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Can Professional Learning Communities (PLC) provide a basis for changing personal ability?
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One of the buzz words heard often today in K-12 education, especially related to the topic of professional development, is Professional Learning Communities. Richard Dufour is considered one of the leading proponents of PLCs, and he says that PLCs (when done correctly) focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively, and hold the members accountable for results (sounds like Delancey). Here's a link to an article that discusses some of the fundamental elements of PLCs according to Dufour. I'm wondering, if a goal of a PLC was to not just learn but also modify behavior, does the self directed structure of a PLC allow for members to change their ability? From a learning perspective, there seems to be a lot of power in learning collaboratively with your peers. This book club is a case in point. But what is going to drive PLCs to also produce behavior change in their members. Has anyone in the club been involved in a PLC that resulted in not just new learning, but change in behavior?
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Greg-
I think you make a logical point and logical assumption that a PLC can lead to new behaviors. Why seek new learning or knowledge if there is not a resulting behavior change? Do we join a PLC in order to just acquire additional information? I would think not although we might not say that up front. I would think most teachers participate in a PLC because it is the PD du jour or because they really have a topic they want to learn more about (or perhaps a combination of the two).
However, I wonder how many teachers seek PD purely because they are seeking a behavior change. I am participating in this book discussion not because I want to change my behavior but because I seek to change or at least influence someone else’s behavior.
I was a bit ahead in the book so took a bit of time off and started reading again today. Reviewing my notes on chapter 5 made me feel slightly unsettled as I began to recall BF Skinner’s work on operant conditioning and I felt a little uneasy. I’m wondering if anyone else feels at least a little uneasy?
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Mark-
I too am uneasy. At the book points out, change comes from "deliberate practice." Most staff development I have been a part of simply share information. We look at a Power Point presentation, flip through some handouts, take a few articles back with, and expect change.
The current way staff development is conducted is, obviously, not working. I am helping to plan for the coming year and I want to have staff development that is focused on, and only, our priorities for the year. But, unless there is some practice involved, hearing a simple lecture is not going to change anything, certainly not any behavior.
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Interesting points made by all.
I am a big fan of Dufour et. al. work. What Ever It Takes is an excellent read and would be one book I would like to have the opportunity to engage in this type of activity. I participated in a book study group in my own district and really enjoyed our discussions, I think it would be interesting to hear perspectives from outside our own school where we all share a great deal of past experience.
I would also agree that instruction without opportunity for practice and then feedback is very unlikely to produce lasting change in classroom practices. I participated in a year long professional development program on six plus one traits of writing. We met once each month for professional development. The initial session was sit and get on the rubric. The second session was application of the rubric on a common writing sample followed by pair and share activities allowing for us to have conversations with a fellow educator. The next session asked for us to bring back student samples along with our scoring of these samples and the group looked at some of them randomly. The following session involved more practice in scoring with multiple teachers using the rubric on a common piece of work with discussion to follow. We went on to use the technique to score a large set of student work. If two assessments were very close together they were averaged, If there was a disparity between the two scores the work was scored again by a third assessor. These works were used for discussion with the group. It was a practice that "Stuck" or in other words one that was then a part of the mojority of the participants normal practice in the classroom.
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Greg, I've never been part of a formal professional learning community but I have been part of informal communities that resulted in some pretty dramatic behavioral changes. I think the key is motivation to apply what you are learning to your situation. If the motivation isn't there, then I don't think anyone will bother to practice a new skill. Without practice, change or growth will be stymied.
In response to Mark's comments, I think there are relatively few teachers who seek professional development to change their own behavior. Most are pursuing professional development to fulfill a requirement and choosing the most interesting topic (or most convenient class) available.
In response to Mark's comments, I think there are relatively few teachers who seek professional development to change their own behavior. Most are pursuing professional development to fulfill a requirement and choosing the most interesting topic (or most convenient class) available.
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Has anyone in the club been involved in a PLC that resulted in not just new learning, but change in behavior?
Greg - Having been at a school for four years, I have found this type of change to be extremely difficult and can only celebrate a few victories. I have had collaboration time in the schedule and don't feel like the structure is producing schoolwide behavior changes, but as I think about my staff, I can see a few glimmers of hope. One lead teacher has become more assertive in skillfully questioning practices with her colleagues, which is leading to productive instructional conversations. There are a couple other pairs of teachers who have developed frank conversations around their practice and they regularly try different strategies and discuss what worked. My dilemma is how to make these silos of learning the norm. Any thoughts from the team?
Greg - Having been at a school for four years, I have found this type of change to be extremely difficult and can only celebrate a few victories. I have had collaboration time in the schedule and don't feel like the structure is producing schoolwide behavior changes, but as I think about my staff, I can see a few glimmers of hope. One lead teacher has become more assertive in skillfully questioning practices with her colleagues, which is leading to productive instructional conversations. There are a couple other pairs of teachers who have developed frank conversations around their practice and they regularly try different strategies and discuss what worked. My dilemma is how to make these silos of learning the norm. Any thoughts from the team?
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