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Insights: Implementing Effective Professional Learning Communities
Insights: Implementing Effective Professional Learning Communities
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include modeling the collaborative routines,
Provide a clear structure professional behaviors, and collegial practices that
Insight and purpose for PLC are crucial to holding productive PLC meetings. For
meetings. example, we have conducted mock PLC meetings
where district and school leaders play the roles of
Through the provision of technical assistance to teachers. The participants use tools and protocols
districts and schools, we have observed various that support behaviors and practices learned
types of teacher gatherings that are frequently throughout the sessions. This technique helps
referred to as PLCs. Such meetings are often a participants identify key behaviors, practices,
good first step; however to bring effective PLCs and dialogue that foster or inhibit collaboration
to fruition, district and school leaders must focus among PLC members. During these conversations,
on increasing teachers’ collaborative professional participants share revelations, questions, and
learning and self-reflection to improve classroom observations about the PLC process.
instruction for enhanced student gains — the
hallmarks of an effective PLC to which teachers and
4
Carroll, Fulton, & Doerr, 2010; Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, &
Anderson, 2010; Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008.
leaders should aspire. 5
Tobia, 2007; Cowan, 2009.
SEDL Insights / Vol. 2, No. 3, Winter 2014 Implementing Effective Professional Learning Communities 3
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Address the most
Insight pressing instructional gains can be improved. A focus on key instructional
challenges. challenges encourages teachers to bring samples
of student work that provide evidence of student
When districts and schools implement PLCs, we learning to PLC meetings. After analyzing the student
encourage PLC members to examine formative, work, the teachers have been very deliberate in
benchmark, and state assessment data prior to identifying instructional practices that support or
their meetings. This activity helps them determine do not support student learning, discussing how to
the most pressing instructional needs for various adjust their instruction, and making a plan to better
groups of students. Using the information gained support students in meeting standards.
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from the data reviewed, PLC facilitators and
members must ensure that a clear purpose for Provide support from
each meeting is established and that all team Insight all levels of the school
members are apprised of the priority standards system.
and student expectations to be discussed. When
working with districts and schools, we often use To effectively implement and sustain the
authentic student products to demonstrate the collaborative work of PLCs, support from all levels
process for analyzing student work to determine if of the school system is critical. School and district
students are showing progress toward meeting the leaders need to ensure that teachers have adequate
priority standard that is the focus of the meeting. scheduled time to meet in PLCs; the necessary
Using this process, staff at one school determined resources, technology, and tools to be effective in
that they were teaching a concept using different the classroom; and access to instructional support
academic language across grade levels, which from within the school, the district, and external
created confusion for the students. The staff met to technical assistance groups.
determine collectively the appropriate academic Teachers benefit from assistance from those
language to use at each grade level and ensure the who can bring specific expertise to PLCs, such as
language was aligned to the content standard. how to analyze data, unpack standards, identify
Through the use of interactive demonstrations, the most effective instructional strategies to
teachers and leaders are able to experience the address a standard, identify effective assessment
importance of continuously addressing the most strategies, use student work as a reflective tool
pressing instructional challenges so that students’ in PLCs, and adjust instruction to meet student
4 Implementing Effective Professional Learning Communities SEDL Insights / Vol. 2, No. 3, Winter 2014
Insight
4 Foster an atmosphere
of trust.
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received the support they needed and were able to
Monitor the work
Insight
reflect on and change their instructional practices.
of PLCs and provide
In another case, SEDL worked with a school
constructive feedback.
where teachers traditionally functioned in isolation
but had recently been asked to work collaboratively. Teachers can monitor their own action in PLCs
They appeared to be uncomfortable exposing their by developing and following a set of norms and
level of knowledge of the content standards taught, guidelines for how they work together. These norms
discussing how progress made toward meeting the may include
standards was assessed, and sharing instructional
• arriving at meetings on time and prepared,
strategies they used to teach the content standards.
The principal made some key staffing changes • remaining focused on the task at hand and
and, over the course of a year, focused the work of avoiding distractions,
instructional coaches and accessed district support • openly sharing successes and challenges, and
staff to build the capability of teachers to effectively • committing to using the learning from PLC
facilitate PLC meetings. This process also helped meetings in their classrooms.
teachers move their conversations about instruction
from a personal level to a professional and collegial Leaders can assist teachers in connecting PLC
level; as a result, teachers felt comfortable asking meetings and changes in instructional practice by
for help and collaboration increased. They reported regularly attending PLC meetings and conducting
feeling less isolated and realized that many of their learning walks, a process in which a small team
peers were facing similar instructional challenges. participates in classroom walkthroughs to
This principal said that she felt the quality of observe how decisions made in PLC meetings are
instruction had improved because teachers with implemented in the classroom.
various levels of expertise were collaborating and Through several professional development and
learning from one another. Additionally, school technical assistance projects, we have guided district
leaders reported that the implementation of the PLC and school leaders in conducting learning walks
process—including the use of the tools, structures, during technical support visits. First, we observe a PLC
and supports—resulted in more collaborative meeting, during which a facilitator guides the team
working environments and a more positive overall in examining high-priority standards and deciding
school culture. which standard will be the group’s focus. The teachers
6 Implementing Effective Professional Learning Communities SEDL Insights / Vol. 2, No. 3, Winter 2014
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Support teachers’ sense
Insight of efficacy and level of
professionalism.
Conclusion
The implementation of effective PLCs depends on
engaging teachers in ongoing conversations about
teaching and learning that are directly related to
their daily work with students. For that to happen,
district and school leaders must provide support
and feedback and cultivate an atmosphere of
trust, the conditions in which PLCs can thrive.
When educators foster these professional learning
environments, teachers can act on the guidance
that fellow teachers provide to solve significant
issues faced by educators and as a profession.
SEDL Insights is based on the experience, expertise, and research of SEDL staff. It is designed to give
education practitioners practical suggestions for implementing school improvement strategies.
http://www.sedl.org
About SEDL
SEDL is a nonprofit education research, development, and dissemination organization based in Austin, Texas. Improving teaching and learn-
ing has been at the heart of our work throughout our nearly 50 years of service. SEDL partners with educators, administrators, parents, and
policymakers to conduct research and development projects that result in strategies and resources to improve teaching and learning. SEDL
also helps partners and clients bridge the gap between research and practice with professional development, technical assistance, and
information services tailored to meet their needs.
To learn more about how SEDL can help you, contact us at info@sedl.org or 800-476-6861.
SEDL Insights
Authors: Sylvia Segura Pirtle, PhD, and Ed Tobia, EdD Copyright © 2014 by SEDL. All photos are Copyright iStockPhoto.
Editor: Laura Shankland, MA, PMP You are welcome to reproduce issues of SEDL Insights and distribute
Designer: Shaila Abdullah copies at no cost to recipients. Please credit SEDL as publisher.