Zen and the Art of Professional Learning Communities

As I was reading about simplicity in my morning meditations, I was struck by how PLCs bring simplicity and clarity to teaching.

• There is no teaching without learning.
• Clarify:  What must our students know and be able to do?
• How do you know if students know it and can do it?  This doesn't have to be a heatmap or a pivot table.  Just ask yourself, "How do you know?"
• Can you show us how you know?  Otherwise it's not knowledge - it's faith.
• What do you do when students don't know?  Stop using the schedule as an excuse.
• What do you do when students already know?  If students already know, then you're not teaching, because they're not learning.

Furthermore:

• Do you average grades?  That means that you think that penalizing early failure is more important than mastery.
• Do you give zeroes?  That means that you think that "work ethic" is more important than content.  You are free to believe that, but you should report that separately.  Content mastery and compliance should not be co-mingled in the same grade.  
• Do you give homework to parents?  You know what I mean - projects that require trips to the office supply store, reading logs, practice cards, etc.
• Do you work in isolation?  That means you think you have nothing to learn and nothing to share.  That means you divide the world into "my kids" and "their kids."

PLCs are difficult because true simplicity is difficult.  However, the premise is above reproach. 

Clarify expectations.  Monitor results.  Adjust instruction and support.

That is all.  What else could there be?