Guidance for school leaders, instructional leaders and teachers to progress professional learning communities (PLCs) beyond the individual school setting. Further your improvement by creating a PLC community of practice.
Create a culture of collaboration
Creating a culture of collaboration to continuously improve teaching and learning is at the heart of the Framework for improving student outcomes (FISO).
In order to build an effective PLC, schools need to:
- prepare their setting and establish the conditions necessary to create and sustain a PLC
- participate in cycles of collaborative inquiry focusing on professional practice to improve student outcomes
- progress PLCs beyond the individual school setting to further their improvement by creating PLC communities of practice.
Impact questions
Why progress PLCs?
The benefits of progressing PLCs include:
- knowledge construction: collective efficacy is strengthened through knowledge sharing and co-construction
- sustainability: PLCs will be isolated to individual schools unless the concept is shared
- scalability: more teachers will be involved resulting in greater potential to share and influence outcomes
- efficiency: teachers will share resources and expertise
- accountability: teachers will focus on outcomes and sharing responsibility
Where will the PLC team connect?
- In a school space
- Informal setting e.g. café
- Virtual space
- Regional setting
- Tertiary setting.
What will be the focus of the work?
Progress networks to include PLCs that focus on:
- developmental stages e.g. early years, senior secondary
- special interest
- sharing of resources, ideas and strategies
- problem solving
- knowledge building
- providing and receiving feedback.
How will teams connect?
- Networking through geographical proximity
- Virtual networks around a common focus
- Through reshaping established networks.