And the educators at SCSD2 work hard with happiness. The four pillars of a PLC—mission, vision, values, and collective commitments (goals; DuFour et al., 2016)—shape daily actions at SCSD2. Systematic collaboration has resulted in a shift in mindset among educators in the district who embrace the increased complexity and demands of their work because the rewards of student learning are highly motivating. Much like the old adage no pain, no gain, teachers in this district embrace hard work with vigor, urgency, and joy.
They Really Depend on Each Other
When observing teams in SCSD2, you would see a generous amount of professional sharing. Certain teachers have well-formulated levels of expertise in areas that their entire team could benefit from. Unlike in so many systems, which seem to always keep people’s weaknesses under wraps, SCSD2 team members eagerly acknowledge strengths and weaknesses, encouraging the strong to take the lead when the time is right and openly admitting a lack of knowledge and the ability to learn from one another. How much trust does a community of practice require to share this openly? Perhaps Socrates’s declaration, “The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing,” speaks to what happens to an informed team member in a PLC; team members realize that the more they learn together, the more they have left to learn, do, and become.
They Have a Culture That Embraces Mistakes for Both Teachers and Students
An observer would also realize that the SCSD2 staff aren’t afraid of making mistakes or receiving feedback. In fact, staff members have come to realize that mistakes are the genesis of innovation. For example, colleagues and educators from other districts routinely observe SCSD2 staff members in the classroom. This practice has helped staff become more comfortable with the possibility of making their mistakes public. They realize that feedback leads to improvement, and they pass this mindset on to students who openly discuss their levels of mastery against priority standards among classmates and adults visiting the classroom. In order to exercise creativity and develop new competencies, you have to be willing to take risks, not get it exactly right, and then learn more in the process.
As you read about the sense of fulfillment that PLC implementation brings to educators, you may feel skeptical. Perhaps to you this sounds like a hard sell. To assuage your fears or skepticism, let’s think about where this sense of fulfillment comes from. First, we are, without question, a tribal species. Simply put, this means we tend to prosper much more when we learn to get along with one another and depend on one another’s capacities. In fact, psychologists argue that the psychological impulse for human attachment goes right back to our need to survive; if you can get along with other people, that might make people more likely to share food and shelter with you. And who knows? That might even make them willing to partner with you in passing on your genetic code (Waelti, Dickinson, & Schultz, 2001). We have basic human rewards built into our systems that encourage us to work together and to succeed in our families or in teams or groups. For example, our brains release endorphins when we happily engage in group celebrations (Waelti et al., 2001). Our brains release endorphins to saturate us with good feelings that encourage us to go back to those behaviors that will most likely help us survive.
So, if you are a forward-thinking optimist who believes in the magic of human connection, you may recognize that dedication to the PLC process gives you the formative elements to make that magic show up more often. If you are perhaps a skeptic, just know that our human condition generally rewards working together in an organized and disciplined fashion, and evidence shows that consistently working on a team will make you feel good and stimulate your brain in a way that working alone can’t (DuFour et al., 2016; DuFour & Reason, 2015; Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000; Reason, 2010). Either way, we’ve observed that those who do the work to implement the PLC process become the thankful recipients of deep and sustained levels of joy and fulfillment. For that reason alone, PLCs make a lot of sense, don’t they?
Chapter Overview
We begin our tour of PLC implementation in chapter 1 by looking at what it means to be a PLC, including the three big ideas of a PLC that drive improvement (DuFour et al., 2016). Real examples from SCSD2, often presented in the words of school leaders and educators from the district, accompany these basics. In this chapter, we also provide definitions of key PLC terms and concepts. In chapter 2, we look at teams in a PLC, including types of teams and how teams in PLCs differ from teams in traditional schools. In chapter 3, we examine the four critical questions of a PLC (DuFour et al., 2016), using experiences and examples from SCSD2 to illustrate how these questions shape outcomes and change a school or district’s culture. In chapter 4, we get real about conflict. We talk about strategies for building a dynamic and innovative collaborative culture and managing conflict, again guiding you with real examples from SCSD2. In chapter 5, we address the all-important job of making the PLC process the system and the spirit behind ongoing intervention, extension, and innovation in your school or district. We believe that schools haven’t adequately explored their power to innovate. The book ends with a look ahead as we passionately evaluate the PLC process’s future in SCSD2, in your school, and everywhere in between. In the appendix, we offer tools that can help guide your work during your PLC journey, including a PLC resource list (page 116). Visit go.SolutionTree.com/PLCbooks to download the free reproducibles in this book.
Conclusion
In this introduction, we shared the beginnings and continuing results of one school district’s truly remarkable PLC journey. With this district’s example, we intend to show that the PLC process is more than a straight series of steps toward school improvement. Rather, it looks more like a curving mountain road that leads to transformation and includes successes, challenges, and celebrations along the way. While you go on this tour with us, we ask that you refrain from playing it safe. Don’t keep your hands inside the vehicle. Reach out and learn. As you learn things, push yourself to get out there and try them. This may be a guided tour, and we will get you through it safely, but you’ll learn a whole lot more if you stay on the edge of your seat and embrace the twists and turns.
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CHAPTER 1 The Big Ideas in PLCs |
Clarity precedes competence.
—Mike Schmoker
As we were writing this book, we considered whether you, the reader, require a review of the big ideas of the PLC process. After all, don’t we already know what PLCs are by now? In reflecting on the wisdom of revisiting these foundational elements, Casey recalled an experience from his youth involving NBA legend Larry Bird. It occurred before a preseason game late in Larry’s career when his team, the Boston Celtics, was playing the Detroit Pistons. The game took place in Toledo, Ohio, Casey’s hometown. The Pistons used to play in Toledo during the preseason in hopes of keeping fans interested in the team just to the north of them in Michigan.
Casey arrived at the University of Toledo stadium an hour early, hoping to get a glimpse of several all-time-great players before the game. But he did not get his hopes up, thinking that these basketball legends might not care much about a preseason game against a rather mediocre opponent (at the time). Plus, they were playing in a midsize college stadium in a small town a long way from Detroit.