School-Based PLC in a Virtual Setting
Hey Coach,
I am an elementary school administrator. How can I foster a genuine school based PLC in a virtual setting?
Sincerely,
Let’s Learn Together
Dear Let’s Learn Together,
It is awesome to hear that not only do you want to form virtual PLCs (Professional Learning Communities), but you also want them to be genuine! According to Elizabeth Trach, PLCs are formal collaborations of educators working together to solve problems, build capacity, and ultimately help their students perform better. These groups are often formed under the auspices of a school or even mandated for educators to join. However, while PLCs tend to take on the “mandatory” role, I think we can learn a lot from PLNs (Professional Learning Networks), which are formed organically and by the person. Actually, you may not have to work as hard you think!
The most genuine PLNs (Professional Learning Networks) I have ever seen were created virtually! Not sure what I am talking about? Think about it, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are some of the best PLNs! These PLNs are comprised of engaged, likely over achieving teachers willing to learn and help each other on their personal time! There is an entire Facebook group dedicated to the Bitmoji classroom craze, first year teachers, The Technology Teacher Tribe, STEM educator support groups, and so much more! This means, doing it virtually is not the main issue, making it purposeful and relevant is! So how do we make our virtual PLCs feel more like PLNs?
Organic interest
Teacher Voice
Platform
The first part of the recipe is allowing the PLC to form based out of organic interest. This is the heart of a good PLN. A teacher finds a Facebook group based on something he/she already has interest in. Let’s take that model and apply it to your school. Consider sending out a survey asking teachers about topics in education that really interest them, but don’t associate it with the concept of a PLC or professional development. Find a way to ask organically seeking to know more about them. Based on this information, you can form a few groups and ask teachers to join one or several. This way, the topics are focused around things teachers actually want to know more about.
This leads us into the idea of teacher voice. In order for these PLCs to remain organic, teachers must have a voice in what they learn, discuss and set as a primary focus. To simplify, this means that teachers are in control of their own learning. This concept actually models quite well with giving students autonomy over their learning.
Ironically, the “virtual” component is the least of our concerns. Facilitating an organic PLC virtually will be no problem, once teachers are in control of their learning and interested in the topic. PLCs can easily be facilitated through your school’s technology platform. For example, if you are using Microsoft Teams, an entire Team can be devoted to each PLN and members can chat, collaborate, build resources and host meetings, all in one place. If you are using the GSuite, PLCs could be formed in Google Classrooms or Google Chats. Each PLC could have their own Google Classroom to share resources, host meetings and chat. The same could also be done in Google Chat. You may also consider allowing teachers to use social media to promote the new concepts they are learning and discussing. While this list of technology platforms is by no means comprehensive, remember that the focus is not the technology tool itself, rather what is getting accomplished within that tool.
I hope this helps,
Coach
