How Can You Build An Effective Professional Learning Community?
Professional learning community (PLCs) enhance instruction and create an environment that promotes collaboration as well as encourage student learning as well as help to develop professionals.
Teachers can collaborate with their peers to create creative lesson plans and enhance the learners' experience as well as design more effective instructions.
They also provide support to teachers. They also help professionals in different industries, including vets, nurses and even entrepreneurs' mothers are involved with PLCs that are professional networks for learning. You'll learn:
- What exactly is the PLC?
- What are they and how can they be applied to any profession
- What is it that makes people want to join
- The various forms PLCs are able to take.
- What professional learning communities function
- Learning communities for professionals for professionals that can inspire you to study more.
- What can you do to create and sustain a profitable Learning community?
- Platforms available to create an PLC
What exactly is the term "learning community?
In education
Professional learning communities are collection of teachers working in a similar place, typically teaching in on the same way in addition to working together to strategize on ways to improve student learning within specific fields.
PLCs have regular, ongoing discussions, gather inquiries centered around specific topics they wish to discuss regarding learning and learning issues for students, collect data in response to those questions, and then share the results with the entire group.
Most frequently asked concerns include:
- What do we want students to learn?
- Can we determine if that they've learned?
According to the school, PLCs are generally formal They can be mandated by the school's administrative staff. PLC meetings occur regularly during the school term, typically during school hours typically in time of lunch when the students are in exploratory classes like music, art or PE.
PLCs are essential because they allow for teachers to explore questions related to learning for students, and allow teachers to exchange ideas and results with colleagues and receive instant feedback from back-andforth discussions.
In addition to education
The same principles behind teacher social learning can be applied to almost all occupations. Teachers and other education specialists were the first ones to come up with the concept of a professional learning community Learning communities have been in existence for some time and are thriving in different fields too.
Learning communities are organically created and maintained as well as created by an expert in order to enhance their online courses or membership websites.
Most of the creators of online courses did not initially begin with online education However, they were attracted to creating online courses by their community members.
Why people sign up to group to study?
The existence of learning communities is evident across a variety of fields and industries beyond the realm of education, and both professional and students choose to join these communities because of a range of motives that include:
- to develop new abilities to enhance their professional skills
- to support one another through educational programs, like Latrina Walden's nursing research group.
- To master a hobby, such as woodworking, scrapbooking, writing, art, etc.
Different types of learning communities
A network of online education can be categorised into three primary types:
- Professional Learning Community (PLC) usually comprised of teachers that teach similar subjects or grades, PLCs generally adopt a all-school approach to improving students' learning through different ways which include interaction with the other students involved in the PLC, data collection, and research.
- Communities of Practice (CoP): Communities of Practice can be found within the education field, but they are also common in government and business settings. The term "CoP" refers to a group that has the same interests or group of issues and works in concert to accomplish the objectives of both groups and individuals. They support and support others to strive to meet the same objectives.
- Professional Learning Network (PLN) More expansive in its scope in comparison to other learning communities forms, PLNs can include all users that you can connect to on the internet, meaning that they may be a part of a community from across the world. A PLN is a group composed of individuals and resources that support ongoing education. They are not restricted to the field of education, and can be found across a range of sectors and organisations.
There are many distinct kinds of communities for learning, in this article, we'll concentrate on professional learning groups (PLCs) and look at their fundamental characteristics and methods, and some tips on how to build and sustain an effective professional-learning community.
Understanding the way that learning communities function
The efficiency of professional learning communities can be attributed to the foundations of social learning theory an idea in psychology that implies that new behaviors are learned by watching and imitating others learning from other people and in different ways, either for good or bad. This is particularly true for educators and schools that's why professional learning groups give professionals the chance to share their knowledge with each other.
The characteristics of the communities who learn
Learning communities in all forms, no matter what kind they're made up of, are defined by access, relationships as well as the vision and mission.
To ensure that learning communities are successful They require:
- Access to the right levels for communities of learning: They must be able meet in person or online regularly. Quality and quantity of the time they spend together is crucial.
- Solid connections: The members should possess a strong sense of being an integral part of the community, and believe in each other.
- Vision shared: Learning communities must have a common vision in terms of outcomes and purpose.
- Establishments that have been organized, for instance when there is an PLC intended for educators The instructors within the group must share similar grades or work with the same student groups. In a PLC that is for different fields, such as the field of nursing or veterinary medicine, the participants within the group must be of the same expertise and be working at similar levels professionally.
The basic practices of communities for learning
Based on the findings of studies , in order for communities of learners to be efficient and effective They must incorporate these crucial elements:
- Community
- Diversity
- Integration
- Learning active
- Reflection and assessment
Community examples of professional learning that will inspire you
The learning communities don't have to be restricted in the field of education. They can be formed in just about any industry such as business, medicine and even the government. Below are some examples of community-building projects developed by the authors of course of .
HTML0 For veterinarians: Veterinary Cytology Coffeehouse
The HTML0 was developed by Kate Baker, DVM, MS, DACVP, the Veterinary Cytology Coffeehouse is an unofficialand closed Facebook group for all kinds of veterinarians, which includes vet nurses, vet doctors, students as well as vet techs who wish to learn more about the cytology of animals and hematology.
The subjects of the group vary and span from fascinating stories to typical findings in the field, as well as extraordinary examples of the unusual.
It was the first year that membership grew to over 35,000, but and there were no ads. Members began to seek courses and the opportunity to dive into some of these topics more deeply. It was then that Kate created courses that address many aspects of veterinary medicine.
The nurse practitioner can utilize HTML0 aids in exam preparation
Latrina Walden MHA, MSN, FNP-C, FNP BC, who is the founder and CEO of Latrina Walden Exam Solutions and has worked as an instructor for the past 10 years within the field of health, set up a nurse Practitioner study group on Facebook to aid students in nurse practitioner programs succeed in passing their tests.
The guide to studying is accessible for members and tips shared by fellow members and also a review of live clinical sessions a few times a month. In response to numerous requests about course-related resources as she conducted Q&As with live clinicians, Latrina began selling courses through .
For entrepreneurial moms: Boss Mom
For mothers who want to have children and still have a fulfilling work, Boss Mom gives a lot of advice and advice for mothers on how to do this at the same time.
They are among reasons Dana Malstaff created Boss Mom an online community which builds business specifically for moms who want to be entrepreneurs.
For online course creators: community
Facebook's community Facebook is designed to function as a sharing resource and discussion forum for course creators. Users can post their successes as well as debate methods and concepts and also share details with the goal to help other creators of courses create profitable businesses.
Teachers: Teachers' Facebook community
There are a variety of Facebook groups, like the Teacher's group is formed so teachers are able to meet up to discuss the most recent lessons and curriculum in addition to sharing suggestions and ideas on how to use them with their individual students. They also share information on professional development and learning opportunities.
for fitness and health trainers JJ Virgin's communities
JJ Virgin, an accredited Nutrition Specialist and certified Fitness and Fitness Instructor, realized at an early stage when she was developing her company that she'd get better outcomes when she worked with individuals to help individuals attain their fitness and health objectives in groups rather than working on them in a single-person manner.
One of the things JJ is trying to incorporate into her programming in order to keep her audience engaged is to cut information into bite-sized pieces. This can be an effective approach for learning communities since it lets participants absorb what they want to learn in their own time without feeling overwhelmed receiving too much information in one go.
Virgin discusses her experiences in the community by saying: "The things that I've done in the realm of the consumer to build a community, regardless of whether it's for business or pleasure, there's a demand for communities now greater than ever. The importance of connection is than ever. The goal is to increase brand loyalty, so build a bad-ass group of people ."
How do you create and sustain effective Professional learning community
Professional learning communities are not able to achieve their goals on their own. They require help from experts who are familiar working with such groups. Below are some tips for how you can build and sustain professional groups for learning.
1. Be aware of your goal
If there's no clear reason for professional learning communities, they won't be successful. Learning communities help to achieve several end goals that may differ based on the goal of the community of learning and on industries. Within the field of education, for example, the goals of a group learning can include:
- Better retention for students
- Promoting student engagement
- Making sure that instruction methods are consistent among instructors
- Promoting student learning
- The development of a community for educators and other professionals working in the field
2. It is essential to clearly define your community's goals and set the expectations of members.
The goal of the learning community must be clearly defined and goals outlined for each member. Consistency is key.
3. Provide structure and direction by establishing the group's rules and the set of common rules
For the community of learners reach the goals it's established it is essential to have a structure as well as a direction. are essential to keep the members aligned and on the right track to achieve their the goals.
4. Create a culture of collaboration and empowerment
All members of the learning community is expected to talk about their ideas and knowledge so that other members can relate to each other and share strategies.
5. Create a culture of growth
A PLC team needs to be encouraged to continually improve and grow more effective.
6. Make sure it's reflective.
Reflection is an integral part of education, especially those who are part of a community. To facilitate this, a member of the group can choose a component that needs to be analyzed, regardless of whether it's a project or a problem that requires to be dealt with as well as set the conditions for group discussions that is effective.
7. Focus on results for members
Ensuring a learning community is learner-centered and focused on the students as well as others in the community can aid in maximizing the return on investment.
What's the ideal method to establish an online community of learners?
Groups on Facebook
It is one of possible options to create an online learning community. The leaders of the group may allow members to be controlled by the group, so it can be accessible or not, and provide an easy-to-use place to meet with friends and offer useful info and resources.
One of the drawbacks is the reality that Facebook can be distracting since it's a site for social networks. It is possible to lose information through the stream of notifications and it's not something that is professional as it is more of a social network.
LinkedIn Groups
Because LinkedIn is more focused on business, it provides a professional platform to build online communities of professional learners.
The primary objective of LinkedIn is to network and find employment, so it may be challenging to create an online learning community even although LinkedIn has a Groups feature.
Because LinkedIn is mostly employed as a social network and employment website, it's not difficult to get distracted by different elements of the page.
On , you can easily create and promote online classes, memberships and access to a private group that is all yours under one brand without the distraction of social networks.
A Community is an area which isn't included in the curriculum of your class and allows you to start dialogue with students. Each Community comes with the same page (on your site) where students and instructors can engage with through writing messages and posts. Communities are similar to Facebook Groups, with access granted at the website level or linked to specific packages or courses.
HTML1 The advantages of forming communities on
- Make your own brand-named Communities:Just like everything you make with your own branding, your name will be the main focus without external distracting factors. Pick the colors and imagery you want to use and then create communities in your domain you've created. Free from the noise and distractions of social networks.
- Assign Community memberships:Assign Community access by an individual class, bundle or membership, or create a site-wide Community that all students can gain access!
- Fully integrated with your site:Community members are automatically added (or eliminated) depending on the enrollment numbers in your website's content. There's no need to manually add or remove users.
- Built on a platform that you can be confident in: is trusted by more than 50,000 course authors as well as unlike social media platforms You are in charge of all content you publish in your Community. No ads, no tracking, no spam.
Similar to: 's Support Article For Communities
Final reflections
The existence of professional learning groups is crucial to the effective implementation of education programs. Through PLCs, educators are able to benefit from one another's experiences as well as ensure that pupils are taught the most important concepts.
Do you want to be part of professional learning communities created just for those like you? Join the's community of creators of courses, or begin making your own by registering by registering with us today using our Pro plan!
Article was first seen on here