1. 1. Summary: A review of research on the impact of professional learning communities on
teaching practice and student learning
This manuscript presents a review of 10 American studies and one English study on the impact
of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) on teaching practices and student learning.
Although a few studies move beyond self-reports of positive impact, a small number of empirical
studies explore the impact on teaching practice and student learning. The collective results of
these studies suggest that well-developed PLCs have positive impact on both teaching practice
and student achievement. Implications of this research and suggestions for next steps in the
efforts to document the impact of PLCs on teaching and learning are included.
There has been a paradigm shift gathering momentum from over the past 20 years, with regard to
the professional development of teachers. Fueled by the complexities of teaching and learning
within a climate of increasing accountability, this reform moves professional development
beyond merely supporting the acquisition of new knowledge and skills for teachers. The use of
professional learning communities (PLCs) as a means to improve teaching practice and student
achievement is a progress that educators support and value, as indicated by teachers’ perceptions
of impact as cited in this particular review.
To summarize the findings across the reviewed literature in terms of the two posited initial
research questions: (1) participation in learning communities impacts teaching practice as
teachers become more student centered. In addition, teaching culture is improved because the
learning communities increase collaboration, a focus on student learning, teacher authority or
empowerment, and continuous learning; (2) when teachers participate in a learning community,
students benefit as well, as indicated by improved achievement scores over time. All six studies
reporting student learning outcomes indicated that an intense focus on student learning and
achievement was the aspect of learning communities that impacted student learning. Together,
these findings from the literature provide preliminary evidence of the benefit of learning
communities for teachers and their students.
A final question we considered was whether these benefits could be the result of the Hawthorne
Effect, that is, were the positive findings a result of the interest and involvement of the teachers
in an innovation as opposed to a benefit specifically tied to participation in a PLC. The small
number of studies makes it impossible to discount the possibility of the Hawthorne Effect.
However, four of the studies report a differential impact on teaching practice or student learning
as a result of participating in a PLC and therefore would contradict the Hawthorne Effect. Bolam
et al. (2005) and Louis and Marks (1998) found that higher student achievement was related to
the extent that schools had strong professional communities. Supovitz and Christman
(2003) and Supovitz (2002) found that measurable improvement in student achievement only
occurred in PLCs that focused on changing the instructional practices of their teachers.

2. REFLECTION:
Learning is not just a one time process. It is in fact a lifetime progression. Therefore it suggests
that as long as man lives, man continues to think and learn.
Man as time passes by is becoming more complex. The advance of science and the advent of
modern technology gave rise not only progress in civilization, but as well gave rise to more
complex problems.
The funny side of the human existence in the post modern era is that, children now a days learn
first using these electronic gadgets before reading and writing. This I say is one of the primal
problems which man is facing right now. This is an issue that learning or education is deeply
challenged. Reading or writing is supposed to be the first step of learning. However, one cannot
but wonder seeing the paradigm shift in history. Technology truly made a deep impact on men,
penetrating the very lives of people.
Education is a give and take process. The interaction between a teacher and student(s) evokes a
process or a relation between thinking beings. Thus, it is as if saying that one is educating, and at
the same time learning. Proper training and discovering new teaching styles will probably pave a
way in preserving or better yet improve educational attainments of the students, and to make
teachers more effective in their bureau.
The interaction of both parties per se suggests a dialogue of persons who in spirit shares a
common goal, which is learning, because learning is one way of becoming more human.

3. 2. Primary Teacher Education
LONDON: Almost one-in-five pupils in primary education in the UK do not have English as
their mother tongue following a sharp hike in the number of foreign-born pupils, according to
official figures.
The number of schoolchildren speaking English as a second language soared to a record high of
more than one million this year amid a continuing rise in immigration, the Telegraph reported.
Official figures show that almost one-in-five pupils in primary education now speak another
language in the home following a sharp hike in the number of foreign-born pupils over the last
12 months. In inner London, native English speakers are now in a minority, with the proportion
as low as a quarter in boroughs such as Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Westminster.
Across England, the number of children who do not have English as their mother tongue has
increased by 54,000 in the last 12 months and around 228,000 since 2008. The number stands at
almost 1.1 million in 2012/13, the report said. Figures suggest that the proportion of children
starting school with English as a second language has now doubled since the late 90s.
The disclosure, in data from the Department for Education, comes amid concerns that a rise in
the number of immigrants is having a significant affect on public services. It follows the
publication of data showing that an extra 250,000 primary school places are needed within the
next year, with immigration and rising birth rates cited a major cause of the shortage.
Some head teachers have complained that budgets set aside to teach children from immigrant and
refugee backgrounds have been cut, leaving them struggling to buy in specialist support for
pupils.
According to the latest data, 1,061,010 pupils speak other languages at home in the current
academic year compared with 1,007,090 a year earlier and 832,790 in 2008. The figures cover
primary, secondary and special schools, the report said. In all, children without English as their
mother tongue make up 18.1 per cent of primary school pupils compared with 17.5 per cent a
year earlier, it said.
The figures also show an increase in the number of pupils in England classed as being from an
ethnic minority background. In all, almost three in 10 primary school children are in this
category in the current academic year, with numbers reaching almost a quarter in secondary
education.

4. Reflection:
Jose Rizal once said, “Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika, ay masahol pa
malansang isda.” A famous quotation showing a deep sense of loving what is our own as
Filipinos. It suggests promoting one’s identity as who we really are in the face of the earth.
The Philippines was been into many invasions coming from other countries. Thus, it somehow
resulted into the formation of our complex culture. Today, we can conclude that our country is
westernized or closely related to the Americans. Even our government’s constitution would
suggest that it has a touch of America’s constitution. In fact it was inspired the America’s
government constitution.
Yes I can say it is true that language is dynamic and in a sense living, for it is becoming more
complex as time passes by. Man uses language primarily to communicate with fellow human
beings, and somehow used to say something about the phenomenon. The article concerning
London’s issue in their usage of their mother tongue language is somehow closely related to the
issue of the Philippines, concerning the usage of Filipino as the national language.
The usage of Filipino language is indubitably challenged. Instead of speaking straight Filipino,
we usually tend to integrate some English words to complete the thought of our sentence. This I
say is a manifestation that we must double or better yet triple our efforts as teachers, to preserve
our very own Filipino language.

5. 3. ELEMENTARY TEACHER EDUCATION ARTICLES: Primary Teacher Education
Making the choice to go back to school to pursue a primary teacher education can be a
tough decision. One of the reasons it can be such a difficult decision is the tight
schedules for many who are choosing to return to school. More and more students are
choosing the online education route as the only option for pursuing higher
education. This option affords them the chance to earn a degree while still maintaining
full time jobs and keeping up with the family commitments. Thanks to the advances in
online education it is now considered to be as respected and reputable as any traditional
college setting.
There are many things to consider when selecting the right school for primary teacher
education. Understanding your limitations and restrictions both in finances and
scheduling is a vital step to making your selection The majority of the online schools
today, whether extensions of a traditional college or university or strictly online, offer the
programs fully accredited.
Online education has come a long way in the past few years and includes many degree
programs not previously offered. It is possible to find primary teacher education and
nearly any program you are interested in online at this point and in high quality. When
you earn a degree from an online program your credentials will not specify that you
earned the education from an online program, but will only have the school name and the
credits and program completed. This means that you will have no issue with potential
employers questioning the quality of your education. While most employers now realize
the quality of the online educational world, there is still the occasional individual who is
not convinced. These are few and far between and completely unfounded with the current
quality of education found at online schools.
Finding financial assistance for online primary teacher education programs is just as easy
as finding financial assistance for a program at a traditional college. This means that you
can apply for federal programs for student loans and grants and can find scholarship
programs to help you pay for your education online. This was not always the case. Until
recent years online education was considered the abnormal not the normal way of earning
an education. This has changed dramatically in recent years and has caused many major
traditional universities and colleges to offer some programs in an online basis.
Before making the choice of an online primary teacher education, take some time to
speak with representatives of the various schools. They can better direct you to the right
programs for your educational goals.

6. Reflection:
Jean Paul Sartre once said that Man is condemned to freedom. Even choosing not to choose, is a
choice itself. Therefore, man lives his very own life in making decisions and choices. He
therefore cannot but choose.
The virtual reality era is soaring high. Technology is slowly yet gradually gaining its glory. High
technologies of today are being used by various institutions, including schools. In the article
above, the issue is on the usage and accountability of Online Education. We know very well that
in the process of educating, there must be a sense of communication. Online Education is a way
of educating people. This particular invention is opting for the good, yet every human creation
has its own pros and cons.
Allow me to describe our age of today as the Virtual Reality Epoch. I say this because our high
tech inventions are so advanced that we cannot but marvel on what science can do. We can find
answers from the World Wide Web as easy as eating candy. We can do human labor more
efficient and progressively. And most of all, we people of today likes things which are material,
superficial and unreal.
Online education is an easy way of gaining knowledge. It is a practical way of schooling. It is
less expense and less effort.
However this concept has also its own frailties. Online Education is opting to promote easy
education. Yet, we as human beings are social animals. It means that the value of communication
is highly favored.

7. Reflection : Is there such things as too much by Lisa Morehouse
Education is one way of training. Training on the other hand is as well a form of
educating. In the article of Lisa Morehouse, I can personally see the issue posited concerning the
importance and essence of homework for students and for the effectiveness of the teacher.
In the practical aspect of living, we people do work and find means for survival. This is
an essential aspect of man in order for one to live. That is why in relation to doing homework,
the teacher though implicitly, is basically teaching his or her student to catch their own fish for
meal. We can see therefore in this perspective a two way process. That is educating and at the
same time training.
Assignments or this so called homework are part of the educating process. Assignments
are one way of training pupils to search and find answers on their own efforts and skills.
Education is the enlargement and the widening of the mind’s horizon. Education gives
the mind intuition and an in-depth vision. Training on the other hand makes the mind function
and effective tool for a certain task. Training is like grinding the mind to a keen sharpened
sword.
We cannot therefore separate education from training. Education is imparting knowledge
to the students, whilst training is the way for the students to execute their own means to
accomplish the tasks that which is given to them.
We cannot educate if we are not training. We cannot train if we are not educating.
Therefore, education and training is complementary to each other. One cannot exist without the
other.

8. Reflection:
One basic problem of knowledge is the problem of deception. We are often times
deceived by holding our knowledge as the truth. That is holding the truth value of our knowledge
as truly knowing, as solely the truth. And other ideas are false.
In our lay man’s term, we popularly call this tendency as being “Close Minded”. The
word itself suggests of being encapsulated to what one believes, and denying the truth value of
other’s idea.
This particular article basically elucidates the long time issue concerning the flaws of
how to evaluate a school by means of standardized tests. For a long time, according to the said
article, there are flaws that we must take seriously for consideration in order to correct the long
time dilemma for closure. It was been in the educational system for quite a long time. Thus, it is
now time to eliminate this flaw to avoid further deception.
It is not an easy task to educate people. Mentors must teach only the truth, just, and
essential. The schools per se must be keen in giving learning. The school and its teachers are in
the verge of right and wrong. That is, by educating, one can make or break a student. There is a
fine line between right and wrong. One false thought could be a mean to deception. The
reputation of the school is on the hands of the teachers. What I mean here is the teachers have a
vital role in the process of education. A wrong notion that a teacher can impart may result to a
big problem. A single flaw in the educational system may result to a major disillusion and
problem to all men.