Professional Learning Communities A Teacher s Perspective

Journal Entry One: A Teacher’s Perspective â€Å"McLaughlin and Talbert (2006) defined professional learning communities as â€Å"[organizational structures in which] teachers work collaboratively to reflect on their practice, examine evidence about the relationship between practice and student outcomes, and make changes that improve teaching and learning for the particular students in their classes† (pp. 3–4).† (Teague, 2012, pg. 58) This quote explains what I personally think of professional learning communities should be and what areas they should focus on. The problem that I have faced in a professional learning community is colleagues that aren’t willing to change. I have experienced several individuals who would not put the time into gathering data or was reluctant to share their findings. I think having individuals that are not willing to participate dampen the mood of the group and help put a negative spin on the process. The best way to eliminate this problem is by having everyone on board and have them collect authentic data. Authentic data help show what areas the teacher needs to focus on. If data is authentic then there should be no arguments on what is going wrong inside the classroom. As a teacher I will collect authentic data by working with my colleagues and developing authentic assessments to collect the information I need. 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