Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
Professional Learning Communities on Teaching and Advising
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are particularly powerful in enhancing our teaching and advising–and thus our students’ learning. A PLC is a cohort of peers committed to regular attendance, and intentional opportunities for practice, reflection, and application. The group learns together over time, focuses on shared topics and goals, and follows a structure with some level of facilitation.
AT A GLANCE:
- Format: 3-4 sessions
- Length: 90-120 minutes / session
- Participants: HGSE faculty and (in some cases) teaching/advising-focused HGSE staff
- Commitment: Attend all sessions; light preparation between sessions
- Lunch / refreshments provided!
Questions? Contact Allison Pingree at allison_pingree@gse.harvard.edu
Fostering constructive dialogue across differences has been identified as a priority within Harvard and in higher education broadly, yet there is limited evidence on strategies that are effective in accomplishing this goal in the classroom. This “Read and Try” PLC will examine and test a set of Dialogue Resources developed by the Padeia Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Questions addressed will include: (1) What does effective dialogue across differences look like? (2) Should it be a goal to develop it in our courses? (3) What approaches and activities could strengthen the capacity for dialogue in ourselves and our students?
