Collaborative

Learning
Communities
Green Group: Christina McGuire, Travis Elliott, Crystal
McShane, Maria Velez, Kathryn Bell
 What is a PLC?
(Professional Learning Community)

PLCs consists of:

“a group of teaching staff committed to work[ing] collaboratively in
an ongoing process of collective inquiries and action research to
enhance student learning experiences and outcomes” (Mu, Liang, Lu,
& Huang, 2018).
 Why Even Bother with PLCs?
Teachers:
● Pedagogy improves with a range
of strategies that enable all
students’ needs to be met
● Strong relationships between
staff members/ sense of morale
● Teachers stay up to date with
new research and technological
tools
● Teacher reflection and sharing of
best practices
Students:
● Academic gains in core subjects
● Smaller achievement gaps
● Lower rates of student
absenteeism
● Engaging, student-centered
lessons
● High expectations and clear
goals
● Cooperative learning
 Mission Statement

In partnership with parents and the community, the Green Group

School is dedicated to creating global learners who are
empowered to reach their unique potential by engaging students
in relevant, high-quality learning experiences within a safe and
supportive learning environment.
 Overall Goal of a PLC

Professional learning communities

have two major purposes:

(1) Enhance an educators skills and knowledge through

collaboration, exchange and professional conversations with
colleagues.
(2) Improve student achievement through stronger teaching
and collected data.
 How Successful PLC Goals Affect Student
Outcomes
A PLCs goal to improve student achievement through stronger teaching
and collected data produces a positive effect on student achievement.
PLCs help identify:
● What teachers want the students to learn
● How and if students have learned desired
skills
● How to adjust teaching for those struggling
● Ways to provide enrichment for students
who have mastered skills
 Measurable Outcomes

Examples of measurable outcomes for PLC

meetings include:
● Identifying essential standards
● Creating common assessments
● Identifying patterns in student mistakes on common assessments
● Creating grade-level appropriate cross-curricular lessons/units
● Identifying alternative teaching methods to improve student work
● Developing and arranging interventions for struggling students
 Overall PLC Structure

Analyze Data
● Analyze Data
● Set SMART Goals Monitor & Set SMART
Adjust Goals
● Collaborative Learning
● Implementation
Collaborative
● Monitor & Adjust Implementation
Learning
 PLC Structure

● Member Roles
- Depends on size of team

● Developing Norms and

Expectations
- Norms set by the PLC team
 Timeline for Implementation
● Year 1
● Summer -Develop a school schedule that supports
collaboration and time for teams to meet
● Fall- create guiding coalition
● Fall- Develop team norms and team jobs/rolls
● Winter-Create SMART goals
● Winter/spring -teams identify power standards
● Spring- Celebrate

(Hansen, 2017)
 Evaluating PLC Outcomes

● Instructional coaches and admin will attend PLC

meetings providing guidance and support.
● Continuously review data, strategies, activities, and
procedures to ensure goals are achieved.
● Evaluation will be ongoing. Monitoring of assessments,
lessons, interventions all year.
 Servant Leaders = Effective Leaders
“People desire leaders who are ready to receptively listen to them,
empathize with their feelings and emotions and in the process, bring
healing to their situations rather than leading them for pecuniary
gains” (Ekundayo, et al., 2010).
 References:
Bailey, K & Jakicic, C. (2013). Common formative assessment: A toolkit for professional learning communities at

work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Ekundayo, J. M. O., Damhoeri, K., & Ekundayo, S. M. (2010). Presenting the servant leadership model as a panacea to

bad leadership in tertiary education in west africa. Academic Leadership (15337812), 8(4), 34. Retrieved from

https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN

=62969879&site=eds-li ve&scope=site

Great Schools Partnership. (2014). Professional learning community. Retrieved from

https://www.edglossary.org/professional-learning-community/#:~:text=Professional%20learning%20communiti

es %20tend%20serve,students%20through%20stronger%20leadership%20and

Hansen, C. (2017). All things PLC magazine: A change from within. The First 6 steps of Implementing A PLC.

Solution Tree Press.

 References (cont’d):
Hirsh, S., & Crow, T. (2017). Becoming a learning team: A guide to a teacher-led cycle of continuous improvement.

Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.

Miller, A. (2020). Creating effective professional learning communities. Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-effective-professional-learning-communities

Mu, G. M., Liang, W., Lu, L., & Huang, D. (2018). Building pedagogical content knowledge within professional

learning communities: an approach to counteracting regional education inequality. Teaching and Teacher

Education, 73, 24–34. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.03.006

Robertson, M. (2010). Improving student achievement through professional learning communities. Retrieved from

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1044&context=cehsedaddiss