PLC+Research

Richard Dufour seems to be one of the leading experts on PLCs. His website, All Things PLC, has tons of useful information.

Some highlights from his research:


 * A //shift// in Professional Development via PLCs: **

1. "From external training (workshops and courses) ... to job-embedded learning" 2. "From the expectation that learning occurs infrequently (on the few days devoted to professional development) ... to an expectation that learning is ongoing and occurs as part of the routine workplace." 3. "From presentations given to entire faculties ... to team-based action research." 4. "From learning by listening ... to learning by doing." 5. "From learning individually through courses and workshops ... to learning collectively by working together." 6. "From assessing impact on the basis of teacher satisfaction ("Did you like it?') ... to assessing impact on the basis of evidence of improved student learning." 7. "From short-term exposure to multiple concepts and practices ... to sustained commitment to limited, focused initiatives."

(DuFour, Learning by Doing pg. 189)

From his book, //Revisiting Professional Communities at Work://

A professional learning community is defined as "educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. Professional learning communities operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators" (Dufour, et al. 14)

Educators in a PLC engage in // collective inquiry // into:

1) best practices about teaching and learning 2) a candid clarification of their current practices 3) an honest assessment of their students' current levels of learning

Collective inquiry helps educators build a // shared knowledge // which, in turn, allows them to make more informed (and therefore better) decisions. (Dufour, et al. 16).