement dufour, 2004.
Professional learning communities australian institute for teaching. A model for south african schools 5 lets get a better idea at what a plc is by looking at its name. Professional learning communities still work if done. Monitor the work of plcs and provide constructive feedback.
Professional learning communities in singapore schools. Richard dufour he idea of improving schools by developing professional learning communities is currently in vogue. A teacher may spend more than a week 68 hours each year on professional learning activities. A guide to the first year a playbyplay guide to implementing plc concepts. When members of your school collaborate in an intentional and consistent manner to support student learning. This institute gives you and your team the knowledge and tools to implement this powerful process in your school or district.
To create a professional learning community, focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively, and hold yourself accountable for results. A prolific author and consultant, he was recognized as one of the leading authorities on helping school practitioners implement the professional learning communities at work process in their schools and districts. Hord also draws upon senges learning organization theory in her work with professional learning communities. The elements of a professional learning community professional learning communities will change how you and your staff view learning. Professional learning communities at work w e seek meaning and significance from building purposeful communities.
Jessie the research is replete with cries for principals to become instructional leaders in their buildings. In the current literature, there is extensive discussion of the learning community as. Professional learning communities and communities of. Title page using professional learning communities to. Learning by doing provides comprehensive guidance that can help educators overcome the challenges they may face as they turn. Professional communities and the work of high school. Communities at work third edition by richard dufour, rebecca dufour, robert eaker, thomas w.