Maria I. Elago
A professional learning community (PLC) refers to a group of connected and engaged professionals – in this case teachers – who take charge of driving change and improvement within, between and across learning environments.
In this context, teachers are expected to collaborate in mapping out strategies to make sure learners are taught in the right manner, and that they benefit from the utilised teaching strategies.
A professional learning community is a belief that simply providing instruction is not enough; teachers need to make sure learners capture the lessons in the right way.
This concept helps teachers to improve their way of teaching and transforming information to learners, thus helping learners in diverse ways.
PLC is seen as a show in which teachers collaborate in mapping out techniques to ensure learners are instructed to benefit from the education and prepared to achieve the required competencies as indicated in the different learning programmes.
According to researchers, PLC may also be a system to construct instructor capacity to work as individuals of high performance to maximise the ability of teachers to deliver at optimal capacity.
In many schools, especially in Namibia, most teachers and educators meet to discuss their way of teaching and share the obstacle that they always face, which is mostly done through workshops and meetings.
Moreover, PLC is incorporated within the daily operations, values and practices of the school community – and it mainly focuses on norms of constant school improvement.
It can advantage both teachers and learners by diminishing the segregation of instructors. The PLC model flows from the assumption that the core mission of formal education is not simply to ensure that students are taught but that they
learn.
This simple shift from a focus on
teaching to a focus on learning has profound implications for schools.
It is through PLC that teachers can share their vision; the mission of the learning institution (school) and it also helps with staff development.
The PLC concept contributes to improvements in the learning environment, because it turns teachers into learners, meaning teachers also start to investigate, question and look for solutions to improve their schools. This concept of learning has also removed the old way of learning, meaning both teachers and learners can all now contribute to the improvement of the teaching environment.
Furthermore, PLC permits teachers a simple way to share best hones and brainstorm imaginative ways to make strides in learning, and drive learners’ accomplishment.
Great communication is key so that teachers can share conclusions and feel that what they are doing within the classroom matters the most.
This entails a process where a group of teachers work together to achieve a common goal. This results in them being mutually accountable for their work.
Furthermore, this promotes leaders to become teachers and teachers to become leaders. Teachers who incorporate PLC continually turn their learning and experiences into creative activities.
They recognise the importance of engagement and involvement in learning and testing modern thoughts.
This means the method is based on the want for individual and community improvement, and it is empowered by the shared respect and reliability of staff individuals.
Common regard and understanding are the principal necessities for a workplace culture that will support
effective learning community.
In conclusion, it is of great importance to notice that having an effective PLC allows students in schools to benefit from the inspirational work of the team of teachers within their school community.
* Maria I. Elago is a student at the International University of Management. This essay is part of her English Proficiencyassessment.