Learning To Be A Community

Schools need adaptable models to create successful programs

Making schools learning places for teachers as well as students is a timeless and appealing vision. The growing number of professional learning communities is a hopeful sign that profound change is on the way (Lieberman & Miller, 2011). By now, most schools or districts have participated in professional learning community training or implemented some form of collaborative learning program. While this is good news, our observations in 40 districts across 20 states illustrate that the learning communities movement has reached a critical stage in its development. How schools and districts choose to proceed will determine whether learning communities realize their promise or lose their appeal as a driver of improved teaching and learning. This is the challenge learning communities face: Schools and districts need implementation

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Authors

Bradley Ermeling and Ronald Gallimore

Bradley A. Ermeling ([email protected]) is senior research scientist with the Pearson Research and Innovation Network and member of a research team from UCLA and Stanford. Ronald Gallimore ([email protected]) is distinguished professor emeritus at University of California, Los Angeles.

How Educators Benefit

Specified and tested implementation models of learning communities that feature methods to improve instruction are key to educators realizing a broad spectrum of benefits, including:

Focus and continuity across meetings;
Cause-effect analyses of teaching-learning connections;
Dedicated attention to core classroom instruction for addressing common learning needs;
Attention to formative assessment, including classroom interactions and artifacts, to gauge instructional effectiveness and guide refinements;
Routine and productive questioning of existing instructional practices;
Increased interest in alternative instructional approaches; and
Reliance on evidence to drive instructional planning and decisions.

References

DuFour, R. (2004, May). What is a “professional learning community”? Educational Leadership, 61(8), 6-11.

Ermeling, B.A. (2012, April). Connect the dots: A dedicated system for learning links teacher teams to student outcomes. JSD, 33(2), 24-27, 31.

Gallimore, R. & Ermeling, B.A. (2010, April 14). Five keys to effective teacher learning teams. Education Week, 29, 29.

Gallimore, R., Ermeling, B.A., Saunders, W.M., & Goldenberg, C. (2009). Moving the learning of teaching closer to practice: Teacher education implications of school-based inquiry teams. Elementary School Journal, 109(5), 537-553.

Lieberman, A. & Miller, L. (2011, August). Learning communities: The starting point for professional learning is in schools and classrooms. JSD, 32(4), 16-20.

Saunders, W., Goldenberg, C., & Gallimore, R. (2009). Increasing achievement by focusing grade-level teams on improving classroom learning: A prospective, quasi-experimental study of Title I schools. American Educational Research Journal, 46(4), 1006-1033.

Vescio, V., Ross, D., & Adams, A. (2008). A review of research on the impact of professional learning communities on teaching practice and student learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(1), 80-91.

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Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

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