Sometimes there's a sense of rushing at our PLC--a race to get a word in. Why the rush? I think the rush comes from the fact that teachers have multiple solo responsibilities, but little time to talk, share, know each other, and work together. One hour a week is not enough, and the time alone vs. collaborative time is a ratio of about 50:1 when you consider at-home time and planning in addition to school time-on-task with students.
What would slow us down?
What would make the conversation more relaxed?
Those are difficult questions when teachers have such great responsibility for multiple children each week.
One idea that might make a difference is to target the talk, focus the time, and decide on common problems to solve--problems that are meaningful to all in the group with regard to student success and teaching efforts. Another solution is to build in more time for collaboration, talk, and working together--make that 50:1 ratio a lot more reasonable. An additional idea suggested by a member of my PLN is to share what we can online, leaving the PLC for the important discussion.
I don't have the answer, but there are probably some ideas out there. We've instituted PLCs, and we've enjoyed significant progress at the start. Now we're at a point of strengthening the focus, conversation, and share so that our work serves children and teachers well. This is a challenge I'll be thinking about.
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