Have you found that in spite of your hard work, some students simply do not learn? It is becoming clear to educators across the country that with all the standards that are expected to be taught, combined with all the assessments that we give, not to mention all the other responsibilities of being a teacher that the only possible way we have of surviving and doing a good job is by collaborating with our colleagues in a meaningful way. Learning by Doing is the on-line book study for you. Educators who collaborate in teams using a Professional Learning Community approach find this to be the most promising strategy for meeting the challenge of helping all students learn at high levels.

This course is ongoing and renews annually. This course is offered through an outside provider.  You will register with Teacher Study via the external link provided. The fee for the course is $175.00. The clock hours are sponsored by ESD 112.  The clock hour fee is $90 and will be paid when claiming the clock hours.  If your district is a member of the ESD 112 Clock Hour Cooperative, you will be exempt from the fee.  

This course renews annually and is ongoing

Purchase and read, "Learning By Doing, A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work" by Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Baker, Thomas W. Many and Mike Mattos (Third Edition)

This is a required purchase by the students taking this class.

All students will write complete answers to all of the questions on the book study Course Handout. The Handout will be provided after registration is complete.

• Students who already work in professional learning communities will:

Create 3 common formative assessments with their grade level team. They will then analyze data from those assessments to come up with a plan for intervention to address student needs based on the data. They will then provide appropriate interventions to their students.

They will write a 2-3 page paper reflecting on successes and challenges with their PLCs, specifically related to common formative assessments, data collection and interventions. 

• Students who do not already work in professional learning communities will:

Meet with their grade level team or other cohort (depending on their educational setting) and make plans to start up a collaborative PLC. They will discuss the important components of a PLC:

1) A focus on learning

2) A collaborative culture and collective responsibility

3) A results orientation.

They will reach agreement on the general purpose of their organization, set aside regular time for collaboration and being the PLC Journey (see Tips for Moving Forward: Building the Foundation of a PLC on page 46 of Learning by Doing). 

They will write a 2-3 page paper reflecting on the successes and challenges of creating a PLC in their educational setting.