Professional Learning Community Analysis

Our professional development sessions are conducted weekly in a variety of subject areas, and the monthly school-wide session, using interactive reform activities, align with the Danielson Framework for Teaching (Danielson, 2013) to showcase best practices of teachers and to develop grade-level performance tasks, looking at students’ work to provide individual feedback that is aligned with the teaching rubric in order to show academic progress and growth in the target areas of ELA and Math.

This PLC has begun to make assertions as to where student’s needs are, however their assertions would be more valid had they presented concrete data to prove their assertions. Should this PLC had used data to support their assumptions through a common formative assessment, and then analyze that data, they would become much more effective than they already

Roberts, S. & Pruitt, E. (2003). Schools as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Teachers sometimes attend these, but do not apply those skills. PLCs involve talking with a team of teachers and analyzing data or student work to come up with action plans to move the students forward academically or behaviorally. PLCs involve more communication between teachers, and action steps that can be apply right away in the classroom. In my opinion, it is very effective when both professional development and PLCs are used at the same time. For example, a teacher attends a professional development, and through a PLC, they share what they learned and how it can help the other teachers in the team. The team would then apply that skill or strategy and report back to the team so see what results came from each one of them trying those skills. The team would modify the strategy based on

Unfortunately, thorough research on the impact of professional development on student achievement is limited because it is challenging, complex and expensive to study. Nonetheless, Hoaglund, Birkenfeld, and Box, (2015), conducted a study that illustrated that learning communities are viable tools for providing professional development to both pre-service teachers and current teachers. Their study showed how a group of pre-service teachers and their supervisors participated in a professional experience learning community for two terms prior to the pre-service teacher’s junior year at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Questionnaires and interviews were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The results of the study indicated that all participants valued the experience and consequently were able to gain and identify some benefits of a professional learning community (PLC). Participants specifically reported a greater appreciation of collaboration with more experienced educators as a practical way of solving issues and implementing processes and procedures for increasing student achievement. The activities incorporated within the

I would be honored to be a part of the 1794 Living Learning Community because surrounding myself with people who have similar goals as I do will positively influence my first year of college. Establishing myself in a program that is as passionate about volunteering and making the world a better place as I am will help me build friendships with other students on campus. Being in an environment with others who are dedicated to make a positive difference in the world is the best experience I could have for my first year of college. The 1794 Living Learning Community will engage me with other like-minded students who share a passion for serving others as well as self growth. Having a community to be actively involved in will greatly better my freshman year at The University of Tennessee.

During our second Bear Creek visit, I observed the English Language Arts Professional Learning Community also known as ELA. When I first heard about the PLC, I was surprised because it is a brilliant concept. I never knew this existed. The English Language Arts PLC ran smoothly because the teacher that was presenting knew the standard she was going to focus on and how she was going to present the content to the students. All of the ELA teachers also had a schedule about how the meeting was going to flow so that no one was confused. They also used technology to present the standards and the content so that all of the teachers could see and make suggestions and ask questions. One teacher was questioned about why she chose a particular book

Dr. Fremstad has been instrumental in the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) at West Fargo High School. She understands the power of teacher collaboration and has led the charge to train and monitor the program with fidelity. Jennifer has inspired educators to share student evidence of learning and extend intervention or enrichment learning opportunities based on the data. In addition, she advocates on the importance of frequent classroom visitations with her leadership team and establishes annual visitation goals to support teachers and

As students, we looked at the social and cultural groups at PPCC to investigate their impact on diversity in the school. We wanted to see how diversity is promoted in the social and cultural groups at school and ways the school tries to promote the groups. “Many students are concerned about finding a place where they belong, as they enter college. Colleges are seeking to foster diversity by encouraging cultural clubs" (Campus Explorer.com, 2015). Diversity is something that is valuable on college campuses, because it allows students to be introduced to new cultures and ideas the students may not have known previously.

Additionally, PLC has equipped me with skills that will help me in my future at OU and beyond. Participating in activities such as U-Zoo, SOI, or Strengths Finder 2.0 helped me discover my leadership style and how it can benefit me in group settings. Understanding what my role is as a leader will help me when it comes to

Both P.S. 13 and the PAL staff at 13 have the shared vision of a collaborative learning process, wherein parents, students and staff have a voice and maintain a responsibility in molding and adherence to high expectations resulting in the social and academic growth of every student. To do this the Center Director and Principal meet every Tuesday to discuss clear expectation and program development and continue to throughout the week via e-mails and one- on- one discussions. We have come up with a form of Professional Development that helps set clear expectations for staff in regards to program, behavior management and specific academic skills like Homework Help. Our staff assist teachers during the school year in the classroom, also allowing

enrollment forecast) and policies (e.g. grading, curriculum). This frame is often described by Bolman and Deal (2013) as the “factory” or “machine” the element of organizations need to exist for effectiveness. Because this frame is more or less one-sided, and emphasizes rules and policies dictated from COCE leadership to its adjuncts. It is not the most appropriate framework for a collaborative efforts, such as a professional learning community (PLC).

Traditionally, teacher development typically occurs through trial and error in the isolated confinements of each teacher’s classroom with some periodic whole-group professional development (Goddard & Goddard, 2007). Within the past few decades, many schools and districts, including ours, have considered and experimented with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as an alternative framework in guiding a more efficient development program for their teachers. PLCs are focused on enhancing student learning through developing teacher practices. The concept of PLC relies on using structured collaborative sessions amongst teachers within the school to build internal capacity. Through PLCs, teachers critically reflect on current

Schools often have an overall perception of what a professional learning community should look like. A specific example demonstrating the importance of teacher authority in the overall success of a learning community came in a case study reported by Englert and Tarrant (1995). In this collaborative endeavor between three special education teachers and seven university researchers to provide ‘‘meaningful and beneficial’’ (p. 325) literacy instruction for students with mild disabilities, the researchers encouraged the teachers to take control of the curriculum. ‘‘Teachers were given leadership in their choices about curriculum development, so that the power over the topics and change agenda might be shaped by the teachers’ concerns, interests, and questions’’ (Englert and Tarrant 1995, Vescio, Ross, and Adams 2007).

PLC means professional learning communities which are set up by teachers in order to help the students who seem to be lagging behind the others academically. This is a way to reach out to the students on a more personal level, where they get to interact not only with the books, but also with the teachers who are able to guide them by recognizing their strengths and their weaknesses. This form of assistance goes a long way in assisting the student develop a positive attitude towards studies and have the zeal to excel by having a personal coach present to guide them whenever they get stuck or make a mistake. This is a very encouraging way of ensuring homogenous learning in today's academic institutions. The parents of the poorly performing students themselves seem grateful for the attention given to their young ones, as it is any parent's dream to see their children excel academically, and at the same time get value for their money.