RSA#2

RSA#2: Module 3 and "Urban Education and Professional Learning Communities"

Image Credit

The reading of Module 3 focuses a lot on creating outcomes, SMART goals, student progress and how to monitor it.  SMART goals give a clearly defined method for creating goals for a PLC.  Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, and Many advise to great goals that are attainable and not a goal that is so far out of reach, that it is impossible (2006).  “If the only goals educators pursue are stretch goals, teachers are principals are prone to give up in hopelessness” (Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, and Many, 2006, p. 137).  Teachers need to be realistic when creating common assessments that they will use to judge students success when monitoring and redesigning curriculum.  

My second article that I would like to share discusses the implementation of PLC in under-performing, urban communities.  This article discusses the success that they experiences in the reading scores once a PLC was implemented effectively and on  small scale, throughout the urban schools.  The teachers worked together to create common assessments, used monitoring to collect data, and ended with a rise in performance from the students. “Teachers outlined several reading skills and teaching strategies they discussed during PLCs to address students' needs collectively” (Williams, 2012). 

I chose this article because I have a lot of students who have moved from under-performing, urban schools.  The majority of these students come to my classes lacking the necessarily skills needed to function as a successful 8th grader.  Every case for the student entering our district is different.  I always seek advice from my team members on how to better assist the student.  There are too many students in need of a PLC implementation in our school.  A PLC is for our students, not for our personal gain.  This article gives realistic proof that PLCs can help in some of the most hopeless situations.  As a reading teacher, it gives me so much pleasure to see students make substantial gains in their reading scores.  A PLC seems to be the answer to this epidemic. 

Direct Link to Article 

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., Many, T. (2010).  Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Williams, D. J. (2012). Urban Education and Professional Learning Communities. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 79(2), 31-39.

RSA#1

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., Many, T. (2010).  Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work (2^nd ed., pp. 59-154). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. (Chapter 3, 4, and 5)

DuFour, R. (2007). Professional Learning Communities: A Bandwagon, an Idea Worth Considering, or Our Best Hope for High Levels of Learning?. Middle School Journal, 39(1), 4-8.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ775771.pdf

RSA#1, Module Two: Creating a Focus on Learning

Module Two focuses on student learning and how to improve this through a PLC.  The importance of team collaboration to assist in creating common assessments is highly stressed in this section.  “...high quality teaching and learning began when teachers developed a common vision of the academic standards their students were to achieve” (Dufour, Dufour, Eaker and Many, 2006, p. 50).  Not only does it suggest how a successful PLC would go about creating collaboration among teachers for the better education of students, but it also explains why--a very important aspect when suggesting a new method to professionals.  It is important for schools to always improve and the suggestions in this module’s reading highlight important methods for creating a PLC to benefit our students.

“Professional Learning Communities: A Bandwagon, an Idea Worth Considering, or Our Best Hope for High Levels of Learning?” written by Richard DuFour in the September 2007 issue of Middle School Learning.  This article was in response to people uneducated formed opinions about PLCs.  Article were written about PLCs claiming that they are another bandwagon that schools will jump on, but allegedly did nothing.  “If educators in these schools are confused about the term, ‘professional learning community,’ then they are not alone.” (DuFour, 2006, p. 5).  DuFour goes on to state that the true definition of PLC is hard to define and thats why many are confused by what it means to really create a PLC, instead of labeling something that one believes to be a PLC.  DuFour also talks about specific common misconceptions.  Calling a group a teacher a “team” is one that he focuses a lot on.  Just because a group focuses their work as a team, doesn’t mean that are necessarily answering the right questions or following actual PLC guidelines.  The creation of PLC is not an easy transition, especially for teachers, but in his closing marks, DuFour gives the three key ingredients of PLC creating, “collective capacity, commitment, and persistence of the educators within it” (DuFour, 2006, p.8).

I chose this article to accompany module two reading because when I first read the introductory pages of Learning by Doing, I felt a mix of emotions, including apprehension, fear, uneasiness, and skeptical (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many, 2006).  I enjoyed reading the article because it gave realistic information about criticism, common problems, and solutions to those who are unsure about PLCs.  I thought it was also interesting that Richard DuFour was the author of the article, one of the authors of the book. I learned a lot more about PLCs through my chosen resource and I find it more credible that DuFour reacted to criticism in a way that was helpful and encouraging.  

Image Credit

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog!

I hope to find this very useful and a great way to collaborate ideas with other educators!

Direct Link!