This presentation looks at professional learning communities. Specifically, it examines Richard DuFour's three “big ideas” that help ensure their success. For more information visit www.lidiascinski.com.

1. PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING
COMMUNITIES
LIDIA SCINSKI
WWW. LIDIASCINSKI. COM

2. BACKGROUND
Professional learning communities (PLCs) are a great
way for teachers to collaborate with one another and
improve their skills.
Richard DuFour, an expert on professional learning
communities, believes that the phrase “should only be
applied to schools in which all teachers and school
leaders use specific, recommended strategies.”
This presentation looks at DuFour’s three “big ideas”
that help ensure the success of professional learning
communities.

3. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES
1 MAKE SURE
ALL STUDENTS
LEARN
In order to ensure that all students learn,
PLCs should ask themselves four questions:
What do we want each student to learn?
How will we know when each student has
learned it?
How will we respond when a student
experiences difficulty in learning?
How will we respond when students have
already learned it?

4. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES
2 COLLABORATION
PLCs are collaborative communities where
teachers are encouraged and expected to
collaborate.
When everyone works together the school
can recognize issues quicker and deal with
them more effectively.
In order for collaboration to happen, schools
need to look at their practices and make
sure they aren’t hindering collaboration.

5. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES
3 RESULTS
Every professional learning community needs to
have a system for determining success.
Looking at results often means looking at data. For
example, this might mean looking at the results of a
state test to determine the school’s strengths and
weaknesses.
It also means taking steps to deal with weaknesses.
If educators want a PLC to work, then they need to
confront their organization's weaknesses.

6. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES
LEARN MORE
To learn more about professional learning communities
visit www.lidiascinski.com.