What is a Professional Learning Community? As defined by SA Govt, Dept of Education and Child Development

Professional Learning Communities: are an ongoing process have a collective purpose are strongest when they are long term have members who are committed to actions that enhance student learning can also be known as teacher learning communities, communities of practice, collaborative planning processes or learning teams.

use action research use action research use student data use student data have a collective enquiry to achieve high learning outcomes for students have a collective enquiry to achieve high learning outcomes for students be a safe learning environment, where power is shared be a safe learning environment, where power is shared have members who inspire and encourage each other’s learning have members who inspire and encourage each other’s learning have high expectations and support to achieve desired outcomes have high expectations and support to achieve desired outcomes respond to changing needs and involve everyone in deciding the direction and focus of the PLC in relation to the curriculum. respond to changing needs and involve everyone in deciding the direction and focus of the PLC in relation to the curriculum. Professional Learning Communities will: 

‘... the most promising approach we have found for focusing on teacher actions is teacher learning communities. In these small, building-based groups, each participating teacher develops a specific plan for what he or she wants to change in his or her classroom practice. The groups meet regularly to support team members in carrying out and refining their plans’. – Dylan Wiliam Why learn in a professional learning community?

be avid, ongoing learners about their professional work and actively participate in collegiate learning be avid, ongoing learners about their professional work and actively participate in collegiate learning learn together by sharing their thinking, practice, programs and responses to students’ work learn together by sharing their thinking, practice, programs and responses to students’ work reflect, through the learner’s lens, on the impact of what they do, say and imply reflect, through the learner’s lens, on the impact of what they do, say and imply seek to clarify their own assumptions and work towards congruence between beliefs and practice seek to clarify their own assumptions and work towards congruence between beliefs and practice understand the role of intellectual conflict in learning, and will not confuse this with personal conflict understand the role of intellectual conflict in learning, and will not confuse this with personal conflict develop their professional language to describe their work explicitly and accurately. develop their professional language to describe their work explicitly and accurately. If teachers and leaders engage in professional learning communities and networks, they will:

An effective professional learning community has an impact on: students’ learning process and progress, attitudes, attendance individual teachers’ and other staffs’ practice, morale, recruitment and retention leadership capacity for learning across the whole school a school’s capacity to engage successfully in networks and partnerships beyond the school.

To support professional learning communities, leaders will: ensure learners have time to meet and talk provide appropriate learning spaces support learners with relevant resources ensure communication mechanisms are sound align learning with improvement plans provide professional development coordination and planning model learning by being a learner themselves.

TEAM CYCLE Image source:

Food for thought A professional learning community is a community where we can learn the ‘artistry’ of teaching. A community where teachers and leaders provide support and challenge for each other to learn new practices and to unlearn old assumptions, beliefs and practices. Milbrey McLaughlin McLaughlin M (1997) 'Rebuilding teacher professionalism in the United States' in Hargreaves A & Evans R (eds) Beyond educational reform: Bringing teacher back in. Open University Press, Buckingham