THE POWER OF PLCs
by Education Blog
Posted on March 9, 2020
“There is power in a team of professionals that trust each other enough to feel safe in a collaborative environment. When that level of trust and power has been reached together, you will never want to go back to the way it was before.”
The above quote came from a previous blog. It speaks to the interconnectedness of our schools. It speaks to the importance of collaboration. It is the key to sustaining growth in a school system. It is the key to growing our own “rock star” teachers. It is the key to imparting our knowledge as veterans to our newest educators. It is the key to sustaining young teachers in the most difficult years of their professional lives. It is the key to reinvigorating veteran teachers with new and fresh ideas. Statistics have shown that if you can keep young teachers supported during the first three years of their careers, they will stay in the profession for the long haul. So how do you create that level of trust and power in collaboration?
That very question was asked during the strategic planning process. One of our goal areas was to develop quality staff in all areas. The main ingredient of that plan was to research and create a robust PLC program in our district. Our district has used PLCs in some buildings for several years now, but the goal was to create a truly collaborative environment for teacher discussions about the things that truly matter in a school. PLCs are Professional Learning Communities. In our district that most often means grade level or content area teams.
In the past, our PLCs have met as grade level teams to discuss items like scheduling. Are all grade level teachers covering the same material at relatively the same time in the school year? These discussions were mainly about equity for all students. We needed to make sure that every student in every classroom was getting pretty much the same education. Teachers also did some event planning, i.e. classroom parties, field trips, etc. It was also about teachers building a camaraderie among their grade level.
Our PLCs have changed this year to become a more robust discussion about standards, instructional techniques, data analysis, professional articles, book studies, etc. The elementary teachers all underwent training with the K20 center to create the norms for our PLCs. The K20 Center based in Norman, OK is a statewide education research and development center that promotes innovative learning and helps to transform schools into high-achieving, interactive learning communities. Norms are simply our own expectations for what teachers want to get out of their PLCs, i.e. meetings will follow an agenda, end in a way that honors everyone's time, honoring everyone’s voice, student oriented, data oriented, etc. The principals at all three elementaries collaborated to create an agenda to keep discussions direct and succinct. These discussions are different each week of the month. Some revolve around the Oklahoma Academic Standards to make sure that teachers are teaching the standards correctly. Some were centered around the assessment of the standards. There are professional articles that teachers discuss one week per month. PLCs also take the time to look over the data from the MAP assessment. Our teachers can use the data to address strengths and weaknesses in their classrooms.
The middle school has since started using the same agendas. The middle school has departmental meetings during the lunch period one day a week. Science teachers meet on Mondays. Math teachers meet on Tuesdays. English Language Arts teachers meet on Wednesdays, and Social Studies teachers meet on Thursdays. They have been through a one month long cycle.
One of the most exciting things that I have seen is the teachers discussing alternative instructional strategies. The first grade teachers at WECC have been doing a book study of The Joyful Classroom which is a book about interactive learning structures for grades K-6. The first grade teachers read a chapter, choose a strategy, all teachers try the strategy, and then discuss it in the next week’s PLC. Together they are experimenting and learning about what works. They are bouncing ideas off of each other and growing in their craft. They are collectively constructing a deeper knowledge of their profession. These kinds of discussions can truly change a school district.
From talking to administrators in other districts, it is apparent to me that our staff is on the right track with regard to our PLCs. We have momentum You have to be a piece of the puzzle. You can’t be the puzzle. This is the power of PLCs.
Leave a Comment:
Additional settings for Safari Browser.
