Main Content
Session Information
01 SES 06 B, Building Profesional Learning Communities
Paper Session
Contribution
Many teachers in secondary education often work individually, in the privacy of their classroom, protected by norms of autonomy and noninterference. They teach multiple classes behind closed doors and learn about teaching by teaching, often described as trial and error (Hodkinson & Hodkinson, 2003, 2004). Moreover, until recently, teacher professional development initiatives mostly have taken place outside school, thus removing teacher learning from the workplace (Opfer & Pedder, 2011; Van Veen, Zwart, Meirink, & Verloop, 2010). From the perspective of the development of collective capacity of schools, this is not a desirable situation. Professional learning communities are considered to be effective ways to foster this collective capacity.
The concept of Professional Learning Community (PLC) is used for groups of teachers sharing and critically examining their practice and collaborating on how to support student learning (Stoll, Bolam, MvMahon, Wallace, & Thomas, 2006). There is a growing knowledge base on PLCs and their elements and conditions needed. Recent work reached consensus on at least some of the essential ingredients of PLCs (cf., Admiraal, Lockhorst, & Van der Pol, 2012; Lomos, Hofman, & Bosker, 2011; Stoll et al., 2006). Key features of PLCs relate to shared values, collective responsibility, collaborative work, reflective dialogue, collective focus on student learning, and deprivatized practice.
In schools as professional learning communities (PLCs), teachers are encouraged to develop collective knowledge and practices through sharing knowledge and practices, supporting each other during their teaching practices, and collaboratively designing new teaching materials (Little, 2003). A PLC can be understood as a means to enhance both teachers’ professional development and a professional school culture (Achinstein, 2002; Grossman, Winesburg, & Woolworth, 2001). In addition, positive effects of PLCs were also found on student learning outcomes (Lomos et al., 2011). Collaboration within teacher communities is a way to counter isolation, improve teacher practice, and create a shared vision towards schooling (Achinstein, 2002; Hodkinson & Hodkinson, 2003). Teachers’ and school leaders’ collaborative work and learning can also develop as a PLC, similar to the concept of school as learning organization (Senge, 1990).
Despite the growing knowledge base in this area, insights into how schools can develop as PLCs as well as into the long-term effects that emerge from this school development, is lacking. The current study examines the strategies schools applied to support their development towards PLCs and the effects of these strategies at student, teacher, or school level.
Therefore, the main research questions of this paper are:
1) What type of strategies do secondary schools apply to develop as a PLC and
2) What are the effects of these strategies at the level of students, teachers and school?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Achinstein, B. (2002). Conflict amid community: The micropolitics of teacher collaboration. Teacher College Record, 104, 421–455. Admiraal, W., Kruiter, J., Lockhorst, D., Schenke, W., Sligte, H., Smit, W., Tigelaar, D., & Wit, W. de. (2016). Affordances of teacher professional learning in secondary schools. Studies in Continuing Education, 38, 281-298. Admiraal, W., Lockhorst, D., & Pol, J. van der. (2012). An expert study on a descriptive model of teacher communities. Learning Environments Research, 15, 345-361. Denyer, D., Tranfield, D., Van Aken, J. E. (2008). Developing design propositions through research synthesis. Organization Studies, 29, 393-413. Hodkinson, P., & Hodkinson, H. (2003). Individuals, communities of practice and the policy context: School teachers’ learning in their workplace. Studies in Continuing Education, 25, 3–21. Hodkinson, H., & Hodkinson, P. (2004). Rethinking the concept of communities of practice in relation to school teachers’ workplace learning. International Journal of Training and Development, 8, 21–31. Grossman, P., Wineburg, S., & Woolworth, S. (2001). Toward a theory of teacher community. Teacher College Record, 103, 942–1012. Little, J. W. (2003). Inside teacher community: Representations of classroom practice. Teachers College Record, 105, 913–945. Lomos, C., Hofman, R. H., & Bosker, R. J. (2011). Professional communities and student achievement – a meta-analysis. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 22, 121-148. Opfer, V. D.,, & Pedder, D. (2011). Conceptualizing teacher professional learning. Review of Educational Research, 81, 376–407. Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: the art and practice of the learning organizations. New York: Doubleday-Currency. Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Wallace, M., & Thomas, S. (2006). Professional learning communities: A review of the literature. Journal of Educational Change, 7, 221–258. Veen, K. van., Zwart, R., Meirink, J., & Verloop, N. (2010). Professionele ontwikkeling van leraren[Professional development of teachers]. Leiden: ICLON Universiteit Leiden.
Programme by Network 2019
00. Central Events (Keynotes, EERA-Panel, EERJ Round Table, Invited Sessions)
Network 1. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations
Network 2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Network 3. Curriculum Innovation
Network 4. Inclusive Education
Network 5. Children and Youth at Risk and Urban Education
Network 6. Open Learning: Media, Environments and Cultures
Network 7. Social Justice and Intercultural Education
Network 8. Research on Health Education
Network 9. Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and Measurement
Network 10. Teacher Education Research
Network 11. Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance
Network 12. LISnet - Library and Information Science Network
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Network 14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research
Network 15. Research Partnerships in Education
Network 16. ICT in Education and Training
Network 17. Histories of Education
Network 18. Research in Sport Pedagogy
Network 19. Ethnography
Network 20. Research in Innovative Intercultural Learning Environments
Network 22. Research in Higher Education
Network 23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education
Network 24. Mathematics Education Research
Network 25. Research on Children's Rights in Education
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Network 27. Didactics – Learning and Teaching
Network 28. Sociologies of Education
Network 29. Reserach on Arts Education
Network 30. Research on Environmental und Sustainability Education
Network 31. Research on Language and Education (LEd)
Network 32. Organizational Education
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