Author: Kenneth Stefan Lawrence
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 180
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Book Description
As the general public demands more accountability on behalf of schools, educators struggle to meet rising minimum standards. In an effort to address these expectations and search for ways to improve, educators consider applying a professional learning community (PLC) practice, which centers on the improvement of teaching and learning. While traits of professional learning communities are documented in the literature, little is known about how the model affects both teacher efficacy and the classroom practices of Advanced Placement (AP) teachers. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence a PLC has on the efficacy of the teachers participating, as well as the AP English exam scores of those teachers' students. Action research will drive this project in an attempt to answer the following research questions: 1. How is teacher self efficacy influenced by participation in a PLC? 2. In what ways do teachers engage in the process of collective learning through a PLC? 3. How does participation in a PLC affect teacher practices in AP classrooms? The researcher employed a mixed methods approach. A survey instrument and student exam scores were used to gather quantitative data. Qualitative data in this study consists of pre and post interviews with participants and researcher observation notes.
Author: Daisy Arredondo Rucinski
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1475822820
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 229
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Book Description
In a professional learning community (PLC), teachers are organized into teams, committed to meeting on a regular basis to study their teaching strategies and the effects of those strategies on the students in their classrooms. The teacher teams can be of varied form and composition. Whatever the organizational structure, the teams have one goal – that is to improve teaching so that student learning is improved. Policy developers, legislators, and educational leaders have encouraged the adoption of collaborative professional learning teams as a school reform model for improving schools. In this book we describe the results of studies of professional learning communities in real schools and the effects of the teams on student learning. Much of the time school innovations are not examined in depth. Instead authors and developers simply advocate that they be used. In this book, school principals and administrators describe how their teachers used the PLC teams to improve student learning in their schools. In other words, this book presents actual research on the effects of the use of PLCs rather than testimonials.
Author: Linda Kostenko
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Action research in education
Languages : en
Pages : 108
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Book Description
Teachers acknowledge their profound influence on their students' education, and they desire to grow in their profession. Traditional methods of professional development are changing due to legislature that requires educators to grow and work collaboratively within professional learning communities. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact professional learning communities has on teacher efficacy and classroom practices. The findings obtained from a survey, focus group and interview discussions indicate professional development activities within the framework of professional learning communities impact teaching practices. Teachers need to move from isolated learning and planning to collegial learning and planning in order to share leadership, responsibility, and decision-making. Teachers need support from school leaders to connect professional development to their practices.
Author: Katie Thompson Bailey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Professional learning communities
Languages : en
Pages : 342
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Book Description
Author: Richard DuFour
Publisher: Solution Tree Press
ISBN: 1935249894
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 318
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Book Description
Like the first edition, the second edition of Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work helps educators close the knowing-doing gap as they transform their schools into professional learning communities (PLCs).
Author: Arnold Jeffrey White
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 202
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Book Description
The Professional Learning Community (PLC) has increasingly gained worldwide acceptance as a research- based approach to professional development for educators. Benefits of the PLC are touted by many researchers who also identify the challenges to authentic implementation of the PLC model. This action research explored teachers' perceptions of the Professional Learning Community. Data sources for this research included an anonymous online survey, in-depth one-on-one interviews and a focus group. Study participants were elementary school teachers of grades five through eight who participated in horizontal professional learning communities for at least one year. Research questions providing the framework for this study were (1) To what extent do teachers think professional learning communities have impacted classroom instruction? (2) What do teachers perceive to be the greatest challenges to effective implementation of professional learning communities? and (3) What do teachers perceive to be the greatest benefits of professional learning communities? Data from these multiple sources indicate that teachers believe that the professional learning community is a viable method of professional development that produces sustainable and positive results for teachers and students. Teachers participating in this study identified numerous benefits of the professional learning community, the most significant being collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Participants believe that the work they do in professional learning communities has impacted classroom instruction and the culture of the school. Challenges to implementation of professional learning communities stem from scheduling issues and time conflicts. Other key themes emerged from the data. For example, teachers believe that they have improved as teachers and consequently, student achievement has improved as a result of PLCs. Teachers working in PLCs share a collective responsibility for pupil learning. Teachers also believe that a school should implement and maintain both vertical and horizontal PLCs. Teachers reported that PLCs fostered better relationships between teachers and administrators and that leadership at the building level impacts the fidelity of a PLC. One other important theme is that relationship building and trust are essential components of a highly functional professional learning community.
Author: Shirley M. Hord
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 9780807744116
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 196
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Book Description
Increasingly the education world is recognizing that the development of learning communities is an effective means for improving schools without increasing the budget or adding new programs. This indispensible volume offers practical advice gathered from 22 schools (elementary, middle, and high schools) that have successfully modeled or are creating professional learning communities.
Author: Sandra J. Cantwell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Professional learning communities
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
Author: Delores B. Lindsey
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 1452291918
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 121
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Book Description
Professional development that increases educator effectiveness and student success! This volume gives teachers and administrators a detailed roadmap for implementing the Outcomes standard. Deepen you knowledge of this standard with: An original essay by Delores B. Lindsey and Randall B. Lindsey on using the lens of Cultural Proficiency to highlight the theme of educational equity that is embedded in the standard Practical tools that guide leaders in finding coherence between performance standards for educators and curriculum standards for students A powerful case study to illustrate how the standard was enacted across a major urban school district With this book, educators will reach new heights in professional growth and students will reap the benefits!
Author: Bruce Joyce
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 1412978068
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 161
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Book Description
This comprehensive resource examines five major models of professional development and how they can be implemented and tailored to meet the multifaceted needs of any school or district.
