EDPD 5031 Building Professional Learning Communities
This course will have two goals: (1) to facilitate Professional Learning Communities (PLC) in our schools through the habits of successful thinking and (2) assist participants in creating classrooms responsive to the needs of all students. By developing habits of thinking and collaborative communication skills with colleagues, participants will develop strategies to make their schools better learning communities and to make their classrooms more responsive to the needs of all learners. We will utilize the book How Full is your Bucket by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton as the conceptual framework. The book "reveals how even the briefest interactions affect your relationships, productivity, health and longevity." Effective schools explicitly develop the skills and strategies of collegiality amongst staff members. Therefore, participants will develop thinking and communication skills to make them more effective teachers; improving their responsiveness in the classroom.