RSA1: Teachers making connections: Online communities as a source of professional learning

Module 2: Creating a Focus on Learning

RSA1: Teachers making connections: Online communities as a source of professional learning

Professional Learning Communities (PLC) allow professionals to come together and create a focus for learning.  Often times, professionals, within the same discipline, teaching the same subject and work on similar goals, but do not have the time to collaborate, share, and make changes as necessary to promote better student achievement. Within our unit school district we have eight speech-language pathologists who teach at the secondary level. It would be valuable to collaborate, share, and work together to create a focus for student learning and professional growth; however, working in different buildings make it challenging to collaborate. 

           In Duncan-Howell’s article, “Teachers making connections: Online communities as a source of professional learning” (2010), she examines current professional learning opportunities and explains why they are ineffective. Duncan-Howell explains that online professional learning communities may be a new, more effective source of professional and student growth. In the article, it was reported that following a survey based research study; online professional learning communities were effective and well received by the participants.  Professionals were able to collaborate with others to provide the same services and work toward similar goals. The authors noted that reported disadvantages included dominators, discussions getting side-tracked, and misunderstandings.

            Throughout the chapter readings and Duncan-Howell article, professional learning communities were reported to be a source for collaboration, professional learning, and greater student achievement. For professionals who have limited access to collaboration with others who perform similar duties, an online professional learning community may be a more effective alternative than placement in a PLC with peers who meet district and building goals in a more traditional way (working with peers to teach within a similar subject area). According to Duncan-Howell, “The survey showed that teachers were seeking participatory learning that focused on practical classroom strategies that were relevant to them.” (p. 337)  An online PLC would be a great alternative where speech language pathologists who work with secondary level students can collaborate to create a focus for learning as it relates to the profession of speech-language pathology.

References:

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., Many, T. (2010). Learning by doing: A handbook for

professional learning communities at work (2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree

Press

Duncan-Howell, J. (2010) Teachers making connections: Online communities as a source of professional learning. British Journal of Educational Technology 41(2), 324-340.