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V I R T UA L P LC s AT W O R K ®
Implementing the PLC process is not linear or fixed; as our model illustrates, it’s interactive, allowing school personnel to identify and support the school they wish to become. We’ll examine best practices along with virtual solutions in the PLC process as we journey through each component, examining structures and practices that all schools must maintain. Each chapter ends with a series of coaching tips for virtual application. The book also contains reproducible documents to aid teachers, teams, team leaders, and leadership in moving their schools forward, starting on page 124 with “Quick Tips to Consider in a Virtual PLC.”
From Paralysis to Action Educators in many schools and locations faced paralysis as they waited for the return to a traditional setting. At the time of publication of this book, the education process continued to pivot in response to the pandemic. Vaccines became readily available and rising demands from school communities to return to some forms of normalcy allowed students in some locations to return to more in-person instruction. The threat of long-term learning gaps and lack of a systematic response to educate students in nontraditional virtual and hybrid settings lacked structure and substance. In many settings, education was relegated to self-paced learning through the completion of curriculum packets. Learning was based on assignment completion and often it was unknown who was completing the assignments, parents, friends, or outside entities. It will not be another one hundred years before we will be faced with a new pandemic. The threat of COVID virus variants, natural disasters, terrorist threats, or the desire for parents to maintain the virtual or hybrid experiences will once again create a need for schools and school systems to pivot from the traditional learning model of in-person instruction. The PLC process is essential to ensure students learn at high levels despite even the most unprecedented challenges.
