Professional Learning Communities at South are evolving to include subject area teams.  Each teacher has been teamed with others teaching courses with similar content to focus on their common curriculum.  Teams will work to identify the essential skills that are embedded in their common curriculum.  Subsequent activities will lead to the development of common assessments and methods of intervention to insure that all students master the identified essential skills.

PLCs offer a more structured, intensive, teacher-centered and outcome-driven approach to staff development than do more traditional methods, such as one-time workshops, presenter led inservice, or informal lunch conversations. Research has shown that, in these latter approaches, participants often encounter and appreciate new ideas about teaching and learning but are less likely to internalize and incorporate them into teaching practice. In addition, the supportive and safe environment provided by a learning community encourages participants to take risks with new approaches to teaching as well as to critically reflect upon findings with colleagues.

In 2005, SSHS began its development of Professional Learning Communities. This approach to professional development provides a number of advantages for participants and for the larger community. Among other things:

Þ      Teachers have the chance engage in an in-depth and sustained professional development activity, rather than a one-shot workshop with little or no follow up.

Þ      Teachers deepen their understanding of topics of shared interest related to teaching and learning, such as literacy strategies, advisory best practice, academy/house teaming strategies, zero tolerance for zero effort, differentiated instruction, diversity in the classroom, motivating the unmotivated, etc.

Þ      Teachers develop a sense of community with an interdisciplinary group of colleagues. Collaborative conversations increase the connections among academic disciplines.

Þ      Teachers develop a collective voice for school improvement.

Þ      New teachers interact with experienced staff to learn the culture of South High.