1. Professional Learning Communities
Benefits of Implementation
Rachel Back & Vincent Sherpinsky

2. Describe how you feel about PLCs in ONE WORD:

3. Benefits of Participating in PLC
You Are Not Alone!
Everyone works together on the tasks at hand
Even when they do not have direct knowledge of curriculum
Sharing strengths: Offer sounding boards, sharing opinions, and providing feedback
Greater Knowledge About Teaching & Learning (2 heads better than 1, 3 heads better than 2, etc.)
Nobody does it better than all those people with classroom experience and subject knowledge
Building a culture of continuous improvement
You do not have to do everything yourself! PLCs are collaboration^2

4. Benefits of Participating in PLC
Complete Understanding of the End Game: Higher Levels of Student Learning
You will: Share Responsibility for Success
You will: Have Visible Evidence of Learning
Everyone contributes, everyone shares
Dump pride of ownership and replace it with pride of contribution
Opportunity to problem solve as a team
See evidence of your effectiveness in classroom
Overall higher performance, overall less time on remediation, anticipate problems with greater accuracy
It works for any subject!

5. Known Issues with PLCs
Time (PLCs take effort and effort means time, energy, and work)
Finding this time is a challenge within the current schedule
Reclaim any time NOT taken for mandatory responsibilities
Sharing work product (Some people will not or do not contribute)
Be prepared for some to do more than others, eventually this changes
Homework (Every meeting led to doing something for the next meeting)
I left almost every meeting with having to do something more
Attitudes change with the level of benefit each person receives
The more I got back… the more I was willing to give... and the higher tolerance I had for investing my time and energy
Do Not Make or Take it Personally!
Stay professional, focused, and willing to seek the good in everyone!

6. 4 Essential Questions
1. What do we expect our students to learn? (Goals/Expectations)
2. How will we measure our success and student learning? (Assessment)
3. How will we respond when they do not learn? (Intervention)
4. How will we respond if they already know it? (Enrichment)

7. What do we expect our students to learn? (Goals/Expectations)
Building and Class Expectations (rules)
Teach Learning Expectations
Meet or Exceed Expectations in all curricular areas required by the state such as, state goals, benchmarks, and core standards at grade level or above grade levels.
Increased vocabulary in all academic areas
Communication skills – Verbal/Written
Enhance Students Skills in Application and Comprehension

8. How will we measure our success & student learning? (Assessment)
Formative/Summative/Common Assessments
Work/evaluations (WE)/Analysis of student work (ASW)
Class participation
Pre/Post Testing
Unit/Weekly Test/Quizzes
Rubric/Checklists
Teacher Observations
Student Reflections/Journals
District Assessments
Grades/Midterms/Report Cards

9. How will we respond when they do not learn? (Intervention)
Differentiated Instruction
Flexible Grouping
Additional time
Target Specific skills
Data Item Analysis
Graphic Organizers
Manipulatives
Immediate Feedback
Leveled Materials (below, on level, above)
Teacher shared strategies
Responses to Intervention Ideas
Small Group Instruction
1 -1
Re-teach – different ways
Repeat-Practice!!!!
Modify – backtrack, build background knowledge
Computer Intervention
Referral to Problem Solving Team
Conferencing (student – teacher; peer –peer)

10. How will we respond if they already know it?
Enrich learning with "good to know" standards
Peer Tutoring
Group Leaders
Independent Projects
Separate Curriculum (Differentiation of Lessons)
Incorporate a learning center for higher levels

11. Submit Questions:
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