Inside the Staffroom
Build an effective learning
community in your school
By Chassie Selouane
T
he driving factors behind
professional
learning
communities within the schools
are the beliefs and practices of
all its stakeholders. In order for a school
to become a high performing school,
expectations have to be clear and
explicit. Every administrator, teacher
and staff member has to be committed
and prepared to understand how to
identify and model best practices.
Clear communication of expectations
and a commitment to building the
capacity of teachers to lead and
influence instruction is the clearest
path
to
school
improvement.
Educating
people
about
their
professional
expectations,
their
responsibilities, and giving them the
right tools they need to perform at a
higher functioning level.
Key Focus
• Establish
partnerships
and
collaborations within the school
teams.
• Develop areas of specialties
that encourage and empower
instructional
leadership
on
numerous levels throughout the
entire school community.
• Create an atmosphere where
the development of ownership
and
responsibility
of
the
school’s performance (or lack of
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performance), and a dedication to
improvement are priorities.
• Identify changes that need to take
place. With a purpose, a plan and
persistence, remarkable change can
take place in a relatively short time.
Teachers are a huge part of the success
of a school. In under performing
schools, teachers may be working hard
but often are working alone, without
development or support. Teamwork
is the most efficient approach to
effectively building a Professional
Learning Community. When team
collaboration is happening in a school,
you get a myriad of viable ideas that
can help drive forward the winds of
change. Collaborative learning can
sometimes be a difficult concept to
introduce, because people are worried
about competition and extra work. It is
essential for the school administration
to develop and foster the idea of
pulling people’s minds together.
Establishing that strategies derived
from a team perspective are often
much more beneficial than strategies
derived from a solitary source.
Instructional support for each staff
member can be identified through
reflection, video recording of lessons,
data analysis, instructional modeling,
collegial dialogue, administration
observation, peer observations and
action research.
Class Time
Observations can be a great source
of instructional support for teachers.
In the past, the general idea behind
observations was an inspection. The
administrator was there simply to
catch the teacher doing something
wrong, and to document this. This is
an outdated approach to observation.
Observations are now a chance for
an administrator, lead teacher, or
even a colleague to help create a
motivational, positive professional
learning experience. Observations
should be a chance for instructional
leaders to acknowledge the everyday
contributions of a teacher with
a positive acclamation, and give
instructional support to the areas
where a teacher may need assistance
Ultimately, successful professional
learning communities are those that
are developed around the strengths
and weaknesses of the school
stakeholders. Establishing professional
learning communities that learn how
to tap into the strengths of each team
member; with an awareness of skills,
that lead to reflection and goal setting
for the expectations, results in teachers
having a sense of empowerment and
a sense of ownership in solutions
of identified problems or issues to
be addressed in their professional
learning communities and ultimately
lead to developing a higher performing
school environment.