Professional Learning Community (PLC) as an Effective Strategy for Improving Teachers’ Professional Practice

Implications to Educational Planning.

Abstract

This paper examined the need to improve teachers’ professional practice through instituting Professional Learning Communities (PLC). This is done in consideration of the downward trends in the academic performance of students over the years which may be related to the teacher factor. A teachers’ PLC comprises a group of individuals whose primary focus is to continuously work together for better performance in their duties as educators, with a resultant improvement and or betterment of the learners. The meaning of PLCs, issues involved in the setting up of PLCs, roles of stakeholders in a PLC, educational benefits of PLCs, and implications to educational planning are considered. The paper strongly recommends the formation of teachers' PLCs as a means of empowering teachers or boosting their performance toward the improvement of students' achievement.