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V I R T UA L P LC s AT W O R K ®
to remember that virtual learning is the “one more thing” on top of other demands, and the PLC process provides the foundation to allow a virtual education to be effective, like face-to-face schooling. When the demands of virtual education are not the norm, this new platform will cause a sense of instability, especially if faculty are not experienced in virtual instruction practices. This instability is a reason to rely on the normalcy of PLC practices. Staying focused on the right work will help rebuild stability in unstable times.
To ensure a virtual school is functioning as a PLC, it is important to return to the basic principles and foundation. As discussed in the introduction, attention to all components of a PLC in a virtual environment is necessary to bring a semblance Staying focused on the of normalcy as virtual instructional efforts become the new norm. right work will help rebuild In most cases, schools now functioning virtually were face-to-face stability in unstable times. when they learned about the three big ideas. The three big ideas do not change when a school shifts to a virtual environment; what changes is how school leaders support them and how teams live them. Reviewing the three big ideas is a great place to start refining a school’s virtual PLC journey. This chapter uses a table format for each big idea to provide guidance on the what and why of tasks that support each big idea; the how—methods used to accomplish the support tasks; and tools and strategies for accomplishing the tasks in a virtual environment. These tables include references to the guiding coalition, which are synonymous with teams that schools may refer to as the leadership team, teacher leadership team, instructional counsel, or building leadership team; the name of the team may differ, but the membership is typically classroom teacher leaders, school building administration, and a few other members who focus their collaborative efforts to guide the school through the PLC journey. We use the term guiding coalition throughout this book unless references are made to other sources using different titles. The administrative team is a team of school-based administrators. Guiding coalitions should study these figures and add tailored details to increase the impact at their school. These charts appear throughout the chapters in this book to tie the what, why, and how of the PLC process to strategies and tools for use in a virtual or hybrid environment.
The Three Big Ideas and Your Virtual PLC Three big ideas are the driving force of the PLC process. As Richard DuFour and his colleagues (2016) note, “The progress a district or school experiences on the PLC journey will be largely dependent on the extent to which these ideas are considered, understood, and ultimately embraced by its members” (p. 11).
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When a crisis or just a district decision causes a change in entrenched school operations, it is easy to lose focus on the fundamentals of the PLC process. Without a focus on the right work (student learning), it will be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to lead a school or team in successfully executing high levels of learning for all students.
