Overview of PLC
Professional Learning Community (PLC) is essentially a process to foster a culture of professional excellence in schools across the system. PLC helps educators learn how to improve student outcomes in a systematic, timely and holistic manner, and also to enhance their own professional development.
It is where educators work interdependently to achieve teaching goals for which they are mutually and collectively accountable.
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The classroom teacher is the most important factor in student learning. PLC is a natural platform for teachers to organise themselves into smaller Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) to improve their content knowledge, pedagogy and assessment rigour to address student learning gaps and challenges.
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With teachers organised into PLTs, schools as PLCs have a systematic approach to ensure consistency in the quality of classroom practices. Time, and a process and framework for professional learning are set aside, allowing staff to learn relevant educational approaches, to translate these into better outcomes for both staff and students.
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When staff share tacit knowledge and effective pedagogy in PLC existing within a collegial environment, the quality of teaching is consistently better. The development of a culture of learning and excellence among staff is an asset for students as their achievement levels are consequently raised.