The document defines a professional learning community (PLC) as a group of educators committed to continuous improvement through collaboration, shared vision, and collective responsibility. It describes the key components of establishing a PLC, including compatible personalities, shared mission/vision, trust, ongoing professional development, and dedicated time and space. PLCs can be extended beyond individual levels or departments through interdisciplinary and inter-school collaboration on topics like curriculum, assessments, instructional strategies, and shared resources.

1. A 21 st Century Learning Community

2. Outcomes Participants should be able to: define Professional Learning Communities, discuss the principles associated with starting a PLC describe the components necessary for maintaining a PLC synthesize ways in which PLCs may be extended beyond the course levels

3. Defining “Professional Learning Community”

4. “ We’re a school and we’re a community – so we’re a learning community” - a high school teacher

5. Communities of learners “operate with a commitment to the norms of continuous improvement and experimentation and engage their members in improving their daily work to advance the achievement of school district and school goals for student learning.” - National Staff Development Council

6. “… groups of people engaged in intellectual interaction for the purposes of learning .” - Patricia Cross

7. Three Primary Characteristics 1. Shared vision 2. Collaboration 3. Collective responsibility

8. Strata of Learning Communities School faculty Academic departments Subject levels Districts and diocese large large large

9. Formal vs . informal Learning Communities

10. Creating a Professional Learning Community

11. a Case Study Five instructors Weekly meetings for a half-hour with an agenda with minutes and Action Items Discuss overarching questions enduring understandings Review curriculum Plan assessments Discuss instruction

12. Creating this Learning Community Grant to redesign curriculum “Understanding by Design” model Personnel changes Me plus one instituted weekly meetings Us two plus one We three plus two In August, five minus one , plus one

13. Maintaining a Professional Learning Community

14. Compatible personalities Socialization Shared Mission and vision Trust and respect Sense of responsibility Ongoing professional development “ People Capacities ” - Shirley Hord

15. “ Physical Conditions ” Space private near materials Time “ Without time , the work of collaboration doesn’t get done … or doesn’t get done well.”

16. Important Components Compatible personalities Socialization Shared Mission and vision Trust and respect Sense of responsibility Ongoing professional development Space Time Administrative protection

17. Think – Pair - Table-share To what extent do these exist in your Department or school? What is needed in order to improve the professional learning communities in your Department or school? What is your role?

18. Extending the Culture of Collaboration

19. Departmental PLCs Departmental scope & sequence Observations Mentoring Collaboration around content and pedagogy

20. Inter-disciplinary Collaboration Share resources Websites and internet tools Videos Maps Models and manipulatives Joint guest speakers Inter-disciplinary Units Literature and History of WWII Math and History of the Maya Poems and Religions of the Abrahamic religions

21. Inter-scholastic Collaboration Archdiocesan Chairs meetings Science Faires Art shows Plays Music and choral productions Inter-scholastic lessons Pen-pals, collaborative web-pages, class debates, etc

22. Think – Pair - Share Given the earlier warning against PLCs larger than subject levels, how else can a culture of collaboration be developed and nurtured within a department or school?

23. Conclusion Teachers pursuing a shared vision of enduring outcomes Teachers collaborating on the learning activities and assessments, and Teachers taking collective responsibility for student learning. The three most necessary components of a professional learning community are:

24. References Cross, K. P. (1998).Why Learning Communities? Why Now? About Campus . 3 , 4-11. National Staff Development Council, (2006). Standards - Learning communities. Retrieved October 31, 2006, from NSDC.org Web site: http://www.nsdc.org/standards/learningcommunities.cfm Hord, S. &quot;Professional Learning Communities: What Are They and Why Are They Important?&quot; Issues ... about Change 6.11997 1 Nov 2006 <http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues61.html>.

25. Contact Information Eric E Castro Saint Ignatius College Preparatory San Francisco, CA [email_address] http://www.siprep.org/faculty/ecastro This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.