Professional Learning Communities Facilitator's Guide for the What Works Clearinghouse(tm) Practice Guide: Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School

This facilitator's guide is designed to assist professional learning communities (PLCs) in applying evidence-based strategies to help K-8 English learners acquire the language and literacy skills needed to succeed academically. Through this collaborative learning experience, educators will expand their knowledge base as they read, discuss, share, and apply the key ideas and strategies presented in the "Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School" educator's practice guide, produced by the What Works Clearinghouse(tm), Institute of Education Sciences. The knowledge and resources provided will assist educators in meeting English learners' instructional needs and the rigorous requirements of state college and career readiness standards. To gain the best results from this process, the PLC facilitator should have a copy of this guide and prior to each session, should study the relevant section and prepare all materials to ensure an efficient and productive learning experience for members. This facilitator's guide uses a five-step process for collaborative learning. The process was adapted from Wald and Castleberry's (2000) five stages of work for teams engaging in a collaborative learning cycle. The five stages represent an inquiry-action cycle that encourages teams to debrief, define, explore, experiment, and reflect and plan. The purpose of this guide is to provide PLC facilitators with a game plan for conducting each session. The directions provided include guidance for facilitators, but typically, specific language or a script is not provided. [For the handouts that accompany this guide, "Professional Learning Communities Facilitator's Guide Handouts for the What Works Clearinghouse(tm) Practice Guide: Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School. Rel 2015-105", see ED558156.]