Synthesize Research Articles: The Use Of Professional Learning Communities In Schools

Allowing collaboration and mutual decision making to take place in a school allows everyone to have input on what’s happening and changing at all times. It provides opportunities for teachers to gain leadership skills and students to learn in various ways. When students and teachers buy into what they are learning then they will show improvement at a faster pace. Students must know that their input is important and adults must know they are appreciated.

Learning Partnership measures the degree to which teachers, parents, and students work together for the common good of the student. (Gruenert & Valentines, 1998)

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

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

If principals want to improve student achievement in their school, rather than focus on the individual inspection of teaching, they must focus on the collective analysis of evidence of student learning. The key to improved student learning is to ensure more good teaching in more classrooms more of the time. The most powerful strategy for improving both teaching and learning, however, is not by micromanaging instruction but by creating the collaborative culture and collective responsibility of a professional learning community (PLC) (Mattos, 2013). Today, many school districts have adopted a formal mentoring program that consists of matching new teachers with a veteran mentor (Sever,

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

A professional learning community is an environment that focuses on collaboration and results. Students are expected to work together and so are the teachers. The classrooms I have observed are keen to implement collaborative activities. I have not witnessed

The proposal to adopt the Framework for Teaching must first earn the approval and support of the administrative staff, who will now be expected to schedule pre-observation and post-observation collaborative meetings. Administrators will also be expected to allow the teacher to select the area for collaboration and professional development. At my school, the concept of collaboration to address a pre-determined area for teacher growth is unprecedented. Seeking the principal, as the instructional leader, is not the norm.

The intent is to examine how a school community can collectively work towards common goals and the essential leadership features required for nurturing a collaborative culture. To answer this question, the author used three of the seven Professional Practice Competencies for School Leaders in Alberta (PPCSLA) as a lens to guide the reflection on the benefits and challenges of nurturing professional collaboration (Alberta Education, 2009). The author compares and contrasts the benefits and limitations of collaboration against its theoretical framework that emerged from a review of the

The practice of implementing professional development is beneficial as it increases knowledge of various aspects to childhood educators. This scheduled date for professional development invites all educators to come together to benefit the development of students in classrooms, in turn, promoting professional learning communities. With up to date teaching strategies, new practices, and current information regarding

We are now at a point of really knowing what is meant and the purpose and principals of building professional learning communities. DuFour goes on to say that the term professional learning community is a term to describe every imaginable combination of educational interest (DuFour, What is a "professional learning community"?, 2004). Which in turn creates confusion in what, how, and the intent of building a learning community. The term is misused and over used it is in danger of losing its meaning all together. Carole Cooper is in agreement with Richard DuFour, with all the buzzwords and fads in education collaborative learning communities is losing its potential and potency (Cooper & Boyd, 2016). Educators and the education professionals go through fads, cycles of ideas, and what is the next big new trend more than most other profession. Which is the case that appears with the idea of building professional learning communities within the school. “It is one of life’s great ironies: schools are in the business of teaching and learning, yet they are terrible at learning from each other. If they ever discover how to do this, their future is assured” (Munro, 2004). This current view of education makes the idea of learning communities even more evident. The collaborative efforts that

Our school utilizes the ILT process to implement consistent school-wide best practices to improve student achievement. As the ILT lead, it is crucial to work together with the grade level representatives to plan and provide the best education for the students. Collaboration does not happen naturally, and the Community Contributor indicators guided me to work together effectively. During the meetings, I used the Seven Norms of Collaboration to build group energy, commitment, and effectiveness. I contributed by sharing ideas and by soliciting input from others. During the meetings, I collaborated to create a public agenda, established roles and documented minutes to ensure productive meetings. Collaboration empowered the ILT members to determine the ILT goals and to discuss, plan and

A professional learning community” is composed of collaborative team whose members work interpedently to achieve common goals linked to the purpose of learning” (Kronowitz, 2012). The benefits of a professional learning community and new teacher mentor in an educational setting is great. Both programs meet the needs of students and teachers. The professional learning community brings educators together sharing ideas, experiences, working together collaboratively, improving teaching skills and academic performances of the students. Strengthening teachers planning, mentoring, and providing more strategies.

More importantly, instructional leadership requires the ability to identify student and community needs, as designative resources, instructional materials, and supports must be aligned. Through collaborative efforts amongst key stakeholders the identification of site specific needs can be illuminated, thus the composure of an instructional plan can transpire. Instructional leadership develops and successfully implements a Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), thereby fosters effective learning environments. Through the guidance of the school administrator the SPSA is constructed by key stakeholders, all of which interact with the educational

In the seventeenth devotion, John Donne correctly penned, “no man is an island”, teachers benefit more only when they participate in the CPD as a group with a common goal. According to Bolam et al. (2005), CPD is effectively conducted through a Professional Learning Community which he defined as, “the capacity to promote, and sustain the learning of all professionals in the school community with the collective purpose of enhancing student learning.” Several studies have shown effective cooperation efforts should encompass policies that encourage transparent practices in a way that promote