Chapter 2: Creating a Professional Learning Community

The world is quickly changing, letting go of the old ways to make room for the new. No longer is school a place where students sit together in a class under the authority and supervision of one teacher for the entirety of the day. No longer are teachers working by themselves to prepare and present lessons. The new idea is collaboration, that is, working together with other teachers in the school to build off of one another, offer constructive criticism, and provide support both professionally, and inevitably, socially and emotionally. These types of environments are called "learning communities". Learning communities serve to keep teachers from becoming isolated in their profession. This idea of being isolated in the school building makes sense, especially when working in Special Education. In fact, it would seem that some Special Education teachers spend most of their careers in the classroom at the end of the hallway, or downstairs in the boiler room, away from the rest of the school. How much more beneficial could these students' learning experiences be if their teacher had the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers in the school? According to Jeff Whipple, the key necessity for collaboration is respect. As a teacher participating in a learning community, one must be able to give and receive both positive and critical feedback. Learning communities need not exist in the same school. Some teachers have found their collaborative projects by joining forces with teachers halfway around the globe. These types of experiences are beneficial to everyone, I think, as the teacher is able to connect with another teacher, and the students get the experienc of not only learning with another classroom, but another classroom on the other side of the world. So often, teachers only collaborate with one another in regards to schedules, individual students, and general nit-picky details. The idea is not to abandon those necessary interactions, but to expand them to include deep conversations about what is being taught each day, so other educators might be able to provide ideas and feedback. It seems a bit strange that the idea of a learning organization, where teachers "learn to learn" originated in the business world. Origins aside, it is a beneficial effort for everyone involved.