Backward Design

Describe how you would build a Professional Learning Community in your school. Cite sources to substantiate your views.

• Please respond to the statement above in 150-200 words using the attached text
• Referring to that same statement respond to TWO of my classmates responses in 75-100. They are listed below and labeled as Response 1 & Response 2

Please also label each response as follows: Inital, Response 1 and Response 2.
PLEASE BE SURE TO USE APA FORMATTING

Response 1

The very essence of a learning community is a focus on and a commitment to the learning of each student. When a school or district functions as a PLC, educators within the organization embrace high levels of learning for all students as both the reason the organization exists and the fundamental responsibility of those who work within it. To achieve this purpose, the members of a PLC create and are guided by a clear and compelling vision of what the organization must become to help all students learn.
Colorado’s 4day school week is a great example of a PLC in schools. Although, there are pros and cons associated with this bold move it is a perfect example of a Professional Learning Community. For the change to take place and be effective educator, parents, and administrative staff must reach a clear set of views about the purpose of the school, how the children will learn, and the role of school leaders, teachers, students, and parents in the learning process. This will also be a collective learning where individual teachers can take that extra time to learn new knowledge and skills, to improve student learning schoolwide that will focus on student learning. PLCs make teachers more student centered, improve the teaching culture, and improve student achievement.
I am excited to see if the 4day school week will be a positive Professional Learning Community for Colorado. The basic idea is to create a balance, while addressing both the school community’s goals and the individual teachers’ needs. In my opinion this is a start in the right direction to focus attention on students intellectual development, not merely on techniques or activities that keep the students engaged.

Response 2

A professional learning community (PLC) is a method to foster collaborative learning among colleagues within a particular work environment or field. It is often used in schools as a way to organize teachers into working groups of practice-based professional learning (Wikipedia).

I would build a PLC by collaborating with all teachers in the department. We would share ideas, roles, and things we want to accomplish in that particular section. At my school we call it backward design. I love backward design because, we can look at things in a new perspective and build on it. I believe it really helped out our department this school year.