Why and What informed my PLC choice? PME 810 My e-Journal - Entry #5

 Why and What informed my PLC choice?

The Higher Ed Learning Collective is a community of global educators (36 000 members and growing) that are working to build a more connected future. This is a community of educators that have been thrown into the current reality of education platforms through the pandemic.

The goal of this community is to provide support to educators through the abrupt transition from a face-to-face learning to online and remote learning contexts. The community started in March of 2020 and continues to engage in the sharing of ideas and problem solving. From what I have learned as a new member, the community gathered with a short term intention, and over a year later, they are still actively engaged.

This community is of interest to me due to one of my current responsibilities, serving as the Principal of our Division's online learning school. We have approximately 140 students, from Kindergarten to Grade 8, that are in this remote learning platform due to a medical accommodation for themselves or for a member of their household. I have 7 classroom teachers, one resource teacher, one counsellor, and just recently, one educational assistant. In this platform there have been many lessons learned since September 2020! Not only is this an abrupt and new experience for classroom teachers, it is equally abrupt from a leadership lens. There is no 'play book' on how to manage a school that functions completely online. The ability to "run down the hallway" to have a quick chat with a teacher, or to see the students engaged in learning is removed completely.

I can honestly say that one of the greatest challenges in this remote learning platform is teacher's motivation to engage with and contribute to collaboration with their peers. As noted in the reading, Can online learning communities achieve the goals of traditional professional learning communities? What the literature says, "This may be explained by the greater isolation of teachers who collaborate in a completely online environment" (Sinclair & Owston, 2006 as cited by Blitz, C., 2013, p.9).

My hope is to learn and understand from the members of this online learning community, teachers and leaders alike. I look forward to finding ideas, articles and resources that can support my work in the online learning environment. I also look forward to offering some of my own insights, ideas, and learnings from my experiences this year as an online learning school principal.

References:

Blitz, C. L. (2013). Can Online Learning Communities Achieve the Goals of Traditional Professional Learning Communities? What the Literature Says. REL 2013-003. Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic.