Location vs Collaboration: The Power of Professional Learning Communities
Sites or spaces of learning can be tangible, intangible, or both. Sites or spaces of learning can be a location, something physical and tangible. And, sites or spaces of learning can also be a connection between two or more humans, something intangible and invisible. Sites and spaces of learning can also embody both. But, I believe the power and full potential of any site or space of learning lies in the connection of those who share it, and the culture that connection co-creates. For professional learning communities (PLCs), a particular site or space of learning, this collaboration and connection are critical.
First to demonstrate the power that intangible sites or spaces of learning hold, I want to share a story about an experience that shined a light on the power of connection. In the summer of 2017, I had the privilege of traveling to the Dominican Republic with a group of students and colleagues from my organization, The BRAVE Institute. The purpose of our travel was a partnership with a local organization called Ir, Ver, Hacer, or Go, See, Do. Through our partnership, we worked together to fund and build a school in a local town named Imbert in Puerta Plata. During our time working together I had the opportunity to teach and learn with fellow educators, including the teachers and principal of the school we were building. Each of them was a true leader in their community and all of them are responsible for making that remarkable project and partnership possible. They were, and continue to be an inspiration.
Since we first connected almost a year before the construction of the school building began, I was blown away by their ability to facilitate learning with all of the children in the community in the absence of a school building, furniture, supplies, or other tangible resources. And once we arrived, even after school construction was underway, learning still went on at the construction site every day.
These educators co-created a space with their community that was not bound by four walls. Their school was not physical. Their school was their neighborhood, their homes, their community, and one another. A school building was being built, but they already had a school long before we got there. These amazing educators embodied the difference between space as a location and space as an intangible connection or synergy that comes to life through collaboration and community. Learning does not happen in a classroom or a school, it happens in the connections of humans to one another.
This power of intangible sites or spaces of learning embodied by the incredible educators in the Dominican Republic is a true example of the potential of collaborative culture. Their school was not ever just a building, it was a professional learning community that never depended on physical space. Reimagining schools to be professional learning communities rather than buildings or sites of teaching could transform education (Eaker et. al, 2022). One of the three key merits of professional learning communities is a strong collaborative culture (Carozza, 2022). The other two are a focus on learning and a results-oriented work (Carozza, 2022). Professional learning communities require unprecedented collaboration, but this requirement is often in conflict with the culture of education settings. Even when educators are all gathered together in the same building every day, the culture and connection (or lack thereof) often perpetuate silos and individualism (DuFour, 2004). This is because it is not about the building itself but the connections of individuals within the building. There needs to be a focus on co-creating structures through which collaboration occurs, which inspires consistency and overall promotion of collaborative culture (DuFour, 2004). In addition, there needs to be a prioritization of co-creating professional learning communities that challenge dominant power and embody equity, equality, and justice for all learners.
When considering how to co-create these connections with our colleagues, and ultimately how to co-create a culture of collaboration that embodies equity, equality, and justice there are some critical characteristics and strategies to employ. Below is a list of characteristics and strategies to begin co-creating your professional learning community today.
Key Characteristics and Strategies of Collaborative and Connected PLCs
Established norms (Carozza, 2022). For example, some tighter norms could include guidelines for the group around collective responsibility, curriculum, and assessments (Carozza, 2022). In addition, some looser norms might include shared goals, pacing, and instructional strategies (Carozza, 2022).
Recognition of the value of collaboration for the purpose of achieving a collective goal or purpose (DuFour, 2004). The consistent practice of the development and implementation of individual and collective goals (hooks, 1994).
Participants work together to engage in an ongoing cycle of inquiry that promotes learning (DuFour, 2004). The commitment to learning is unwavering and there is a shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning (Eaker et. al, 2022).
Development and fostering of relationships lead to participants feeling that they matter and that they belong (Love, 2019).
Mutual engagement of all participants (hooks, 1994) as well as the active discovery of and sharing of one’s voice (hooks, 1994).
Presence of excitement, celebration, and emotions (hooks, 1994).
Co-creation of brave space and community (Arao & Clemmens, 2013).
Freedom for participants to challenge dominant power, the ways it shows up in institutions, cultures, and in ourselves as well as one another (hooks, 1994).
The iterative practice of assessment, reflection, and feedback must be consistent (hooks, 1994).
Commitment and persistence of participants (DuFour, 2004).
Together we can move beyond the location of learning to connections, collaborations, and communities of learning. Far too much value is placed on the physical location of schools and classrooms. And far too little value is placed on the power of the relationships, communities, collaborations, and culture that live within, and beyond, that physical place. Professional learning communities with collaborative culture have the power to transcend location to create uninhibited, resourceful, and accessible spaces for learning.
Arao, B., & Clemens, K. (2013). From safe spaces to brave spaces: A new way to frame dialogue around diversity and social justice. In L. Landreman (Ed.), The art of effective facilitation: Reflections from social justice educators (1st ed., pp. 135–150). Stylus Publishing.
Carozza, W. (2022). PLC intro ED8160. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3eRwbvXV5k
DuFour, R. (2004). What is a Professional Learning Community Educational Leadership, 61(8), 6.
DuFour, Richard, D., Rebecca, Eaker, Robert, Many, Thomas W., & Mattos, Mike. (2016). Learning By Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work (Third). Solution Tree.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. Routledge.
Love, B. (2019). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the pursuit of educational freedom. Beacon Press.
Patel, L. (2016). Decolonizing educational research: From ownership to answerability. Routledge.