Description
What would it take to move your school or district closer toward a culture that supports and sustains professional learning communities (PLCs)?
This thought-provoking collection of stories detailing seven successful approaches to developing PLCs will inspire you to find answers to this question and others. From one school taking the initiative to create its own collaborative environment to a network of 500 universities and schools, the accounts explain the advantages of PLCs for teachers and their students. The volume editors begin with the argument that in a PLC environment, teachers receive continuous professional development, therefore improving their teaching skills to the benefit of student learning. Later chapters recount the origins of schools as professional learning communities, define the characteristics of professional learning communities, and review research on the subject.
Teachers and school administrators will particularly appreciate the reflection questions at the end of each chapter that encourage you to relate your learning to the chapter’s specific story. An appendix provides even more resources about developing PLCs.
Professional learning communities have value in more than just school contexts, as supported by a growing body of research. In sharing the experiences of educators who have embraced the principles of PLCs and integrated them into schools and district, regional, and state initiatives, the editors hope to inspire new contributions to the transformation of science education.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword: Transitions and Transformations in Professional Learning
Page Keeley
Introduction
Susan Mundry and Katherine E. Stiles
Chapter 1: The Promise of Professional Learning Communities
Susan Mundry and Katherine E. Stiles
Chapter 2: “Late-Start Mondays”: The Catalyst for Change in an Urban High School
John W. Somers and Sandra Plyley
Chapter 3: Teaching Learning Collaborative: A Process for Supporting Professional Learning Communities
Kathryn DiRanna, Jo Topps, Karen Cerwin, and Susan Gomez-Zwiep
Chapter 4: Building Professional Development Cadres
Hedi Baxter Lauffer and Dan Lauffer
Chapter 5: Creating and Sustaining Science-Focused Professional Learning Communities Through Partnerships
Carolyn Landel and George Nelson
Chapter 6: Attributes of Content-Focused Professional Learning Communities That Lead to Meaningful Reflection and Collaboration Among Math and Science Teachers
Michael Oehrtman, Marilyn Carlson, and Jo Anne Vasquez
Chapter 7: The Role of Local and State Science Leaders in Developing Professional Learning Communities
Gregory MacDougall
Chapter 8: K20 Model: Creating Networks, Professional Learning Communities, and Communities of Practice That Increase Science Learning
Linda Atkinson, Jean M. Cate, Mary John O’Hair, and Janis Slater
Appendix: Resources for Professional Learning Communities
Contributors
Index