The PLC and Social Studies

Susan SchaeperKlein ISD

What is a PLC? “A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is

educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators.”

—adapted from Learning by Doing

Critical Ideas Focus on Learning

Collaborative Culture

Results Orientation

Establish Norms

PLC – Four Critical QuestionsWhat do we want students to learn?

How do we know when they have learned it?

How will we respond when they don’t learn it ?

What will we do if they already know it?

Question 1

What do we want students to learn?

THE TEKS

Unpack the TEKSUSH.2C

Analyze social issues, including the treatment of minorities, child labor, as well as the impact of Social Darwinism on the lives of the people.

What is the specific content focus?What is the expectation asking the

student to do?

Question 2How will we know when they learn it?

Pre-Assessment

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

ASCD, S. Brookhart

The Classroom Assessment Cycle

The Formative Assessment ProcessStudent Teacher

Understand the target. (Focus on

learning goals.)

Select and clearly communicate the learning target (understand typical learning progressions in the area.)

Produce work. Make at least one assignment.

Compare the work with the target. (Take stock of where current work is in relation to the goal.)

Compare student performance with the desired target or goal, and determine its place in a typical learning progression.

Evaluate strengths and weaknesses.

Evaluate students’ strengths and weaknesses.

Prescribe action for improvement. Give clear oral or written feedback.

Take action for improvement: study, practice, review, rewrite, etc. (Take action to move closer to the goal.)

Support or assign action to close the gap.

DATA

TEKS Comparisons from STAAR

Campus Common Assessments

District Benchmarks

Question 3How will we respond when they don’t learn it ?

Differentiate the InstructionDetermine the learning goalsDetermine learning needs of the diverse students

Adapt the task

RTI for Social Studies

Levels of SupportUniversal (Tier 1) Targeted (Tier 2) Intensive (Tier 3)

•Standards based curriculum•Effective classroom instruction with research based strategies•Frequent monitoring to assess struggling students’ performance levels and rate of improvement

•Standards based curriculum•Increased academic support•PLC team identifies academic problem, its cause, and develops, implements, and evaluates a plan to address the problem•Variety of interventions based on student needs and data•Interventions are flexible and individualized•Frequent monitoring to assess student’s progress

•Standards based curriculum•Intensive academic support•Students may receive evaluation for identification of learning disability

Question 4What will we do if they already know it?

Differentiate the Instruction

Alignment

Thought for the Day“If you want to feel secure,

Do what you already know how to do.

If you want to be a true professional and continue to grow…

Go to the cutting edge of your competence,Which means a temporary loss of security.

So whenever you don’t quiteknow what you’re doing,know you’re growing!”

Madeline Hunter 1987