EDUC 316; Week 1; Chrysalis Bridges

This week, I learned what a Professional Learning Community is and why it is important for me as a future teacher and for the benefit of my students. I was surprised to learn that the Professional Learning Community spans beyond the classroom of teacher and student and also includes administrators and parents. The Professional Learning Community seeks the best practices for the classroom and focuses on the results, with the goal being to continuously improve processes that aid in learning. Ultimately, the Professional Learning Community should focus not on "teaching" but rather on "learning," the fundamental purpose of school. There are essential characteristics which distinguish the Professional Learning Community from just the ordinary school. These involve a shared mission, vision, values, and goals. I learned that a mission is what the group desires to do as it moves forward. I learned that a vision is what the group desires to look like and the end goals for the group. In the future, I hope to be a part of a strong Professional Learning Community. In this class, I am now part of a Candidate Learning Community. A Candidate Learning Community is a collaboration of students learning how to be teachers by utilizing the methods of a Professional Learning Community. It is essential to be a part of a Candidate/Professional Learning Community because doing so provides opportunities to learn from others in order to become a more efficient teacher and to lead as well as learn in both the classroom and with colleagues. This fulfills Standards 1A, "Teachers lead in their classrooms," as well as 1B, "Teachers demonstrate leadership in their schools." All students are expected to work together and test methods in order that the goals of the class may be achieved, all for the ultimate goal of increasing learning. I believe that our class is already demonstrating signs of a strong Candidate Learning Community. Today, we worked together in order to create a mission and a vision for our class. There were opportunities for many people to assume leadership roles, and there was opportunity for each class member to learn from the ideas of others. I look forward to the learning that will result from the growth of our Candidate Learning Community in this class.