Professional Learning Community - a Model

Today’s educators, including Private Tertiary Education providers, are on a compelling quest to find ways to hold higher expectations for students, improve instructional practices, and increase student learning and achievement outcomes.  Forming a professional learning community (PLC) is one of the most powerful ways to improve student performance as presented by Professor Bernard Oliver yesterday in our CRIE Conference at AIS, St Helens.

‘Professional learning communities are educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve...they operate under assumption that the key t improved learning for students is continuous job embedded learning for educators’ (DuFour, Eacker & Many, 2006)

What makes a true PLC is the way that educators respond to the needs of their particular Institute. I was thinking as I was listening to Professor Oliver that the concept of PLC is akin to the pair-work (teacher & Moderator) we do every Semester as part of developing courses at both GDIT & BIT levels.

This teaching/moderation we perform is often simplified to a periodic meeting over some documents (Course-outline or Assignments or Examinations); but this moderation can more accurately be understood as a process and therefore a Personal Learning Community. DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many (2006) describe three important elements of a successful PLC: focus on learning, collaborative culture, and results-oriented thinking. 

DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many (2006) write about the uniqueness of developing collaborative culture. A moderation pair is more than a teacher sharing data—it is a responsible individuals working together to achieve common goals for their course and for the Institute. Instead of sharing data, they respond to data, which requires a sense of mutual accountability and changing classroom practices.

  

References 

1. DuFour, R., DuFour R., & Eaker, R. (2006). Professional learning communities at work plan book. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. 
2. DuFour, R., DuFour R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2006). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work. Bloomington IN: Solution Tree. 
3. DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & National Center for Education and Innovation. (1999). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement [motion picture]. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.