Professional Learning Community Resources

This definition from AllThingsPLC provides a clear and comprehensive understanding of a Professional Learning Community:

A 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. PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators.

In many schools today, educators engage in activities labeled as PLCs that are actually something else—often professional working communities (PWCs). Much of my writing, presentations, and facilitation focus on helping educators reflect on the essential question:

“What do students need us to learn?”

Blogs and Podcasts:

• When Working Together Becomes Learning Together

  Recently, I was preparing a 30-minute kickoff for a school district entering its second year of professional […]

• Quality Leadership Builds Learning Environments

    One of the shifts I have long encouraged teachers to make—especially in their PLCs—is to consider […]

• When Inquiry Becomes Everyone’s Responsibility

  Teachers know that curiosity fuels learning. We intentionally design lessons that spark students’ questions. We celebrate inquiry, […]

• Podcast: Why Teacher Conversations Matter More Than Meetings

  Teacher to teacher conversations are powerful when they expose us to perspectives we would not generate on […]

• Can Your PLC Become a Superteam?

  One focus of my work with PLCs is increasing the degree to which PLCs function as teams […]

• Talk is Critical to Understanding: A Necessity for Collaboration and Commitment

  Collaborative work in schools is often measured by structures: scheduled PLC meetings, common planning time, walkthroughs, data […]

Videos: