Revista simpozionului Eficiență și calitate în educație - 19 mai 2017 Eficiență și calitate în educație | Page 73

doesn’t know the name of something, but he can draw it the AI project with spell it for him;
Thing Translator).
When it comes to teachers, I like to believe the process of collaborative learning is
not as different as one might think. Webinars (and all the above online resources) are an
interesting way of getting together with people all over the world, not necessarily teachers,
and discussing teaching related topics or only listening to what others have to share. On
the 25 th of April, I attended Dr Ken Beatty`s webinar about “Seven Steps to Critical and
Creative Thinking” where language is as a problem-solving tool. One of the underlined
ideas was that language education involves thinking critically about the world and
engaging with it in creative ways of exploring how teachers can engage students by fueling
motivation and making learning more efficient and effective.
C. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
The webinar I attended made me think about ways to improve my teaching methods
and what else I can do as a language teacher to make sure I promote a student-centered
teaching model. Having little experience in the system makes one question everything.
After a brief analysis of our educational system, I realized that a key element that could be
helpful is a mentor, an experienced and trusted adviser that can help you handle stressful
situations or a professional learning community. “To promote instructional innovation
through professional learning, it is essential to recognize that motivated teachers tend to
have motivated students.” (Ginsberg, 2011, p. 10)
Professional Learning Communities are “an ongoing process in which educators
work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve
better results for students they serve.” (DuFour, Rebecca, Eaker, & Many, 2006, p. 2) The
primary goal of this community is to promote collective commitments and working together
to understand exactly what each student must learn. The PLC consists of collaborative
teams made up of teachers who work together interdependently to provide the necessary
change in their class practice leading to better results for everyone (students, team,
school). An institution committed to helping all students learn and reach a higher level of
education would focus on learning rather than teaching.
Professional Learning Communities represent a collaborative culture with the
purpose of learning for all. Some of the characteristics of a PLC are frequent inquiries into
best practice and current reality, learning by doing, commitment to continuous
improvement, and result oriented, promoting leaders and supporting the collaboration
between leaders of different teams. Acknowledging the role of data and technology, a
mentor or a PLC leader can develop action centers to stimulate and enrich teacher
knowledge, offer a motivational framework, support, and assistance.
Comparing PLCs, I came to a conclusion that combining collaborative learning
methods with the right educational strategies results in five factors that can develop high-
quality professional learning:
1.Concentrate on deepening teacher`s content knowledge and pedagogical skills
2.Expand opportunities for practice, research, and reflection
3.Offer sustainability over time
4.Promote a sense of collegiality and collaboration among teachers in problems
concerning teaching and learning
5. Assist, support and motivate teachers as quality education makes a difference in
student learning
Last but not least, while doing the necessary research for the paper I came across a
model of professional learning I would like to exemplify because it can prove to be useful
in evaluating a professional learning experience. The design is made up of four items:
reflection on practice – ask questions, experiential learning – contextualizing issues,
collaborative learning – underpin models and cognitive development – challenge yourself
and extend practice understandings. The items can help teachers evaluate their
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