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Creating Effective Professional Learning CommunitiesBy Deanna Ford
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If you ask most teachers, they agree there is significant value in working collaboratively to learn. As educators we know that working together toward a common goal is an effective practice, so why don’t we have the same expectations for our colleagues? Unfortunately my school has some teachers who are disengaged, have fixed mindsets, and negative attitudes. This is not a combination for success, so I contemplated how I might change this. I determined that Professional Learning Communities (“PLCs”) could be the key to our improvement, as truly effective PLCs create a positive school culture which leads to improved academic instruction and student growth. (DuFour, 2006). Therefore I decided to focus on creating effective PLCs to improve teaching practices and positively impact student achievement.
Our school already implemented PLCs within grade-level teams, but they were not effective as teachers had a negative view of them. They considered PLCs as just a weekly mandatory meeting where they completed paperwork, discussed field trips, or just complained. Truly effective PLCs should be positive, collaborative efforts. I needed our teachers to understand that PLCs are an “ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recursive cycles of collective inquiry and action research in order to achieve better results for the students they serve.” (DuFour & Reeves, 2015). I faced the challenge of how to change our staff’s fixed mindset about PLCs. I determined that our teachers needed to understand the process before they could realize the power of effective PLCs.
How do you change opinions of teachers who have fixed mindsets? Some colleagues have repeatedly told me, “I believe PLCs are a waste of time.” or “PLCs have no real benefit.” I decided that my unique position as an interventionist/instructional resource coach allows me to impact school culture. I have the opportunity to influence colleagues, as I facilitate PLCs for grades K-2/Special Areas and attend those for grades 3-5. I collaborate with teachers to differentiate lessons, model teaching, provide resources, offer instructional advice, assist with student data analysis, and work with intervention/enrichment groups. I used these collaborative opportunities to build positive relationships, which I relied upon for support to create more effective PLCs.
To pinpoint specific deficiencies, I asked teachers to take an anonymous PLC survey (National School Reform Faculty, 2014). They had to rate their PLCs based on three components: critical elements, human resources, and structural conditions.
I analyzed the completed surveys which showed mixed results with PLCs ranging from Levels 1-3 on the rubric. I found there was a huge disconnect between teachers’ understanding and implementation of PLCs, so I resolved that teachers needed to work on PLC basics, such as creating norms and expectations. I facilitated a discussion where teachers determined what an effective PLC should encompass. What should it look, sound, and feel like? I also provided teachers with a systematic approach to have PLCs become more student-centered by having them focus on four essential questions: (1) What do we want students to learn; (2) How will we know if they have learned; (3) What will we do if they don’t learn; and (4) What will we do if they already know it? (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010).
Using the guiding questions, PLCs will be student-centered by focusing on student work, achievement gaps, intervention, and extended learning opportunities. According to The Glossary of Education Reform (2014), “The term student-centered learning refers to a wide variety of educational programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches, and academic-support strategies that are intended to address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students and groups.” When we shifted our PLC focus towards student learning, teams were able to discuss best practices, essential standards, and common assessments. Teachers began to trust one another and give ideas for next steps in planning instruction to meet students’ needs. By focusing on students, PLCs allowed teachers to be more actively engaged in the process resulting in PLCs being more effective. The results supported the rationale that improved instruction leads to increased student achievement.
My next step to creating effective PLCs was to provide professional development for teachers, including a book study of Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010). I led discussions about key points from the book which provided new insight on PLCs. I also suggested they read How to Cultivate Collaboration in a PLC (Many & Sparks, 2015) or research information on a website called All Things PLCs. I also scheduled peer observations of high-functioning PLCs to increase understanding and motivate teams. Another important aspect of improving PLCs was to have teams create a common Agenda and Product template. Teams e-mail their individual PLC Agenda weekly to the entire staff. After the teams collaborated, then they sent out a PLC Product for the entire staff to read. The purpose of the Agendas and Products was to have everyone invested in the whole school PLC. Therefore, teachers could collaborate in vertical teams, such as suggesting resources or ideas. The professional development opportunities allowed individual teams to move forward and determine next steps on how to be more effective.
Of course knowledge about PLCs was important, but our school culture was another factor for our ineffective PLCs. There is a strong correlation between school culture, relationships, and PLCs. To implement change, I needed teachers to have a growth mindset with individual attitudes. DuFour and Reeves state (2015), “The best job-embedded professional development occurs when educators are members of high-performing professional learning communities, or groups of teachers working together, in a structured format, to improve specific areas of student learning.” I focused on team building to improve school culture by building positive relationships. If people were happier and trusted their colleagues, then they would be more willing to share and be open to change. At weekly faculty meetings, we implemented Celebrations and Shout- Outs to highlight great teaching efforts by sharing positive thoughts or successes. The goal was to improve teachers' confidence and build community.
I gained my administrator’s support, so I was allowed to have all teams to present at a faculty meeting. I had teams collaborate to determine a resource or lesson that they thought other teams could benefit from. Each team presented to the entire staff, and teachers were actively engaged. I gauged this as highly successful as teachers were saying, “Great job 2nd grade!” and “I love how you used that resource!” This opportunity definitely improved morale and leadership efforts. Our school has the same people present all of the time, so I wanted others to know that they had valuable knowledge to share. This was the most engaging faculty meeting we had all year, and we plan to use this format more often.
I also created team-building activities for teachers to have fun together, build trust, and improve collaboration. I grouped people into teams with others they normally don’t interact with, so they could get to know each other better. I planned many interactive activities, including a scavenger hunt, paper airplane competition, potlucks, and Fun Friday outings. These activities brought the staff together, and it dramatically improved school culture. A direct result of team-building activities was PLCs became more effective, as teams had positive attitudes and were able to clearly communicate while working together.
Overall, my project was successful in creating more effective PLCs. The changes in personal attitudes and improved relationships have led to ongoing collaboration and renewed team efforts. I am proud to say that many colleagues share positive remarks, such as “Now I understand why our PLCs wasn’t working before.”or “I feel like we are accomplishing so much now since we are working together.” Since PLCs are now truly collaborative, teams use student data to drive instruction. The trust amongst colleagues improved instruction as people were willing to share ideas, strategies, and best practices. Our school has seen improved results with common assessments, student proficiencies, and project-based learning. Now that we have effective PLCs in place, we have witnessed improved instruction, increased student achievement, and a positive school culture. I plan to give teams the original PLC survey again, so I can determine our next steps.
Our PLCs are now more effective, but we need maintain our school culture and continue working to improve our teaching practices to promote student achievement. Although we have many colleagues on board, there are still some people who are non-believers. I still hear things like, “Ugh, more paperwork!” or “I don’t have time for this!” Therefore, I will focus on continued growth of PLCs next year by developing new approaches to gaining buy-in from indifferent teachers. Finally, I believe the key to maintaining effective PLCs is to stay optimistic, grow relationships, and keep moving forward.
Our school already implemented PLCs within grade-level teams, but they were not effective as teachers had a negative view of them. They considered PLCs as just a weekly mandatory meeting where they completed paperwork, discussed field trips, or just complained. Truly effective PLCs should be positive, collaborative efforts. I needed our teachers to understand that PLCs are an “ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recursive cycles of collective inquiry and action research in order to achieve better results for the students they serve.” (DuFour & Reeves, 2015). I faced the challenge of how to change our staff’s fixed mindset about PLCs. I determined that our teachers needed to understand the process before they could realize the power of effective PLCs.
How do you change opinions of teachers who have fixed mindsets? Some colleagues have repeatedly told me, “I believe PLCs are a waste of time.” or “PLCs have no real benefit.” I decided that my unique position as an interventionist/instructional resource coach allows me to impact school culture. I have the opportunity to influence colleagues, as I facilitate PLCs for grades K-2/Special Areas and attend those for grades 3-5. I collaborate with teachers to differentiate lessons, model teaching, provide resources, offer instructional advice, assist with student data analysis, and work with intervention/enrichment groups. I used these collaborative opportunities to build positive relationships, which I relied upon for support to create more effective PLCs.
To pinpoint specific deficiencies, I asked teachers to take an anonymous PLC survey (National School Reform Faculty, 2014). They had to rate their PLCs based on three components: critical elements, human resources, and structural conditions.
I analyzed the completed surveys which showed mixed results with PLCs ranging from Levels 1-3 on the rubric. I found there was a huge disconnect between teachers’ understanding and implementation of PLCs, so I resolved that teachers needed to work on PLC basics, such as creating norms and expectations. I facilitated a discussion where teachers determined what an effective PLC should encompass. What should it look, sound, and feel like? I also provided teachers with a systematic approach to have PLCs become more student-centered by having them focus on four essential questions: (1) What do we want students to learn; (2) How will we know if they have learned; (3) What will we do if they don’t learn; and (4) What will we do if they already know it? (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010).
Using the guiding questions, PLCs will be student-centered by focusing on student work, achievement gaps, intervention, and extended learning opportunities. According to The Glossary of Education Reform (2014), “The term student-centered learning refers to a wide variety of educational programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches, and academic-support strategies that are intended to address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students and groups.” When we shifted our PLC focus towards student learning, teams were able to discuss best practices, essential standards, and common assessments. Teachers began to trust one another and give ideas for next steps in planning instruction to meet students’ needs. By focusing on students, PLCs allowed teachers to be more actively engaged in the process resulting in PLCs being more effective. The results supported the rationale that improved instruction leads to increased student achievement.
My next step to creating effective PLCs was to provide professional development for teachers, including a book study of Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010). I led discussions about key points from the book which provided new insight on PLCs. I also suggested they read How to Cultivate Collaboration in a PLC (Many & Sparks, 2015) or research information on a website called All Things PLCs. I also scheduled peer observations of high-functioning PLCs to increase understanding and motivate teams. Another important aspect of improving PLCs was to have teams create a common Agenda and Product template. Teams e-mail their individual PLC Agenda weekly to the entire staff. After the teams collaborated, then they sent out a PLC Product for the entire staff to read. The purpose of the Agendas and Products was to have everyone invested in the whole school PLC. Therefore, teachers could collaborate in vertical teams, such as suggesting resources or ideas. The professional development opportunities allowed individual teams to move forward and determine next steps on how to be more effective.
Of course knowledge about PLCs was important, but our school culture was another factor for our ineffective PLCs. There is a strong correlation between school culture, relationships, and PLCs. To implement change, I needed teachers to have a growth mindset with individual attitudes. DuFour and Reeves state (2015), “The best job-embedded professional development occurs when educators are members of high-performing professional learning communities, or groups of teachers working together, in a structured format, to improve specific areas of student learning.” I focused on team building to improve school culture by building positive relationships. If people were happier and trusted their colleagues, then they would be more willing to share and be open to change. At weekly faculty meetings, we implemented Celebrations and Shout- Outs to highlight great teaching efforts by sharing positive thoughts or successes. The goal was to improve teachers' confidence and build community.
I gained my administrator’s support, so I was allowed to have all teams to present at a faculty meeting. I had teams collaborate to determine a resource or lesson that they thought other teams could benefit from. Each team presented to the entire staff, and teachers were actively engaged. I gauged this as highly successful as teachers were saying, “Great job 2nd grade!” and “I love how you used that resource!” This opportunity definitely improved morale and leadership efforts. Our school has the same people present all of the time, so I wanted others to know that they had valuable knowledge to share. This was the most engaging faculty meeting we had all year, and we plan to use this format more often.
I also created team-building activities for teachers to have fun together, build trust, and improve collaboration. I grouped people into teams with others they normally don’t interact with, so they could get to know each other better. I planned many interactive activities, including a scavenger hunt, paper airplane competition, potlucks, and Fun Friday outings. These activities brought the staff together, and it dramatically improved school culture. A direct result of team-building activities was PLCs became more effective, as teams had positive attitudes and were able to clearly communicate while working together.
Overall, my project was successful in creating more effective PLCs. The changes in personal attitudes and improved relationships have led to ongoing collaboration and renewed team efforts. I am proud to say that many colleagues share positive remarks, such as “Now I understand why our PLCs wasn’t working before.”or “I feel like we are accomplishing so much now since we are working together.” Since PLCs are now truly collaborative, teams use student data to drive instruction. The trust amongst colleagues improved instruction as people were willing to share ideas, strategies, and best practices. Our school has seen improved results with common assessments, student proficiencies, and project-based learning. Now that we have effective PLCs in place, we have witnessed improved instruction, increased student achievement, and a positive school culture. I plan to give teams the original PLC survey again, so I can determine our next steps.
Our PLCs are now more effective, but we need maintain our school culture and continue working to improve our teaching practices to promote student achievement. Although we have many colleagues on board, there are still some people who are non-believers. I still hear things like, “Ugh, more paperwork!” or “I don’t have time for this!” Therefore, I will focus on continued growth of PLCs next year by developing new approaches to gaining buy-in from indifferent teachers. Finally, I believe the key to maintaining effective PLCs is to stay optimistic, grow relationships, and keep moving forward.
Deanna Ford taught elementary school in JCPS for 12 years before becoming an instructional coach and interventionist at Cochrane Elementary School where she collaborates with colleagues to model lessons and provide resources and with students as a reading and math interventionist.
