Saturday, October 31, 2015

ELTC CONFERENCE 2015

Initiating and Maintaining PLC – Role and Relevance of the SISC+
Rumuthamalar A/P Rajaratnam
Kuala Muda / Yan District Education Office, Sungai Petani, Kedah

Abstract

One of the many roles expected of a School Improvement Specialist Coach (SISC+) is that of an initiator and maintenance crew of a professional learning community within the schools visited and the school district served. The notion of an instructional coach is a revolutionary initiative by MOE to bring about transformation and change in the teaching and learning practices of our schools’ teachers. A crucial finding of my visits to schools is that a majority of our teachers are solo artistes who perform to their own private audience (the students) and one teacher is hardly aware of what the other teacher may be doing in the next class. Collaborating, sharing and networking are often side-stepped for the seemingly more important clerical tasks. This paper will attempt to explain and justify the role and relevance SISC+s play in getting teachers to sit down together, reflect on their own teaching practices and students’ learning experiences, design and build workable and creatively scaffolded learning activities and materials, try these plans out in their respective classes, get back together to amend, improve upon and perfect lesson plans as a panel of reflective practitioners. It will showcase two schools in the Kuala Muda Yan district where the SISC+ has successfully initiated and is maintaining learning communities that meet frequently and are working on producing their very own PLC bulletin. The paper will suggest the gradual scaffolding which can be provided by the SISC+ in her/his role as resource provider, critical friend, learning facilitator and classroom supporter.