How to Make PLCs Work for You, by Laura Brown, Math Teacher at Lebanon High School

If you are like many new teachers, your first year can be very overwhelming. I can specifically recall those pre-inservice days and trying to keep up with the new school year information and teacher jargon. It’s as if school professionals speak a coded language, such as the ever growing list of educational acts and acronyms: IEPs, 504s, RTI, PLCs, etc. At the beginning of the year you might have been assigned or asked to join a PLC by your administration. But what is a PLC and how can it make your job easier? 

PLC stands for Professional Learning Community. These Communities are the new trend in teacher collaboration designed to provide support for each member. PLCs are implemented in various ways from teachers with common interest, common planning time, common subject matter / grade level, to teachers who share the same group of rotating students (think Mini Schools within larger school settings). The one thing in common no matter the grouping is the goal for student growth. 

PLCs are setup to function as a constant cycle where teachers meet regularly and work collaboratively within their team to achieve positive results with the students they serve. (see figure)

As a member of the PLC team you will work with your fellow teachers to establish norms for your weekly meetings as well as goal(s) of what you expect to accomplish. My team of 5 geometry teachers has chosen to officially meet every Wednesday after school, although we talk and brainstorm daily together. An agenda is submitted beforehand so that we all come prepared and use our time wisely…. because it is precious! We also have a designated member who records the minutes of the meeting so the important discussions are saved for future reference. 

Together a PLC should develop the common assessments that measure the students understanding of your S.M.A.R.T. goals. PLCs can make your job easier by sharing lesson plan duties for the teaching part of the cycle. Each member has a strength that can be contributed to this process. If you are struggling with how to teach a certain standard, one of your teammates should be able to support you by showing you how they would teach it, share a best practice, or invite you into their room for an observation of the lesson being taught . One member might excel at powerpoints, or putting together the activities. Another member could make the assignments and share them with the rest of the team. The important part is that you plan together and are all on the same page. This process relieves the

stress from having to create the “wheel” alone. Once you have taught and assessed your students along the way through exit tickets, and quick checks, making adjustments when needed, you will administer the common assessment. The data you get back will be analyzed as a team and a decision on what to do with those that did not learn the concepts (intervention) vs. those that mastered the standards and need enrichment will be decided upon. Then you repeat the whole cycle. 

PLCs are not just another weekly meeting you should dread attending nor are they meant to intimidate. They are meant to be an open dialog between teachers working together towards a common goal. The biggest benefit of the PLC is the support you give and receive from your team. There is a special bond and understood trust that develops in a PLC group that has been established for awhile. Put yourself out there and make your PLC work for you. Our students deserve it.