CONDITIONS THAT SUPPORT THE CREATION OF MATHEMATICAL COMMUNITIES OF TEACHER LEARNERS

In his seminal work, Richard DuFour argues compellingly that if educational reforms are to be sustained long-term, schools must transform themselves into professional learning communities (DuFour, 1998). Professional learning communities (PLCs) can be distinguished from traditional school cultures in that all personnel from the principal to the classroom teacher are committed to collaboration using data about student learning to make decisions regarding school policy and practice. Supporting a school-wide culture that acts in this way is more difficult than it seems since teachers are accustomed to (and quite comfortable with) working in isolation. Encouraging teachers to make their students’ learning public to other teachers is met with resistance because it exposes our personal teaching practices and beliefs to our peers.