Professional Learning Communities and Learning Teams


What is a Professional Learning Community?

A PLC in a school is an environment where ongoing staff development takes place in Learning Teams developed to promote learning, planning, and problem solving.

What is a Learning Team?

A Learning Team is “A gathering of people who meet on a regularly scheduled basis to address issues that group members have agreed to study.” (Roberts & Pruitt)

What does a Learning Team do?

A Learning Team can study an issue, often with all team members reading the same book, with the goal of improving classroom instruction and the school environment.

How can a Learning Team benefit kids with social and behavioral challenges?

Educators, support staff, and administrators can read books on topics related to kids with social, behavioral, and learning challenges, focusing on understanding them, learning effective, researched based strategies, and then brainstorming how to implement them in the classroom for the benefit of all students.

Why should a teacher read a book with a group when they could read and reflect on their own?

Research suggests that teachers are more likely to agree on what to do when they jointly study, analyze, and discuss the issues together (DuFour).

What is the structure of a Learning Team?

A learning team is made up of a small group, no more than 6-10 members. A book is chosen for all to read, a meeting schedule set up, and discussion leaders designated. There is a greater sense of “ownership” if leaders are rotated throughout the course of the Learning Team. Teams can meet weekly or bi-weekly at a time which works for all team members, including before school, after school, during plan times, and summer work sessions.

How are Learning Team meetings run?

Identify in advance what materials, if any, need to be brought to the meetings. If discussion questions are available, get them to members for consideration before the meeting. Briefly summarize each prior meeting at the next meeting. Connect past discussions to new ideas. After concepts are discussed, at some point develop practical applications. Have members share applications that are working for them.

Other Helpful Learning Team Information


Possible Learning Team Discussion Questions:

  • What ideas and values in the book are most significant to you?
  • What are the key themes or recurring points?
  • What do you think has the most meaning for your classroom or the school as a whole?
  • What reinforced your ideas about teaching and learning?
  • What challenged or caused you to reconsider your ideas about teaching or learning?
  • What in this book have you already tried in your classroom and how did it work for you?
  • Learning Team Study Guides