Laying the PLC Groundwork—The WHY | Origin: EC119
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Professional Learning Communities (PLC)—How to Reach Transformative Change --> Laying the PLC Groundwork—The WHY
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
PLCs help educators work together for lasting improvement and shared goals. I’ll focus on promoting collaboration and clear purpose in my CTE Culinary Arts team.
PLC's are new for me as a teacher and now knowing the importance is great
PLC's are new to me. It seems important to our program.
In PLCs, educators collaborate to enhance student outcomes by sharing best practices, discussing challenges, and developing strategies to improve teaching and learning. For CTE programs, this means working with other CTE teachers to align curricula, share resources, and stay updated on industry standards and trends. Additionally, PLCs allow for peer feedback, creating a supportive environment where teachers can grow professionally while directly impacting student success. I plan to actively participate in PLCs by contributing insights from my own CTE course and learning from my colleagues. This will help me stay current on industry changes and teaching techniques. I will also focus on collaborating with others to enhance the practical, hands-on aspects of our CTE programs, ensuring students not only gain knowledge but also develop the real-world skills necessary for their future careers.
We are working through PLCs in our district, and it has been a challenge to wrap my head around. Take away - focus on instructional practices vs curriculum. However, I feel this will still be a challenge to implement and establish buy-in.
My biggest takeaway was the distinction between a traditional PLC where the focus is on common assessments and the common curriculum and the CTE PLC where the focus is on instructional methods.
PLCs are essential for teachers to collaborate, grow and learn themselves which then in turn helps our students.
PLCs are all about team building and establishing community standards
PLCs are one of the foundation to teaching and learning. I gives a community of collaboration and networking within a subject area. The main focus should always go back to our why!
PLC's are important to help plan benchmarks for everyone.
It is important to collaborate with collegues and build a good team around you. Networking is essential.
Laying the PLC Ground work - The Why:
A “PLC” ( Professional Learning Community ) is a group of teachers, from the same school, gathering regularly, to learn together, to share good practices & ideas. Some characteristics & attributes of a good PLC are:
- Lead by teachers
- Sets clear paths & goals
- Builds unity between departments
- Teams create higher quality solutions
- Expanded pool of ideas, materials & methods
- Serves as a ridge between teachers
- Challenges each other to grow.
- Confidence grows
- Should focus on instruction, not content ( process not outcomes).
- Is result orientated
- Is a continual process that fosters continuous improvement
A good framework for organizational management in a PLC, may contain the some or all, but not limited to the following:
- What do we plan for?
- What do we monitor?
- What do we model?
- What questions do we ask?
- How do we allocate time?
- What do we celebrate?
- What are we willing to confront?
A good quote was……. Management is doing things right, where leadership is doing the right thing……
I was involved in the ground floor of PLC's many years ago. It appears they have come a distance. Unfortunately, in my current setting, the need to control staff supercedes the desire to use our perspectives and qualifications. Hence, collaboration is a bit of a difficulty.
