Building a Professional Learning Community at Work: A Guide to the First Year [Paperback]

Parry Graham (Author), William M. Ferriter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2009

Building a Professional Learning Community at WorkTM: A Guide to the First Year addresses the real-world critical questions that arise when schools begin their work to become professional learning communities. How can administrators and teachers take the promise of a PLC and turn it into reality? How can school leaders transform theories of collaboration into highly effective nuts-and-bolts practices? This book is set in the context of one year in the life of a PLC. It chronicles the efforts of a building principal, Steve, and his teachers to build a true PLC at Central Middle School by focusing on the successes and challenges inherent in the process. Each chapter includes four elements. An opening story highlights an important event in the growth of a learning community. Lessons From the Front Line spotlights the successful decisions and common mistakes made by the characters in the opening story. The Relevant Theory and Research section introduces the theories of experts and connects them to the work of PLCs to provide readers with an approachable framework for understanding and a language for describing the complex, yet predictable, changes that are inevitable when schools restructure as PLCs. The Recommendations section offers a collection of suggestions from which to draw while working through change in a building. The lessons in Building a Professional Learning Community at Work are drawn from the authors own experiences working as teachers, building administrators, consultants, and coaches at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. It emphasizes that powerful collaboration can happen anywhere, but it requires hard work, purposeful steps, and a deep understanding of the PLC model. The tools in this book have been tested time and again by real teachers and teams.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Graham and Ferriter set out to restore the faith of educators that their efforts can have a significant impact on student achievement. They weave a story that is both refreshingly candid and powerfully compelling. [They] write with the honesty and insight that can only be acquired through direct experience. One of the most common questions we hear from educators who become willing to implement the PLC concept in their own schools is, But where do we start? Graham and Ferriter have answered that question, very specifically, in this powerful book. It is a wonderful contribution to the literature on Professional Learning Communities at Work, and we highly recommend it to educators at all levels. --From the Foreword by Richard and Rebecca DuFour

About the Author

Parry Graham is a middle school principal in Wake County, North Carolina. He began his career teaching high school German, and then left the classroom to work at Co-nect, a comprehensive school reform provider, where he designed and delivered national professional development programs focused on instructional quality and teacher collaboration. He has worked as an elementary and middle school assistant principal, and he currently holds a position as a clinical assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he completed his doctorate. Parry has published articles in the Journal of Staff Development, Research in Middle Level Education Online, Connexions, and TechLearning. William M. Ferriter, a National Board Certified Teacher, has been honored as a North Carolina Regional Teacher of the Year. Bill has worked as a contractor for Pearson Education Solutions, designing professional development courses that empower educators with twenty-first-century skills. His trainings include the creative use of blogs, wikis, and podcasts in the classroom; the role of iTunes in teaching and learning; and the power of digital moviemaking for learning and expression. Bill has also developed schoolwide technology rubrics and surveys that identify student and staff digital proficiency at the building level. Bill has published articles in the Journal for Staff Development, Educational Leadership, and Threshold. Starting in September, 2009, he will write a column on technology in the classroom for Educational Leadership. His blog, the Tempered Radical, earned Best Teacher Blog of 2008 from Edublogs. He is a contributor to The Principal as Assessment Leader and The Teacher as Assessment Leader (both Solution Tree, 2009).

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Solution Tree (September 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934009598
• ISBN-13: 978-1934009598
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #437,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, October 18, 2009

By 

Larry Ferlazzo (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Building a Professional Learning Community at Work: A Guide to the First Year (Paperback)

Before I read this book, I have to admit I wasn't quite sure what a "professional learning community" was. I must confess that, even though I'm a fan of co-author Bill Ferriter's blog, I generally skipped over his posts about this topic.

Through his book, I've learned that it's basically about strategically and intentionally developing a "community of learners" among school staff. Bill and his co-author Parry Graham have put together a very accessible step-by-step guide on how to go about creating this kind of culture, including ways to trouble-shoot potential challenges. The questions that it encourages readers to ask themselves and their colleagues might be the most important parts of the book.

In many ways, the process is similar to doing good community organizing (I spent nineteen years as an organizer prior to becoming a teacher) -- identifying potential leaders, beginning with a vision and having others adapt it to make it their own, focusing on conversations and relationships. This book makes it all applicable and usable in a school situation. In fact, I think it would be a useful book for anyone who is trying to create a collegial learning culture in any type of organization or business.

I have taught in two schools. The school where I've been for the past six years has been lucky enough to have a principal who has worked with teachers to use these methods -- almost to a "tee" -- and develop a culture of collegiality and professionalism that has truly transformed our school.

The one where I taught for my first year had none of these elements, and I believe that it contributed to its being permanently closed-down.

As its epilogue says:

While the challenges of reculturing schools into professional learning communities are great, the rewards -- successful, empowered practitioners and students who are learning regardless of circumstance -- are worth the effort!

5.0 out of 5 stars Practitioners will love it!, September 4, 2011

By 

Chris Jakicic - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building a Professional Learning Community at Work: A Guide to the First Year (Paperback)

This is the best resource for school teams and principals who are getting started on the PLC journey. There are surveys and templates that can give you a starting point for the journey. A must read for all who are beginning the process.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any PLC trying to become an early success, January 16, 2011

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building a Professional Learning Community at Work: A Guide to the First Year (Paperback)

Education and learning is a job all of its own. "Building a Professional Learning Community at Work: A Guide to the First Year" discusses how to form a professional learning community and keep it afloat through the times. Professional learning communities success depends on implementation, and Perry Graham & William M. Ferriter explain the concept well and give great advice in understanding it and taking it to the next level. "Building a Professional Learning Community" is a must for any PLC trying to become an early success.