The research conducted explored the effects that participating in a professional learning community (PLC) had on the professional identity and practice of facilitators of second-career science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers (SCSTs). This research investigated the SEMEL professional learning communities (SPLCs), which were introduced in 2020 as part of the "From High-Tech to Teaching" program in Israel. The program model is composed of the SPLC facilitators' community and the SCST communities, which function in various academic institutions across Israel. The main focus of this research is the SPLC facilitators' community, the ways it impacts the SCST communities and the overall induction process and the effectiveness of the new model.

In recent years, Israel has been experiencing a severe teacher shortage, particularly in STEM disciplines (Even-​Zahav et al., 2022). In order to address this shortage, the "From High-Tech to Teaching" program was created in 2019. The program recruits current and former high-tech employees who wish to become teachers and oversees their training and induction process. These teachers provide an important resource for the educational system, as they possess significant STEM discipline knowledge, prior organizational experience, and other relevant skills (Akiri & Dori, 2022; Wagner & Imanuel-Noy, 2014).

In 2020, the program's stakeholders realized that this unique population requires a different approach and decided to change the training model for these teachers from a traditional heterogeneous top-down practicum course to a professional learning community, a model that has been used successfully in other professional learning and teacher-induction settings (Glaze-Crampes, 2020). In the new bottom-up, dialogical model, the SCSTs participate in a homogeneous, disciplinary-based PLC in which they can share the unique challenges they face. In 2020, eight new SCST communities were established in various academic institutions and were led by two facilitators: a traditional practicum facilitator with knowledge in teacher induction and a former SCST, who brought the required disciplinary knowledge and field experience.

The new PLC model incorporates communal characteristics into the SCST induction process (Hord and Summers, 2008; Olsson, 2019) and encourages the SCSTs to discuss their challenges in a reflective, dialogical manner that focuses on their teaching practices and day to day experiences. The SCST facilitators participate in the SPLC facilitators' community, where they can share the challenges they face in their practice and acquire facilitation knowledge and techniques.

The research investigated all three tiers of the program (policy makers, SPLC facilitators, and SCST facilitators) using qualitative methodology. The objectives were to assess the effectiveness of the new model, to examine the effects that PLC participation had on SCST facilitator professional identity and practice, and to learn how these facilitators contributed to SCST development. By examining the experiences of the facilitators and SCSTs, the research provided valuable insights into how PLCs can be effectively implemented to support teacher professional development and induction and to support second-career teachers, while learning how these communities can be used to address teacher shortages in STEM disciplines.

The methodology that drove this research was qualitative. Twenty-one (21) semi-constructed interviews were conducted with different stakeholders in the SPLC program: five of the program’s policymakers (“From High-Tech to Teaching” administration and Ministry of Education officials); four SPLC leaders (three who currently facilitate the community and one who left after the first few months of activity); and 14 SCST community facilitators (nine former SCSTs and five practicum facilitators). The interviews focused on the effectiveness of the program; the changes it underwent from the traditional top-down model to the communal model; the facilitators’ attitudes about the community, both as SPLC participants and as SCST facilitators; and the relationships formed among the SCST facilitators during the co-facilitation process. All the SCST facilitators interviewed participated in the SPLC community throughout the entire research period, and therefore, can attest to the atmosphere and the changes in the community. Since the research started during the Covid-19 pandemic, the interviews were conducted using video conferencing software (Zoom). With the permission of the interviewees, the interviews were recorded and transcribed. The data was analyzed thematically using grounded theory-based analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Corbin and Strauss, 2014) on Atlas.ti 9 software. The themes were narrowed into code groups using axial coding in three stages to achieve a deeper understanding of the attitudes expressed: 1. Coding the interviews with the stakeholders, the SPLC facilitators, and the SCST facilitators; 2. Conducting a trustworthiness process (Nowell et al., 2017) to make sure the coding process was conducted in a precise and consistent manner; and 3. After trustworthiness was determined, the themes and topics that arose from the interviews were used to write the research findings.

Findings showed that the transition to the communal model was successful, as it succeeded in offering the SPLC facilitators a tailored process that improved their ability to assist the SCSTs during the induction process. The beginning of the process was not easy. Because the SPLC was established quickly, some SCST facilitators were confused and did not fully understand the community's goals or modus operandi. However, these issues became less significant as the year progressed and the community evolved. The interviews reflected these conclusions: Ministry of Education officials emphasized the unique contribution that the SPLC program had on the SCST induction process. Some interviewees stated that they saw the new model as a pilot program for other teacher-induction practicum processes in Israel. In addition, interviewees discussed the ways in which the SPLC community provides its members with the relevant tools and knowledge to co-facilitate the SCST communities. SPLC facilitators reflected on the difficulties they faced at the beginning of the process, but expressed their high motivation and determination to see this process succeed. They described how they led their community and elaborated on the methods and tools provided. SCST facilitators expressed mixed feelings: some described the benefits that the program offered them as teachers and community facilitators, providing them with the tools to assist the SCSTs during their induction year. Others discussed the difficulties they experienced during the formation of the SPLC community and the time it took them to recognize the benefits that the communal model offered. In conclusion, the findings show that the transition to the communal model was positive, and that despite a difficult start, the SPLC was able to provide its members with relevant knowledge and methods. In addition, policy makers acknowledged that the program can be seen as a pilot for future other teacher induction programs.

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