Campus Connection

“Dangerous Minds”and other Hollywood takes on teaching tend to focus on the one instructor who, in isolation, connects with students and really makes a difference. A teaching concept that is sweeping the nation turns that Hollywood-notion upside down. That concept is Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), which are collaborative teams of teachers who work together to achieve the common goal of high levels of learning for all students, says Marcie Wycoff-Horn, interim director of UW-L’s School of Education. More than 80 UW-La Crosse faculty and staff members discussed PLCs as part of a Teacher Education Day workshop Tuesday on campus. UW-L’s School of Education is one of a handful of higher education institutions in the nation implementing PLCs, says Wycoff-Horn. “Not every teacher has the best strategy to reach all those they teach. It’s about building on teachers’ strengths and learning from one another to help all students succeed,” she says. “It seems like a very simple concept, but it takes time and a commitment where all members are mutually accountable.”