Distinguish staff teams from PLC teams

  • 5 minutes

In addition to class instruction and collaboration, Microsoft Teams for Education supports collaboration between colleagues.

Microsoft Teams for Education has two types of teams for professional colleagues:

  • Staff teams
  • PLC teams

Purpose of a staff team

A staff team is the one-stop location for collaborating on school matters. Whether they're used as a collaboration space for a school-wide initiative or a grade-level curriculum redesign, staff teams help administrators and educators share information and collaborate.

Screenshot of announcements about staff meetings in the general channel of a staff team in Microsoft Teams for Education.

Purpose of a PLC team

A PLC team supports educators who are collaborating in a Professional Learning Community (PLC). PLC teams can be used by smaller groups of faculty and administrators to:

  • Examine educational trends
  • Facilitate book studies
  • Conduct any pedagogical study that a group of educators finds interesting

Screenshot of conversations about curriculum content standards in a PLC team channel in Microsoft Teams for Education.

In short:

  • Staff teams are leader-based
  • PLC Teams are peer-based

Both types of teams save faculty and administrators valuable time by providing educators a robust space that promotes sharing, collaboration, and communication.