Professional Learning Communities in Physical Education: Preparing Teachers to Thrive

Overview & Synopsis

This article explores how physical education teacher education (PETE) programs can prepare physical education professionals for PLC engagement. A requisite competency domain for PLC engagement can be described as "co-assessment literacy" or "closing the loop" of a results cycle (utilizing assessment data to monitor student learning and improve teaching practice). Using a little-known process assessment called a Programmed Practice Sheet (PPS) can be an efficient way for a physical education PLC team to close the loop. The article concludes by describing how a PETE program utilized PLC structures, principles, and language in guiding undergraduate students in the process of research inquiry. Research inquiry concepts and the PLC results process for closing the loop are explored and compared.