Martin Griffin is an educational administrator and consultant with years of experience in the field of secondary education, as a principal and teacher as well as district supervisor and other leadership positions. His goals are to improve educational experiences for all students and to manage and address any problems in the academic environment. In these administrative positions, Griffin has frequently facilitated and advocated for professional learning communities, or PLCs, in his district.
A professional learning community is defined as a group of educators that meet regularly to learn from and communicate with one another about many different concepts and ideas relating to education. The definition of a professional learning community can be somewhat broad. In some cases, a PLC is just a small group of four or five people that meets for informal discussion and sharing of teaching techniques and advice. In other cases, a professional learning community may be a larger conference of many teachers. Some schools and school districts require their teachers to participate in these communities, making them more formal in nature, while in other schools, participation is completely voluntary and done for the benefit of the teacher. The members of these gatherings usually have something more specific to their teaching in common, such as teaching the same subject or the same age group.
PLCs normally have a specific structure, in which members meet at regular intervals. These are usually every few weeks or every month, but can vary by necessity. They are usually scheduled during the teacher work day at school, not during outside hours, and are coordinated by teachers who are trained in supervising these types of groups. The groups set agendas for each meeting, and have common predetermined goals for their work together. Conversation is typically very structured and focuses on being productive. During a meeting, there are many topics that teachers may elect to discuss. They may discuss their own work, such as lesson plans, or discuss the work of their students. Constructive criticism is given so that teachers can improve their lessons for their students. They also may analyze trends in student performance or broader research and trends in the academic community.
There are many benefits to PLCs for both teachers and their students. The biggest is that teachers are able to learn from each other and collaborate, which improves their teaching skills. Teachers often leave a professional learning community with an increased sense of confidence, which helps them better interact with their students and maintain their classroom as a whole. The culture within the school can also become more positive and collaborative, making the school a better place to work. Overall, Martin Griffin is a huge advocate for professional learning communities and improving the learning environment for kids.
A professional learning community is defined as a group of educators that meet regularly to learn from and communicate with one another about many different concepts and ideas relating to education. The definition of a professional learning community can be somewhat broad. In some cases, a PLC is just a small group of four or five people that meets for informal discussion and sharing of teaching techniques and advice. In other cases, a professional learning community may be a larger conference of many teachers. Some schools and school districts require their teachers to participate in these communities, making them more formal in nature, while in other schools, participation is completely voluntary and done for the benefit of the teacher. The members of these gatherings usually have something more specific to their teaching in common, such as teaching the same subject or the same age group.
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| Martin Griffin |
PLCs normally have a specific structure, in which members meet at regular intervals. These are usually every few weeks or every month, but can vary by necessity. They are usually scheduled during the teacher work day at school, not during outside hours, and are coordinated by teachers who are trained in supervising these types of groups. The groups set agendas for each meeting, and have common predetermined goals for their work together. Conversation is typically very structured and focuses on being productive. During a meeting, there are many topics that teachers may elect to discuss. They may discuss their own work, such as lesson plans, or discuss the work of their students. Constructive criticism is given so that teachers can improve their lessons for their students. They also may analyze trends in student performance or broader research and trends in the academic community.
There are many benefits to PLCs for both teachers and their students. The biggest is that teachers are able to learn from each other and collaborate, which improves their teaching skills. Teachers often leave a professional learning community with an increased sense of confidence, which helps them better interact with their students and maintain their classroom as a whole. The culture within the school can also become more positive and collaborative, making the school a better place to work. Overall, Martin Griffin is a huge advocate for professional learning communities and improving the learning environment for kids.
