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Professional Learning Communities
According to All Things PLC,  a PLC 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."  They also suggest the key to improved student learning is to have educators who are involved with on the job continuing education opportunities.
9/8/21

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- the focus of these communities should be on learning, NOT teaching.
- often the school district is the umbrella community with the educators carrying out the vision.
- learning should be the goal for students and educators.
9/8/21

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- seeking best practice in teaching
- seeking best practice in learning
- what is your current reality?
- share knowledge and ask questions
- collective work develops new skills
- allows for increased awareness and changes attitudes, beliefs and culture  of the community over time.
9/8/21

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- learn by doing
- move from vision and goals to reality
- engagement and experience is valued
9/8/21

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- continue to search for something better
- avoid stagnation
- continue to develop and implement new strategies
- this applies to all members of the community, not just leaders
9/8/21

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- continue to assess the process
- Are you getting the results desired?
- Do you have measurable goals?
- Do you have support for students or teachers who are not meeting the goals to support success?
9/8/21

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Professional learning community (PLC)

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. Professional learning communities operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous job-embedded learning for educators.

Read what advocates say about the impact of PLCs.
What Are Professional Learning Communities?

It has been interesting to observe the growing popularity of the term professional learning community. In fact, the term has become so commonplace and has been used so ambiguously to describe virtually any loose coupling of individuals who share a common interest in education that it is in danger of losing all meaning. This lack of precision is an obstacle to implementing PLC processes because, as Mike Schmoker observes, "clarity precedes competence" (2004a, p. 85). Thus, we begin with an attempt to clarify our meaning of the term. To those familiar with our past work, this step may seem redundant, but we are convinced that redundancy can be a powerful tool in effective communication, and we prefer redundancy to ambiguity.

We have seen many instances in which educators assume that a PLC is a program. For example, one faculty told us that each year they implemented a new program in their school. In the previous year it had been PLC, the year prior to that it had been "understanding by design," and the current year it was "differentiated instruction." They had converted the names of the various programs into verbs, and the joke on the faculty was that they had been "UBDed, PLCed, and DIed." The PLC process is not a program. It cannot be purchased, nor can it be implemented by anyone other than the staff itself. Most importantly, it is ongoing-a continuous, never-ending process of conducting schooling that has a profound impact on the structure and culture of the school and the assumptions and practices of the professionals within it.

We have seen other instances in which educators assume that a PLC is a meeting-an occasional event when they meet with colleagues to complete a task. It is not uncommon for us to hear, "My PLC meets Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m." This perception of a PLC is wrong on two counts. First, the PLC is the larger organization and not the individual teams that comprise it. While collaborative teams are an essential part of the PLC process, the sum is greater than the individual parts. Much of the work of a PLC cannot be done by a team but instead requires a schoolwide or districtwide effort. So we believe it is helpful to think of the school or district as the PLC and the various collaborative teams as the building blocks of the PLC. Second, once again, the PLC process has a pervasive and ongoing impact on the structure and culture of the school. If educators meet with peers on a regular basis only to return to business as usual, they are not functioning as a PLC. So the PLC process is much more than a meeting.

So, what is a PLC? We argue that it 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. The following section examines the elements of the PLC process more closely.

A Focus on Learning

The very essence of a learning community is a focus on and a commitment to the learning of each student. When a school or district functions as a PLC, educators within the organization embrace high levels of learning for all students as both the reason the organization exists and the fundamental responsibility of those who work within it. In order to achieve this purpose, the members of a PLC create and are guided by a clear and compelling vision of what the organization must become in order to help all students learn. They make collective commitments clarifying what each member will do to create such an organization, and they use results-oriented goals to mark their progress. Members work together to clarify exactly what each student must learn, monitor each student's learning on a timely basis, provide systematic interventions that ensure students receive additional time and support for learning when they struggle, and extend and enrich learning when students have already mastered the intended outcomes.

A corollary assumption is that if the organization is to become more effective in helping all students learn, the adults in the organization must also be continually learning. Therefore, structures are created to ensure staff members engage in job-embedded learning as part of their routine work practices.

There is no ambiguity or hedging regarding this commitment to learning. Whereas many schools operate as if their primary purpose is to ensure that children are taught, PLCs are dedicated to the idea that their organization exists to ensure that all students learn essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions. All the other characteristics of a PLC flow directly from this epic shift in assumptions about the purpose of the school.

A Collaborative Culture With a Focus on Learning for All

Collaboration is a means to an end, not the end itself. In many schools, staff members are willing to collaborate on a variety of topics as long as the focus of the conversation stops at their classroom door. In a PLC, collaboration represents a systematic process in which teachers work together interdependently in order to impact their classroom practice in ways that will lead to better results for their students, for their team, and for their school.

Collective Inquiry Into Best Practice and Current Reality

The teams in a PLC engage in collective inquiry into both best practices in teaching and best practices in learning. They also inquire about their current reality including their present practices and the levels of achievement of their students. They attempt to arrive at consensus on vital questions by building shared knowledge rather than pooling opinions. They have an acute sense of curiosity and openness to new possibilities.

Collective inquiry enables team members to develop new skills and capabilities that in turn lead to new experiences and awareness. Gradually, this heightened awareness transforms into fundamental shifts in attitudes, beliefs, and habits which, over time, transform the culture of the school.

Working together to build shared knowledge on the best way to achieve goals and meet the needs of clients is exactly what professionals in any field are expected to do, whether it is curing the patient, winning the lawsuit, or helping all students learn. Members of a professional learning community are expected to work and learn together.

Action Orientation: Learning by Doing

Members of PLCs are action oriented: they move quickly to turn aspirations into action and visions into reality. They understand that the most powerful learning always occurs in a context of taking action, and they value engagement and experience as the most effective teachers. Henry Mintzberg's (2005) observation about training leaders applies here: deep learning requires experience, which requires taking action. It "is as much about doing in order to think as thinking in order to do" (p. 10). In fact, the very reason that teachers work together in teams and engage in collective inquiry is to serve as catalysts for action.

A Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Inherent to a PLC are a persistent disquiet with the status quo and a constant search for a better way to achieve goals and accomplish the purpose of the organization. Systematic processes engage each member of the organization in an ongoing cycle of:

Gathering evidence of current levels of student learning

Developing strategies and ideas to build on strengths and address weaknesses in that learning

Implementing those strategies and ideas

Analyzing the impact of the changes to discover what was effective and what was not

Applying new knowledge in the next cycle of continuous improvement

The goal is not simply to learn a new strategy, but instead to create conditions for a perpetual learning environment in which innovation and experimentation are viewed not as tasks to be accomplished or projects to be completed but as ways of conducting day-to-day business- forever. Furthermore, participation in this process is not reserved for those designated as leaders; rather, it is a responsibility of every member of the organization.

Results Orientation

Finally, members of a PLC realize that all of their efforts in these areas (a focus on learning, collaborative teams, collective inquiry, action orientation, and continuous improvement) must be assessed on the basis of results rather than intentions. Unless initiatives are subjected to ongoing assessment on the basis of tangible results, they represent random groping in the dark rather than purposeful improvement. As Peter Senge and colleagues conclude, "The rationale for any strategy for building a learning organization revolves around the premise that such organizations will produce dramatically improved results."

This focus on results leads each team to develop and pursue measurable improvement goals that are aligned to school and district goals for learning. It also drives teams to create a series of common formative assessments that are administered to students multiple times throughout the year to gather ongoing evidence of student learning. Team members review the results from these assessments in an effort to identify and address program concerns (areas of learning where many students are experiencing difficulty). They also examine the results to discover strengths and weaknesses in their individual teaching in order to learn from one another. Most importantly, the assessments are used to identify students who need additional time and support for learning. Frequent common formative assessments represent one of the most powerful tools in the PLC arsenal.
Please also see What Is a "Professional Learning Community"?DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2006). Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work™, pp. 2-4.

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Professional Learning Community (PLC). An ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively to achieve better results for the students they serve.

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Creating a culture of collaboration after COVID

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Creating a culture of collaboration after COVID

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"The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other. Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives."
- Robert John Meehan
9/16/21

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- Reflect on school mission statement
- It should mention how educators will support the learning of students not just their ultimate performance.
- collaborate to update the mission as needed to reflect a learning environment for all (teachers and students)
- What did the educators learn during the pandemic?
- Do your educators need more professional development to support the new challenges of teaching during a pandemic and beyond?
9/16/21

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- Foster a culture of collaboration
- How will administration support and encourage collaboration among grade level and as a school?
- Make plans to include those on campus and those still teaching remotely.
- Discuss team norms that include being prepared and engaged in the collaboration meetings.
9/16/21

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- Review data from the end of the year.
- Are your students progressing and learning?
- How can you continue to support the learning process?
- What needs to change and what worked well and should continue?
- Give grace to your staff as they are emerging from this difficult time.
- True collaboration and grace for one another increases morale of teachers and in turn increase student achievement.
9/16/21

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Reference for 9/16/21 postings

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Pamela Liebenberg, EdD, is director of curriculum and instruction in the Tuscaloosa County School System. An educator for more than 24 years, she specializes in teaching others the power of collaboration through PLCs.

As Robert John Meehan so eloquently stated, "The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other. Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives."

Creating a culture of collaboration, particularly after COVID, requires administrators to look positively at the past school year to identify how we have grown as educators amid a global pandemic as well as opportunities for improvement. Take the time now to reflect and reassess your schools' mission statement, teacher needs, scheduling, and student data. When planning for the upcoming school year, reflect on how your school's daily operations align with the three "big ideas" of a PLC.

Big Idea #1: A Focus on Learning. Begin by reflecting on your school mission statement, which should tell stakeholders how the adults in the school or building are going to support student learning. Too often, mission statements instead focus on student performance. Adults cannot always control students' actions, but as educators, we can set our mission on focusing on how the adults in our school will act to help each child reach their highest potential. Now is the time to review your mission statement and work collaboratively to make certain it is up to date and addresses how the adults will support student learning. When the adults are learning, the students are learning.

It also is important to assess what your teachers have learned through the pandemic. Many teachers learned how to build upon their repository of technical skills to create blended learning opportunities for students. Some teachers may need professional development to deepen their knowledge base as it relates to technology or content. You may have new faculty members that need professional development on the PLC process, common formative assessments, or unwrapping standards. As an administrator, take the time to develop a needs assessment questionnaire for your faculty to guide you in planning your schools' professional development opportunities for the upcoming school year.

Big Idea #2: A Culture of Collaboration. Do you have a plan that fosters a culture of collaboration? Many schools have been entirely remote over the past year, which also meant collaborative time being remote. As schools are slowly beginning to transition back to in-class environments, do you have a plan for those teachers who are returning to their classrooms to plan collaboratively? Take the time now to ensure that you have created school schedules for grade-level, content area, and vertical PLCs, along with a dedicated time and location for collaborative meetings.

Next, reflect on how your teams utilize collaborative time. In a true collaborative culture, successful teams have an attitude of giving up autonomy for the greater good of the team. Do teachers come prepared for collaborative time by bringing their materials and ideas to share best practices and work collectively? Do your teachers arrive with data and operate as "...members of a collective effort to improve the school's capacity to help all members learn at high levels (Eaker, R., DuFour, R., Dufour, R., 2002)"? Teachers working collectively ensure that all students learn at high levels with a guaranteed and viable curriculum across grade and content areas.

At the beginning of the year, have each collaborative team establish norms for their collaborative time to ensure that all teams understand what is expected. As the principal, you might set the tone by having your team create school norms at the first school faculty meeting. Establishing norms helps both novice and veteran team members understand the importance of collaborative time.

Big Idea #3: A Focus on Results. Take the time to review end-of-the-year data for your students and your school. How have your students progressed overall? How are your grade levels or content areas progressing? Are you offering summer learning? If so, assess how the students perform in summer learning. What steps do you need to take to continue their learning trajectory? Decide if you will offer before or after school tutoring opportunities for your students. Do you need to plan for flex time during the day for extension or remediation of the standards? Your student data should give you an idea of how you need to prepare as a leader to help support your students in their learning process.

Above all, one of the best things a principal can do is to show grace to their faculty. Showing grace sets the tone for not only a culture of collaboration but shows that you, as the administrator, care. Keep in mind that people don't care how much you know until they realize how much you care about them. Perhaps as a back-to-school gift, you could give each faculty member a book on self-care. An example is Tina Boogren's 180 Days of Self-Care for Busy Educators. Dr. Boogren's book features strategies and techniques that educators can utilize to promote self-care throughout the school year. Creating a culture of collaboration increases teacher morale and student achievement by fostering a community where students and adults are caring, sharing, and learning together.

Boogren, T. (2019). 180 Days of self-care for busy educators. Solution Tree Press.

Eaker, R., Dufour, R., Dufour, R. (2002). Getting started: Reculturing schools to become professional learning communities. Solution Tree Press.

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Pamela Liebenberg, EdD, is director of curriculum and instruction in the Tuscaloosa County School System. An educator for more than 24 years, she specializes in teaching others the power of collaboration through PLCs. As Robert John Meehan so eloquently stated, "The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.

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A Call for a Conceptual Approach
9/23/21

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Nursing education is entering a stage where significant changes need to be made due to the changing climate of health care.
9/23/21

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Clinical judgement and critical thinking are essential components for a practicing nurse.  Nursing education needs to support these components.
9/23/21

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A concept based approach to nursing education is considered a better way to prepare the next generation of nurses for the changing health care system.
9/23/21

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"Concept-based teaching is a student-cantered approach that promotes critical thinking and facilitates a deeper understanding of concepts instead of rote memorization."
9/23/21

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Feller, F. (2018). Transforming nursing education: A call for a conceptual approach. Nursing Education Perspectives, 39(2), 105–106. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nep.0000000000000187

9/23/21

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Strategies for an Undergraduate Nursing Course
10/1/21

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It is the goal in a flipped classroom for students to become self directed learners who can make clinical decisions and think critically.
10/1/21

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Implement the flip by promoting a flexible learning environment, create individual and group learning spaces and inform students of the shift in the learning culture.
10/1/21

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Encourage faculty to reflect on their first attempts of a flipped classroom and then implement changes to try in their next attempt.
10/1/21

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"The flipped classroom model may be an effective method for evolving teaching and learning in nursing from pedagogy to andragogy, and ultimately to heutagogy, and moving diverse groups of students toward developing the characteristics necessary for successful lifelong learning. "
10/1/21

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Schlairet, M. C., Green, R., & Benton, M. J. (2014). The flipped classroom: strategies for an undergraduate nursing course. Nurse Educator, 39(6), 321–325. doi: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000096
10/1/21

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Academic challenges in response to COVID-19
10/7/21

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There were many question surrounding how an institution continues to educate nurses when quarantines are in place and yet the need for nurses on the frontline continues to soar.
10/7/21

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Ethical issues surrounding the value of continuing education and the risk of the learner both personally and professionally.
10/7/21

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There was a need to validate students concerns regarding their fears about their educational journey and the ability to complete the program and enter the workforce.
10/7/21

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Some countries discussed fast tracking nursing students during the pandemic to get them on the frontline.  What does that imply about the quality of education and the preparation of the new nurse?
10/7/21

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Dewart, G., Corcoran, L., Thirsk, L., & Petrovic, K. (2020). Nursing education in a pandemic: Academic challenges in response to COVID-19. Nurse education today, 92, 104471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104471

10/7/21

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10/14/21

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Simulation labs with full-scale manikin simulators provides realistic scenarios for students to practice. This gives opportunities for students to improve their skills without harming patients.

10/14/21

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Simulation in the lab can be recorded and provided for real time feedback.  Research suggests up to 50% of clinical hours could be performed in a lab without negative impacts.  This option was used during the pandemic and it will be interesting to see how it impacted this current group of students.
10/14/21

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One drawback of these simulators is cost.  The most high tech ones are very expensive and require training for the professor to use.  Administrators and professors need to evaluate the best use of funding to meet the goals of the program.
10/14/21

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Simulators are a great learning tool and provide for a safe environment for students to practice and improved both technical skills and critical thinking.
10/14/21

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Lavoie, P., Clarke, S., (February 2017 ). Simulation in nursing education, Nursing Management, 48 (2), 16-17.
doi: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000511924.21011.1b

10/14/21