BRIAN EIGELBACH

EDUC 8101: HOW ADULTS LEARN:

THEORY AND RESEARCH

FEBRUARY , 2013

DR. MARILYN WELLS

Professional Learning Community

What is this? Click on this icon for an audio explaining the slide.

The goal of a Professional Learning Community is to create

a collaborative culture in the school focused on learning in

order to increase student achievement .

(Feger & Arruda, 2008; Muirhead, 2009;

Lieberman & Miller, 2011)

Professional Learning Community

THE FOCUS IS ON LEARNING

THERE IS A COLLABORATIVE

CULTURE

PLCS ARE RESULTS

FOCUSED

The Big Ideas of Professional

Learning Organizations.

• WENGER’S THEORY OF SITUATED

LEARNING.

VYGOTSKY’S–SOCIAL

CONSTRUCTIVISM

Theories that ground Professional Learning

Communities

SITUATED THEORY ANALYZES LEARNING AND THE SOCIAL

SITUATION IN WHICH IT OCCURS.

Situated Theory

CONSTRUCTIVISM

CONSTRUCTIVISM IS A THEORY OF LEARNING IN WHICH THE LEARNER

CREATES KNOWLEDGE.

Piaget’s Cognitive Constructivism

PIAGET CONTRIBUTED THE CONCEPTS OF ASSIMILATION AND ACCOMMODATION TO LEARNING.

VYGOTSKY MADE LEARNING A SOCIAL ACTIVITY THAT RELIED ON

CONTEXT AND CULTURE.

Vygotsky’s Social Constructivism

Nicolaus Copernicus1473 – 1543

Constructivism at

its finest.

Constructivism Example

• LEADERSHIP IS SUPPORTIVE AND SHARED

THERE IS SHARED VISION AND VALUES .

SHARED PRACTICE.

CONDITIONS SUPPORTIVE OF A LEARNING

COMMUNITY

COLLECTIVE CREATIVITY

Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities

LEADERSHIP IS SUPPORTIVE AND

SHARED

“ … R E T H I N K I N G T R A D I T I O N A L P A T T E R N S O F

L E A D E R S H I P A N D I N T E R A C T I O N W I L L R E S U L T I N

L O N G - T E R M S K I L L S T H A T P R O D U C E A

L E A R N I N G C O M M U N I T Y . ” P E T E R S E N G E

( N E W C O M B , 2 0 0 3 , ¶ 9 )

Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities

THERE IS SHARED VISION AND

VALUES.

“ONLY BY CHANGING HOW WE INTERACT CAN

SHARED VISIONS…BE ESTABLISHED.” PETER

SENGE (NEWCOMB, 2003, ¶ 9)

Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities

SHARED PRACTICE.

BY SHARING THEIR PRACTICES, THE STAFF

OPEN THEMSELVES UP TO REVIEW BY THEIR

PEERS ( HORD , 2003).

Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities

CONDITIONS SUPPORTIVE OF A

LEARNING COMMUNITY

“ … THE MOST AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS CAN

DO IS PROVIDE TOOLS AND METHODS AND

SETTINGS IN WHICH CHILDREN CANBECOME

BETTER AT THINKING THINGS THROUGH AND

CONSTRUCTING THEIR OWN UNDERSTANDING.”

PETER SENGE (NEWCOMB, 2003, ¶ 9)

Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities

• COLLECTIVE CREATIVITY

Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities

I N R E V I E W , A P R O F E S S I O N A L L E A R N I N G C O M M U N I T Y :

• I S B A S E D O N T H E I D E A T H A T E D U C A T O R S C A N L E A R N F R O M E A C H O T H E R .

• R E Q U I R E S C O L L A B O R A T I O N .

• C O N S T R U C T S A N D S H A R E S N E W K N O W L E D G E W I T H I N T H E P R O F E S S I O N A L G R O U P .

• I S R E S U L T S F O C U S E D .

• I S A G R O U P O F M E M B E R S W I T H A S H A R E D P R A C T I C E A N D T H E G O A L O F I M P R O V I N G S T U D E N T A C H I E V E M E N T .

Review: Professional Learning Community

T H E G O A L S O F T H E P R O F E S S I O N A L L E A R N I N G C O M M U N I T Y I N C L U D E :

• T H E C R E A T I O N O F A C U L T U R E O F C O L L A B O R A T I V E E D U C A T O R S W H O L E A R N F R O M E A C H O T H E R .

• A F O C U S O N L E A R N I N G W I T H I N T H E P R O F E S S I O N A L G R O U P .

• I N C R E A S I N G S T U D E N T A C H I E V E M E N T .

Review: The Purpose and Goals of a Professional Learning Community

C O N S T R U C T I V I S M I S :

• A N E P I S T E M O L O G Y O R T H E S T U D Y O F K N O W L E D G E A N D H O W L E A R N I N G O C C U R S .

• A T H E O R Y T H A T I S S I T U A T I O N / C O N T E X T D E P E N D E N T .

• T H E C R E A T I O N O F K N O W L E D G E T H R O U G H I N T E R A C T I O N W I T H E A C H O T H E R .

• T H E C R E A T I O N O F M E A N I N G T H R O U G H I N T E R A C T I O N W I T H T H E E N V I R O N M E N T .

• C O N S T R U C T I O N O F S T O R A B L E K N O W L E D G E T H A T R E L I E S O N L A N G U A G E A S A S O C I A L A R T I F A C T .

Review: What is Constructivism

C O N S T R U C T I V I S T T H E O R Y I S E V I D E N T I N P R O F E S S I O N A L L E A R N I N G C O M M U N I T I E S I N T H A T :

• P L C S A R E B U I L T O N T H E I D E A T H A T A G R O U P O F P R O F E S S I O N A L S C A N C O M E T O G E T H E R T O L E A R N F R O M E A C H O T H E R .

• P L C S A R E D E P E N D E N T U P O N C O N T E X T U A L , E N V I R O N M E N T A L A N D I N D I V I D U A L I N T E R A C T I O N .

• P L C S A R E D E P E N D E N T O N C U L T U R E , I N T H I S C A S E A C O L L A B O R A T I V E C U L T U R E .

• P L C S D O N O T J U S T C O N S T R U C T K N O W L E D G E , T H E Y S O C I A L L Y C O - C O N S T R U C T K N O W L E D G E .

Review: How the Professional Learning Community Demonstrates Constructivist

Theory.

Suggested application of constructivism through PLCs

References