Newtonian
Physics says there are 3 laws of motions. Just as these 3 laws of motion apply
to objects, they also apply to Professional Learning Communities.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashville/ / CC BY-NC 2.0
Law
1
Once
moving at a steady speed, in a straight line, it will continue moving at a
steady speed in a straight line.
In
other words, objects in motion tend to stay in motion. The natural default
position for most people and teams is to be "at rest." It takes
energy, effort, desire and motivation to push forward and overcome inertia. But
once a Professional Learning Community begins to see the results of their
collaboration and learning reflected in the achievement of their students, they
will continue moving with steady speed forward.
Once standing still, it will stay still.
The
Professional Learning Community that doesn't collaborate, does not focus on
student learning, asks no questions, is unprepared, seeks no data, is neither
professional, will not learn, and is not a community. It is standing still.
Law 2
It accelerates in the direction that you push it.
Focus on student learning and student achievement will accelerate the professional Learning community in that direction. Once headed in that direction it will produce student-centered results. PLCs that focus on their own planning, calendars, and complaining will accelerate in that direction and will achieve non-student centered results.
If you push twice as hard, it accelerates twice as much
The
more a PLC focuses on what they want students to learn, discovering what
students are actually learning with data, and developing plans, strategies, and
ideas to meet the needs of the students who are achieving and those who aren't;
the greater the results will be. The more a PLC focuses on student achievement,
the more student achievement they will achieve.
If it gets twice the mass it accelerates half as much
The
non-student achievement activities teachers bring to their PLCs the slower the
PLC will accelerate. The more we focus on things other than the student, the
slower the PLC accelerates.
Law 3
For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action
When PLCs learn, students learn. When students learn, PLCs learn.
When PLCs don't learn then...well you know the rest.
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