BEWARE - Long Post - I'm Trying To Think Something Through On-Line

I am enjoying facilitating this on-line PLC immensely . . . it seems to me to be doing some great things for us already. I like that we can share resources with one another and that we can have an instant place to make announcements about logistical happenings (like opportunities to present at conferences, details about upcoming events like the kick-off, and reminders from NEFEC to submit important paperwork, etc.). In addition, I like that we have created a space not only to deal with swapping useful materials with one another and making announcements, but to share individual reflections on the inquiry process, how coaching is going, and our personal thinking and challenges as we embark on this incredible inquiry journey together this year!

Emulating the power of a face-to-face PLC in the on-line environment continues to be both intriguing and challenging for me! I thought I’d use a blog entry to get my thinking out on one of my latest dilemmas in facilitating this community on-line . . .

I recently received an email from someone who is familiar with our on-line community and requested to be added because the person thought it was extremely valuable and would love the opportunity to learn from the site . . . now comes my dilemma. While adding someone to the site might seem pretty simple, I must say it has become fairly complicated in my own mind. I find myself wanting to add this person to the community since I want to be inclusive of anyone and everyone who is interested in inquiry to be a part of the work . . . BUT, I am sensitive to the fact that if this is an on-line community, we need to be sure that all members feel comfortable with each other and to use this on-line space to share thinking and wrestle with issues related to this inquiry work with one another. Adding additional members could have the potential to inhibit the present membership of the community from sharing openly with each other. We have done a good deal of work to establish ground rules and build relationships with one another so we can trust our communications in the on-line environment. We probably need to continue to do some work in this area, but what would it mean to add someone that is not a facilitator to the community?

I then began to think about all the facilitators this year, and a parrallel situation that may have already, or could potentially happen in the future to all of you. Suppose you have gone through most of your local meetings, and you are coming up on your data analysis meeting, where a number of your group members are going to present the data they have collected thus far and receive feedback from other members of the group. Up to this point, everyone in your group shares a history, and is very familiar with each others’ inquiry to date. Then, you are approached a week before your meeting by another teacher (or maybe even a principal) and asked if they can join your group and come to the data analysis meeting. What do you do?

Maybe the situations aren't exactly the same, but I could use some help in thinking this one through – should our on-line community be open to others? If not, that’s fine!! If so, do we need to set any parameters around adding a member who is not a facilitator?

I spoke with Chris about this, and he was a great sounding board. He shared with me a few principles from a book he is currently reading by Anklam called, “Net work: A practical guide to creating and sustaining
networks at work and in the world.” These principles included the following:

"Principle #7. Successful networks are reflective and generative. Networks
are complex, not chaotic" (p. 6).

I am definitely feeling success – our community both is, and is becoming reflective and generative . . . I am definitely also feeling complexity . . . and I don’t want our community that has so much potential to become chaotic! . . .

HELP!

Nanc

I thought I'd use my post to reflect on and share a little bit about my thinking about professional learning communities.

To me, a tremendous amount of knowledge about teaching and learning resides in the heads of teachers, but unfortunately, because of the ways schools are set up, teachers don't have the opportunity to share that knowledge with one another, and collaboratively build on what they know to create new knowledge about teaching and learning and make schools better places for those who inhabit them (students), and those who work in them (teachers and administrators). To me, professional learning communities (affectionately referred to as PLCs) are a wonderful way to tap into the knowledge that teachers have, and foster collaboration among professionals so everyone learns and furthers the work of teaching together. PLCs are groups of 6 - 12 individuals that meet on a regular basis to discuss teaching, often using protocols (specific, timed steps for fostering discussions). I have been a member of many learning communities in my professional lifetime, and have enjoyed facilitating them as well!

All of the PLCs I've facilitated to date, however, have met face-to-face. It seems like what I know about PLCs and their faciliatation ougth to be able to be translated into an on-line environment. The on-line space affords "flexiblity" for meeting, as members can check into the community at different times. The on-line space affords a record of the learning community - what's been discussed, what we've discovered, etc., that would seem to valuable to have. The on-line space helps makes the literal distance that separates us geographically less of a hurdle to gathering a group of committed, dynamic educators together. The on-line space connects us to others outside our immediate vacinity, so we get fresh and new perspectives from others. Finally, I'm finding the on-line space to be just plain "cool," as my 11 and 14 year olds might say - it seems to be the wave of the future and it feels to me like when we're using the on-line space we're "on the cutting edge."

Intellectually, I know there are good reasons to be charting new waters and trying to facilitate a PLC on-line, but I find myself vacilating between the thrill of trying something new, and the agony of not knowing how it is working, what I should be doing as a facilitator, and what value it will add to our work together!

When I facilitate a face-to-face learning community, I can read the members' facial expressions and body language, and these often give me good clues as to where to move the group next. When I facilitate an face-to-face learning community, I can pose questions and I get immediate feedback from members of the group, and this helps me determine where to go next. In the on-line community, I am not getting these clues and so I am constantly questioning, "I wonder if members of our community read a post," "I wonder what they're thinking," and "What should I do next?"

This is really hard for me. I guess this is all a part of working through something new, but there are sure plenty of things I am worried about as I attempt to be the facilitator of this group. I'll keep at it though, and with your help, we'll all learn together!

Nanc