The Practice of Authentic PLCs: A Guide to Effective Teacher Teams

Definitions of teaching in educational settings are varied. Some mention the imparting of knowledge and skills, and others make reference to the promotion of learning, employing the most effective teaching and learning strategies, and perhaps even knowing how to assess what learners know, understand and can do. Rarely, however, do definitions of teaching include learning and knowing how to work effectively and efficiently with other teachers. This is a pity because given contemporary requirements to maximise students' scores on high-stakes tests, be engaging, and undertake non-curricula and administrative duties willingly, teachers surely need all the encouragement and reassurance they can get. Well-reasoned, widely applicable and considered solutions are needed urgently.Daniel Venables' "The practice of authentic PLCs: A guide to effective teacher teams" consists of seven chapters organized into three main sections: (i) The Context for Authentic PLCs, (ii) The Essential Tasks of Authentic PLCs and (iii) Coaching Authentic PLCs. There is also a coach's appendix that features 18 protocols and activities for PLCs to use as their needs determine.The first part deals with the business of PLCs--Professional Learning Communities--and how to get them started. PLCs have a certain number of characteristics and functions, and Venables suggests three essential tasks for them: (i) looking at student and teacher work, (ii) designing quality common formative assessments and (iii) reviewing and responding to data.It's one thing to put a group of teachers together and call them a professional learning community, but it is entirely another thing for them to work "authentically".Authentic PLCs start with a strong foundation of teamwork and collaboration. Piecing together information from the entire text, collaborative effort seems to involve and require: learning, mutual trust, honesty, listening, flexibility, interest, involvement, reflection, deep thought, truth, interdependence, problem-solving, shared experiences, dialogue, knowledge building, review, planning, risk-taking, growth, relationships, open-mindedness, hard work, common vision, no personal agendas, proactivity, genuineness, diversity, pluralism, seriousness, scholarly discussion, accountability, respect, structure, principles, strategies, purposefulness, dynamism, candour, rigor, integrity, safety, protection, exploration, effectiveness, efficiency, feedback, practice, clarity, challenge, inquisitiveness, analysis, responsibility, focus, active listening, responsiveness, contributions, courage, and no hard feelings. Clearly, then, "... PLCs are not so much a thing as they are a culture. They are a way of thinking" (p. 12).The second part outlines the essential tasks of authentic PLCs in detail. In Chapter 3, we learn that "... feedback is the lifeblood of nearly every aspect of PLC work. It is the traction needed under the slippery wheel of collaboration (p. 46)." To help teachers get into the habit of offering critical feedback to one another, Venables explains the differences between warm and cool feedback, and classifies questions into three types: clarifying, probing and framing (pp. 51-55). Chapter 4 covers the design of quality formative assessments. This includes: discussing essential learning outcomes (ELOs), and unpacking and selecting assessment standards. The material of this chapter is drawn exclusively from the United States and will make most sense to "educators operating in the post-NCLB [No Child Left Behind] world of state assessments ... (p. 77). Chapter 5 looks at how PLCs can review and respond to data. Interestingly, Venables argues that, "... the value of any particular type of data as a source of information for identifying the problem of practice and improving instruction is proportional to the frequency with which the data type is collected. That is, the shorter the time intervals between `data harvests,' the more opportunities teachers have to adjust their instruction and therefore the more useful it is. Schools must abandon end-of-year data as the principle data source and must instead be in the habit of constantly reviewing available data as they become available throughout the school year (p. 95)." These are heady yet important considerations for practitioners and school administrators alike.The third and final part is dedicated to coaching authentic PLCs. Notably, Chapter 7--Troubleshooting Common Obstacles--outlines how to address reluctant and resistant teachers and counsels coaches not to shy away from asking hard questions; for example, Tell me why you think that? How will this help students? (p. 131)In sum, this book includes many useful procedures and strategies for uniting teachers in a set of common purposes and deserves to be in any serious and self-respecting school library, faculty office or staffroom. However, readers outside of the United States are likely to be alienated by some of the examples given and the community metaphor used. They may also have different notions about what constitutes effectiveness in teaching and teacher teams, and may not agree with the priorities and conditions addressed in the second, central, part of book. These drawbacks mar an otherwise commendable read in my opinion.

This is a quick read and easy to implement. It gives step to step protocols for getting the most out of your PLCs and not adding items to already full plates. This will encourage you to formulate PLCs and encourage your teachers in getting the most out of their time and preparation.

This book is helpful to anyone moving toward data driven decision making through PLTs. It is a great resource.....Extremely helpful.