Professional learning communities (Topical Term)

Wikipedia, Jan. 12, 2009 ("A Professional Learning Community, or PLC is an extended learning opportunity to foster collaborative learning among colleagues within a particular work environment or field. It is often used in schools as a way to organize teachers into working groups. PLCs have many variations. In one definition PLCs 'extend ... classroom practice into the community; bringing community personnel into the school to enhance the curriculum and learning tasks for students; or engaging students, teachers, and administrators simultaneously in learning.' Richard Dufour, a recognized national expert in PLCs, finds that 'To create a professional learning community, focus on learning rather than on teaching, work collaboratively, and hold yourself accountable for results.' The Ontario Ministry of Education defines a PLC as 'a shared vision or running a school in which everyone can make a contribution, and staff are encouraged to collectively undertake activities and reflection in order to constantly improve their students' performance.'")

Public Schools of North Carolina Web site, Jan. 12, 2009 ("The term professional learning community has become quite commonplace in education circles. The term describes a collegial group who are united in their commitment to an outcome. In the case of education, the commitment would be to student learning. The community engages in a variety of activities including sharing a vision, working and learning collaboratively, visiting and observing other classrooms, and participating in shared decision making. The benefits of professional learning community to educators and students include reduced isolation of teachers, better informed and committed teachers, and academic gains for students.")

LC database, Jan. 12, 2009.

Here are entered works on collegial groups of educators who carry out their commitment to student learning by engaging in a variety of activities such as sharing a vision, working and learning collaboratively, visiting and observing other classrooms, and participating in shared decision making.