““In PLCs, principals are called upon to regard themselves as leaders of leaders rather than leaders of followers.””
Dr. Chad Dumas is the author of Let’s Put the C in PLC: A Practical Guide for School Leaders. Chad was a guest on the PBL Simplified Podcast, Episode 171. Give it a listen here.
In doing a Brightspot Inventory of our National PBL Model Schools, we found that nearly all of them are combining Project Based Learning (PBL) with Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). A continuous improvement process such as PLCs certainly fits the empowered instructional model of PBL, so we were not overly surprised. The Brightspot Inventory calls for us to lean into our brightspots in some way, so we started by reaching out to Chad to bring his expertise to you and to see where we have synergies.
First things first, What is a PLC?
What is a PLC? (From Solution Tree)
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are schools that empower educators to work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve.
At the heart of the PLC at Work process are four critical questions that drive the daily actions of every team member:
What is it we want our students to know and be able to do?
How will we know if each student has learned it?
How will we respond when some students do not learn it?
How will we extend the learning for students who have demonstrated proficiency?
While there are certainly more broad definitions for PLCs, it helps to be specific and structured when it comes to PLCs.
What is Project Based Learning?
Project Based Learning (PBL) is a model and framework of teaching and learning where students acquire content knowledge and skills in order to answer a driving question based on an authentic problem, need, challenge, or concern.
Project Based Learning is done collaboratively and within groups, using a variety of employability skills such as critical thinking, communication, and creativity.
PBL incorporates student voice and choice as well as inquiry.
Authentic PBL involves a community partner and a publicly presented end product.
Project Based Learning involves an ongoing process of feedback and revision as well as reflection.
Why do teachers hate PLCs?
In my podcast interview with Dr. Dumas, I asked him about the resistance we sometimes come across in bringing PBL or PLCs to educators across the country. Chad talked about a Harvard study of terms educators despised and PLCs topped the list! Why do teachers hate the term PLC? It really is the term not the action of PLCs because we also know that teachers appreciate professional development where they get to collaborate with each other.
What’s the disconnect? Teachers hate unstructured, unsupported, or poorly implemented PLCs. They do not like to have their time wasted. False PLCs are despised by teachers, but collaboration, action based on data, and continuous improvement are at the top of the list for teachers. Educators are continually working to bring better solutions to their learners.
Professional Development
Don’t read one book (or even this blog!) and start PLCs. The other brightspot that we found in our National PBL Model Schools is that they are winning awards for their implementation of PLCs as well as PBL, which means they are operating their PLCs at a high level. They are implementing the protocols and the norms that make PLCs effective. Just like PBL, these are not ideas you download from Teachers Pay Teachers and expect a successful long-term movement.
The leaders we work with who had successful implementations of PBL and PLCs at one school still bring Magnify Learning in for implementation at their next assignment. Even if you are a high-flying leader who gets the work, it is still helpful to have someone else come in and get your movement started. You still get to cast the vision, but you don’t want to be the one doing all of the training. You want to have an outside partner come in and facilitate the work with you on the front end orchestrating the 3-year plan. The conductor of a symphony does not produce any music. You want to have a high level view of this work.
If you are interested in integrating PLCs into your PBL environment, we can help you craft a PBL Movement that includes PLCs. Especially at implementation, you want to bring in a facilitator to help get you started on the right foot with the proper structures and processes. Don’t wing it!
On a side note, you may need to redefine PLCs at your school if they have a negative connotation, but the work is worth it.
Community in PLCs
In Chad’s book Let’s Put the C in PLC, he references a Google study on why some teams are effective while others are not. For our discussion, Chad pulled out two specific outcomes that are major drivers of effective teams: psychological safety and equity in turn-taking.
From my PBL lens, I can immediately see why PBL and PLCs partner so well. The protocols, norms, and culture are all ways to build psychological safety and equity in turn-taking. PBL brings structure to the often unstructured world of authentic problem solving, and effective PLCs bring structure to the unstructured world of helping to collaboratively improve classroom outcomes.
Why is Community So Important?
We may not even ask this question anymore because community may be reaching buzzword status, but I think Dr. Dumas can shed an answer to this question in a way that inspires you for tomorrow.
“The number one responsibility of a teacher team leader is to create psychological safety. Numbers two and three will not exist if you don't have number one. Number two is to build capacity so that when you're gone, others can pick up the work. It's not one person; it's a team. And then the third responsibility is the one everybody thinks is the first, but the third responsibility is to get stuff done.”
You can’t collaboratively get any work done without psychological safety and protocols to keep everyone involved. We all want to improve our work, and we know there is work to do.
Community is so important for adults and our learners because a community (with psychological safety) allows us to get more work done.
Powerful Partners
PLCs and PBL are powerful partners. Project Based Learning gives you the structure and mindset to move from a traditional classroom to a student-empowering classroom. Professional Learning Communities give you structure and mindset to collaborate with your colleagues to create greater classroom outcomes.
Next Steps
Go buy a copy of Dr. Chad Dumas’s book, Let’s Put the C in PLC (and the action guide).
Reach out when you are ready to combine PBL and PLC, and we’ll create a customized plan for implementation.
I’m Ryan Steuer – author and thought leader who specializes in Project Based Learning training, coaching, community, and content to help educational leaders fulfill their vision of deeper learning in their schools. I’ve worked with leaders in school districts of all sizes, from 400 students to 100,000 students. These visionary leaders care about their students, but they are often stressed, overworked, and overwhelmed with the work ahead of them. That’s where I come in! I help leaders achieve their PBL vision, lead their staff, AND stop working weekends.
When I’m not guiding school leaders through Project Based Learning mindset shifts, I am outdoors with my wife and 5 kids - canoeing, hiking, biking, and traveling the US in our RV.
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