A professional learning community plc is an extended learning opportunity to foster collaborative learning among colleagues within a particular work environment or field. Dufour 2004 in their study on establishing and maintaining effective educational groups effective professional learning communities,eplcs concluded that the idea of the establishment of. Jan 07, 2010 the term professional learning community describes a collegial group of administrators and school staff who are united in their commitment to student learning. Thetermsynergy isderived fromthegreekwordsynergos,meaningworkingtogether,and. Professional learning community assessmentrevised plcar.
Professional learning communities and communities of practice. The findings also indicated that school administrators were satisfied with teacher participation in professional learning communities. Are characteristics of a professional learning community. Professional learning communities plcs resources articles. The elements of a professional learning community professional learning communities will change how you and your staff view learning. One of the first things richard and rebecca dufour shared was the idea that clarity precedes competence. Professional learning communities judge their effectiveness on the basis of results. As an organizational arrangement, the professional learning community is seen as a powerful staffdevelopment approach and a potent strategy for school. Most importantly, the assessments are used to identify students who need additional time and support for learning. The book that launched a school improvement movement offers. A group of staff members who are determined to work together will find a way. Professional learning community definition the glossary.
Professional learning communities at work plan book rebecca dufour, richard dufour, robert eaker on. Starting a plc or looking for tips to revitalize and refocus an existing community. The idea of improving schools by developing professional learning communities is currently in vogue. Richard dufour is one of north americas leading authorities on bringing plc. For staff, being part of a professional learning community reduces teacher isolation, increases commitment to the mission and goals of the school, creates shared responsibility for the total development of students, creates. Richard dufour 2004 answers this question most best. How does a school develop a professional learning community. Others also mention this attribute as a priority characteristic. It is often used in schools as a way to organize teachers into working groups of practicebased professional learning. Regular discussions and collaboration refer to the importance of teachers working together as a professional learning community plc, which is a third important characteristic of strong school. Student achievement data from multiple subjectalike groups were compared in a pre and postplc format, using an independent, twosample ttest.
As teachers, a strategy we often use is placing our students into groups to collaborate to solve a problem or answer a question. Teaching academic content and literacy to english learners in elementary and middle school rel 2015105. We were fortunate enough to receive the first ever dufour award 2016. Educators interested in learning how to transform teaching and learning with technology can take advantage of two nea supported resources. Jessie the research is replete with cries for principals to become instructional leaders in their buildings.
The term is also applied to schools or teaching faculties that use smallgroup collaboration as a form of professional development shirley hord, an expert on school leadership, came up with. This model included building the foundation of a professional learning community, sustaining the school improvement process, and embedding change in the culture of a school and. In response to decades of disappointing school reform efforts, dufour and eaker 1998 offered professional learning communities plc as a new model for school change. A plc requires discipline and dedication to sustain its work, as dufour 2004 explains. Professional learning communities operate under the assumption that the key.
Post this free infographic in your office, share it with your colleagues, or circulate it on social media to keep best practices for professional learning communities top of mind. Professional learning community professional learning. Fairfax county public schools believe that a plc can be defined as a. Best practices for enhancing student achievement offers the reader informed and informative information on how to transform any private or. How professional learning communities respond when kids dont learn examines the question, what happens when, despite our best efforts in the classroom, a student does not learn. Utilize three corollary questions to guide their work as a plc. This paper will discuss the emergence of professional learning communities in the us and the uk and then consider in detail three teacher professional learning models. Free resources for professional learning communities. Best practices for professional learning communities education. A professional learning community plc involves much more than a staff meeting or group of teachers getting together to discuss a book theyve read. Dufour and eaker define a professional learning community as educators creating an environment that. Please also see what is a professional learning community.
The professional learning community is an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. Professional learning community how is professional learning community abbreviated. Identify the key attributes of professional learning communities. Its not a meeting blog all things plc powered by solution tree. Plcs operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is. Book studies are another element of plcs and limited amount of time may be devoted to book. For example, is it true that staff really cant find the time, or is it that they find operating.
Initial enthusiasm can give way to confusion, followed by implementation. Understand how learning communities can impact school improvement. By richard dufour the term professional learning community is used to describe every imaginable combination of individuals with an interest in education. Professional learning communities plc overview and. Awesome visual featuring the 7 signs of professional learning educational leadership is a magazine for educators by educators and includes amo. Best practices for professional learning communities. In the final analysis, building the collaborative culture of a professional learning community is a question of will. Supportive and shared leadership a strong professional learning community has a leader who facilitates the learning of all staff members pedler, burgoyne, boydell, as cited in bierema, 1999, p. Richard dufour, edd, in a distinguished career spanning four decades, was a. Professional identity and readiness to join in the collective learning. Collaborative teams in professional learning communities at. Your solution tree account allows you to access free resources, check out faster, and more. Teachers treading this path, however, can encounter obstacles or plateau as a result of five common challenges. Richard dufour s most popular book is learning by doing.
This paper focuses on what astuto and colleagues labeled the professional community of learners,in which the. Youve no doubt heard the term professional learning community plc used in educator circles. Educational leadership is defined by the way a leader guides teacher. In fact, the term has been used so universally that it is in danger of losing all meaning. Dufour, rebecca dufour, and robert eaker, discuss the purpose of collaboration in a professional learning community and how teams use it to ensure student learning. While some educators define professional learning community in a very. The 3 big ideas of professional learning communities plc. Richard dufour in a distinguished career spanning four decades, dr. Department of education, institute of education sciences, national center for education evaluation and. In 2004, dufour stated that initiating and sustaining a plc requires the school staff to focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively on matters related to learning, and hold itself accountable for the kind of results that fuel continual improvement. Understanding the basics of a professional learning community.
Professor john hattie a professional learning community plc in schools involves collaboration, sharing and. Richard dufour has 47 books on goodreads with 4561 ratings. The pervasive impact of the plc process a professional learning community is an ethos that infuses every single aspect of a schools operation. Professional learning community, teacher collaboration, school. Richard dufour explains six components of an effective plc. 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. In order for a professional learning community plc. Respondents rate these items along a fivepoint scale. Are characteristics of a professional learning community guiding student achievement.
They systematically explain strategies for structuring, scheduling, monitoring, and growing collaborative teams footage of real teams. A professional learning community plc is more than a group of individuals meeting together to read a common book or discuss a relevant issue. In the development of the professional learning community plc as a model of school reform, dufour et al 2005 emphasize that each word of a plc has been strategically chosen. Professional learning communities plc red clay school district. To find the answer i would analyze two gradelevel teams from two separate elementary buildings in my district. My school is in the early stages of working toward becoming a professional learning community plc school, so i was excited to have the opportunity to hear first hand from the developers of this effective educational practice. Learning communities at work model as defined by richard dufour.
Professional learning communities at work plan book. When a school becomes a professional learning community, everything in the school looks different than it did. And it works, rick dufour and douglas reeves argue. In their book, the authors make the distinction that the term organization connotes efficiency and structure, whereas community connotes individuals linked by common interest. Professional learning communities still work if done right. This study sought to compare teacher participation in a professional learning community with the performance of their students. Dufour systems scientist education expert a winning combination. The literature indicates that professional learning communities produce positive outcomes for both staff and students.
Frequent common formative assessments represent one of the most powerful tools in the plc arsenal. In professional learning communities at work and virtual collaboration, authors richard dufour and casey reason outline how to use virtual collaboration to. Overall, 10 plcs from one high school in a suburban, iowa setting were. The term professional learning community describes a collegial group of administrators and school staff who are united in their commitment to student learning. It is often used in schools as a way to organize teachers into working groups. Myers used the phrase professional learning community in relation to schools in their 1995 book the professional. Create an account today to get 20% off your first qualifying online order. Professional learning communities and their prospect for. It really gives a background of what plc truely means and why we have. Instead, a plc represents the institutionalization of a focus on continuous improvement in staff performance as well as student learning.
Professional learning community definition the glossary of. Chapter 1 building professional learning communities a professionallearningcommunityplcisaboutthesyn ergyofcollaborativeaction. Learning forward standards for professional learning. Professional learning communities and the impact those teachers have on the ultimate success of their students academically. A professional learning community plc is a method to foster collaborative learning among. How this book is organized concise answers to frequently asked questions about professional learning communities at work is designed as a companion to learning by doing. Professional learning community how is professional. A handbook for professional learning communities at work book. 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 plc is a method to foster collaborative learning among colleagues within a particular work environment or field. Richard dufour, edd, in a distinguished career spanning four decades, was a publicschool educator, serving as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. The very essence of a learning community is a focus on and a commitment to the learning of each student.
Books by richard dufour author of learning by doing. Web definition the three components of a professional learning community are. Association of educational publishers distinguished achievement award, 2007 this plan book combines 40 weekly planning pages and space for eight class periods with ideas and activities to help teachers and their collaborative. Richard dufours most popular book is learning by doing. Lunenburg sam houston state university abstract school leaders foster a schoolsschool districts improvement, enhance its overall effectiveness, and promote student learning and success by developing the capacity of staff to function as a professional learning community.
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. I would also look at changes in data and trends in student demographics and achievement from school to school to see. The collaborative work of richard dufour superintendent of adlai stevenson high school district 125, lincolnshire, illinois and robert eaker dean of the college of education, middle tennessee state university, professional learning communities at work. The phrase professional learning community began to be used in the 1990s after peter senges book the fifth discipline 1990 had popularized the idea of learning organizations. A professional learning community, or plc, is a group of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise, and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students. Professional learning communities plc overview and guidelines. In fact, richard dufour, considered one of the foremost experts on. 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. A bandwagon, an idea worth considering, or our best hope for high levels of learning. Professional learning communities and communities of.
Richard dufour he idea of improving schools by developing professional learning communities is currently in vogue. Communities at work third edition by richard dufour, rebecca dufour, robert eaker, thomas w. A handbook for professional learning communities at work third edition by. Collaborative teams in professional learning communities. A professional learning community is not simply a meeting.
Dufour was a publicschool educator, serving as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. Professional learning communities free education essay. To create a professional learning community, focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively, and hold yourself accountable for results. The professional learning community plc is a platform for teachers to share their opinions and experiences especially with respect to the quality of teaching and learning processes pdp. A professional learning community plc is a group that is formed in. About plcs all things plc powered by solution tree. According to huffman and hipp 2003, plcs are a way of working. Professional learning communities facilitators guide for the what works clearinghouse practice guide. A professional learning community creates a schoolwide system of interventions that provides all students with additional time and support when they experience difficulty in their learning. Research supports the contention that professional learning communities plcs are a path to change in the classroom dufour, 1997. Richard dufour it should surprise no one that there are faculties throughout north america that refer to themselves as professional learning communities plcs yet do none of the things that plcs do. Assessment assessment center classroom management and behavior competencybased learning digital learning dna mathematics english learners instruction leadership literacy mathematics at work plc at work priority schools in a plc at work rti at work socialemotional learning special education transforming school culture.
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