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Building a Professional Learning Network (Workshop)

The best professional learning does not stop at your school's door. Building a professional learning network, connecting with educators beyond your building through online communities, social media, and more, gives you ideas, support, and growth that no single school can provide.

Key takeaway

The best professional learning extends beyond your building; a professional learning network, connecting with educators online and beyond, provides ideas, support, and growth no single school can offer, if used purposefully.

Format
PLC / team meeting
Length
45 minutes
Group size
Any (works 4-40)
Who can run it
Any teacher-leader
You will need
Slides (5)Printed handoutA growth area in mindA timer
Aligned to
Learning Forward: Conditions for SuccessInTASC 9: Professional LearningResearch on professional learning networks
Share / assign

Why it works

Professional learning networks (PLNs), the connections teachers build with educators beyond their own school through online communities, social media, blogs, conferences, and more, can be a powerful source of ideas, resources, support, and ongoing growth, countering the isolation of teaching. Research on PLNs suggests benefits when they are used purposefully: following and contributing to communities of practice in your area, curating quality sources (and filtering noise and misinformation), engaging actively rather than just lurking, and bringing ideas back to try. A purposeful PLN extends professional learning far beyond what one building offers.

The research: Research on professional learning networks.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

    The core activity: build a purposeful PLN

    Teachers leave with a plan to build and use a professional learning network.

    Learning beyond your buildingA professional learning network connects you to ideas, support, and growth beyond one school. Build it purposefully, curate quality, engage, and bring ideas back.

    Facilitator notes

    Passive scrolling is not a learning networkLurking in noisy feeds without curating or engaging is not a PLN. Build it purposefully, curate quality, engage, and bring ideas back to try.

    Adapt it

    Participant handout

    One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

    K12 Academics · Professional Learning

    Professional Learning Networks: learn beyond your building

    <b>Ideas, support, growth:</b> connect beyond your school, curate quality, engage actively, and bring ideas back.

    1. An area I want to grow in:
    2. The quality communities and educators to connect with:
    3. How I engage actively and curate quality:
    4. How I filter noise and misinformation:
    5. An idea to bring back and try:

    Make it stick

    Learn beyond your building:

    Common questions

    What is a professional learning network?
    The connections you build with educators beyond your school, through online communities, social media, blogs, and conferences, for ideas, resources, support, and growth. It counters teaching's isolation.
    Isn't educational social media full of noise?
    It can be. Use a PLN purposefully: curate quality sources, filter noise and misinformation, engage actively, and bring useful ideas back to try. Purpose makes it valuable.
    How do I start one?
    Find and follow communities of practice in your area, engage (not just lurk), curate quality sources, and bring ideas back to try. Start small and build.

    Go deeper

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