Overcoming Interpersonal Challenges in PLCs

Several years ago, our professional learning community (PLC) team implemented weekly data discussions. The intention was to improve student outcomes across classes, but instead, our meetings became an unhealthy game of comparison. Morale took a nosedive. I felt a sense of dread anticipating the tension that would invariably arise between colleagues when we had disparate scores.

Eventually, a colleague and I had an honest conversation about the animosity that had clearly developed during PLC meetings. We committed to showing each other mutual respect and understanding, and came up with strategic practices that encourage supportiveness and productivity.

The struggles our team experienced are common. Teacher teams are expected to meet regularly and go over data, but often, they aren’t given the tools or training to cultivate a healthy PLC. Without this foundation, data discussions can leave teachers feeling overly vulnerable and exposed. The goal is to make PLCs a powerful force for good—they should contribute to job satisfaction via shared values and responsibilities, as well as better student learning outcomes.

Effective PLCs don’t happen by accident. They require careful planning and facilitation, and a commitment to put in the work required for success. Below are ways my PLC overcame our interpersonal challenges, improved morale, and positively impacted student learning outcomes. Some recommendations are geared toward PLC leads but are still applicable to other participants.

Before Your PLC Meeting

Leading up to your scheduled PLC meeting, remind yourself that the goal is mutual respect and problem-solving, not competition. Acknowledge the vulnerability that data discussions can elicit. Accept that this is a challenging process for everyone; there’s a high-stakes component to data talks that isn’t always present during discussions about pedagogy.

Assess your mentality going into the meeting: Are you feeling anxious or guarded? If so, try to determine why. If there are specific issues you anticipate dealing with during the meeting, play them out in your mind, and imagine how you might effectively and productively respond to them. Remember that your school’s students are a shared responsibility and that each challenge you face is best solved collaboratively.

If you’re the PLC lead, I also recommend creating a clear plan/agenda for each meeting. In my PLC, we follow essentially the same agenda each week. I post it in our shared Microsoft Teams folder and update it in the days leading up to the meeting. This gives each member time to input student scores from a given week’s shared assessment, which is important for our data discussion.

During Your PLC Meeting

Here are eight strategies that keep PLC meetings on track.

Create a list of shared norms. Ideally, you develop these norms during the first PLC meeting of the year. After that, make sure to review the norms at the beginning of each meeting. They can be simple statements that reflect the group’s priorities: start and end on time, use assessment data to make decisions about instructional practices, listen without speaking over each other, assume positive intentions, etc. It might seem redundant to review the norms on a weekly basis, but this practice serves as a reminder of the group’s expectations.

Rip off the Band-Aid and start with data. Review recent assessment scores and discuss what contributed to student success. Rather than focusing on which teacher had the best scores, highlight the teacher’s high-impact strategies and how they contribute to improved outcomes. Center your discussion on how other teachers can implement similar strategies.

Emphasize factors that are within your control. Reteaching strategies, differentiation, and scaffolding practices are controllable. A student’s work ethic, home life, and personal values are much less so. Veering too far into the latter subjects is an ineffective use of time and won’t improve student outcomes. Accepting this reality might require a mindset shift among your PLC team. Research shows that teachers tend to blame students for failures three times more often than they blame a potentially faulty teaching practice.

Go over the pacing guide for the week ahead. Copy and paste the previous year’s pacing guide, and modify it as you go. It’s helpful if these details are already filled in on a calendar, which saves valuable meeting time. When you meet, discuss learning targets and lesson plans for the current or upcoming week. In doing so, you and your colleagues can ensure that you’re teaching the same topics at the same time, so that your students are prepared for the week’s common assessment. This also gives participants an opportunity to share resources and ideas for teaching the content.

Discuss important reminders and updates for the week ahead. Are there materials you need for planned activities? Are there events on the school calendar that might impact your lesson plans, such as a field trip or statewide testing?

Always make time for an open agenda. This is an opportunity for anyone to share thoughts, concerns, or ideas for the benefit of the group. Opening the floor to all meeting participants fosters inclusivity and shared ownership. In my PLC, open agenda takes 5 to 10 minutes. Participants might voice concerns about shared resources, remind the team about school-level responsibilities that were mistakenly omitted from the list of reminders, or even offer praise about recent successes.

Address disagreements equitably. When disagreements arise over an assessment item or pacing decision, make sure everyone has the opportunity to express themselves. If the group doesn’t reach a consensus after 10 minutes of discussion, table the issue for the next meeting. Reiterate that everyone should spend more time thinking about it. The PLC lead can also consider emailing a survey link to put possible solutions to a vote. This saves valuable meeting time and ensures that everyone has a voice in decision-making.

Apply conflict-resolution models. If a disagreement lingers, try the following protocol.

• Identify the problem—focus on the problem, not the person.
• Address the problem as soon as possible.
• Use clear communication.
• Remember that the goal is problem-solving, not “winning.”

If a conflict prevents the meeting from moving forward in a productive manner, pivot to a more in-depth protocol. Ask each person involved in the conflict to share their perspective without interruption. Then, to demonstrate understanding, ask each person to restate what they heard the other person say. Finally, ask each person to suggest a solution. As a PLC team, discuss the ideas and choose one solution. Follow up at the next meeting to ensure that the solution is being implemented, that it’s effective, and that everyone is on the same page.

PLCs can be challenging, but they shouldn’t be a significant source of stress. Implementing the above strategies can alleviate some of the more common interpersonal challenges and help your PLC run smoothly and effectively.