Reading Reflection #2

Michelle Webb

 

          “A professional learning community means making time for new ways of working with colleges.” Pg. 31According to our class book Reinventing Project-Based Learning, learning communities have a great impact on what we get out of what we ate learning. On page 33 of our text the focus of leaning communities is brought up “Professional learning communities focus on three big, student-centered ideas: ensure that students learn, create a culture of collaboration for school improvement, and focus on results (DuFour, 2004).”

          The benefits of learning communities are highlighted as built points on page 33 of our reading,

·         “decreased teacher isolation,

·         increased commitment to the mission,

·         shared responsibility,

·         more powerful learning,

·         a higher likelihood of fundamental, systemic change”.

With the benefit of decreased teacher isolation teachers are given a chance to communicate their new ideas and have questions or concerns brought up that they might have missed on their own. Increased commitment to the mission is just bringing a larger group together so that their voices can be heard more clearly. Shared responsibility makes it easier to take risks and try something new. More powerful learning, because you have a large support group behind you. Higher likelihood of a change because more people are working together to make that happen.

          Learning communities affect teachers and students because teachers “find time to watch and reflect on each other’s classroom interactions. Learn to give each other critical feedback. Capitalize on the wisdom of the group. Engage new patterns of thinking. Learn how to critically learn together.” Pg. 31. Although this specific quote was referring to teachers it is also what students will be doing when they work together. On page 32 our text reads, “For both (teachers and students), the learning is relevant and rigorous, and the “students” learn to learn together. Both groups develop the skills and dispositions necessary in the “real world” including communication, problem solving, project management, motivation, and persistence. Both build bonds as they share triumphs and disappointments.”

          Shared vision in learning is about how the “students” all have the same focus and are all interested in answering the same basic question.  I believe that all of this relates to my group project on gardening because we are all working together to answer the same question. We are able to bounce ideas off of one another, give each other feedback and use the wisdom of the group as a whole.