While teacher collaboration and reflection are important to improved practice and student learning, these elements often are not part of teacher team meetings. Teachers may meet in grade level teams or professional learning communities (PLCs) on a regular basis, but often, the time is neither used productively nor focused on their own learning.

High-quality teaching requires systemic support for teacher professional learning to promote effective use of research-based strategies in classrooms. REL West's new infographic, Using Inquiry Cycles in PLCs to Improve Instruction, sheds light on one approach to professional learning that takes advantage of time in PLCs by building in inquiry cycles. Inquiry cycles can provide opportunities for peer support as teachers examine data and evidence together and engage in testing change ideas to improve their practice and support student learning. In addition to presenting specific information about inquiry cycles, the infographic also includes a step-by-step example data analysis protocol and links to relevant resources.

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