Session Information
01 SES 04 C, Professional Learning Communities
Paper Session
Contribution
Professional learning communities (PLCs) of educators are groups of individuals who constantly seek to improve their teaching practices. The essential features of such communities include collaboration, shared goals, action, result-driven processes, and continuous improvement (Berglas-Shapiro and Flash-Gvili, 2021).
Effective PLCs assume that teaching is an ever-changing practice that challenges educators to constantly examine pedagogical approaches to determine what best suits them (Roberts & Pruitt, 2008). Studies have shown that educators who are members of PLCs improve the quality of their teaching practice, and their students' achievements improve accordingly (Watson, 2014; Prenger et al., 2019).
PLCs can take different forms, depending on the organizations with which they are affiliated. For example, some PLCs may be composed of educators from the same grade level or subject area, while others may be cross-disciplinary. Some PLCs meet in person, while others may use technology to collaborate remotely. However, the common thread among all PLCs is that they are focused on improving student learning and involve collaboration among educators.
A discipline-based professional learning community (DIPLC) is a group of educators within a specific subject or discipline who come together regularly to collaborate and learn from each other to improve both their practices and student outcomes; group members come from diverse cultural, ethnic, and social groups and from different schools. This type of PLC allows educators to focus on a specific subject area and develop a deep understanding of the content, pedagogy, and best practices within that discipline. Learning from practice is an essential component of DIPLCs, as it focuses on interaction in class, the choice of topics and curricula by teachers and students, and the challenges of epistemic quality and joint negotiation of meaning.
In the fan model (Levy et al., 2018), which is commonly used for DIPLCs, teachers' communities are led by two facilitators and operate under the auspices of an academic institute that specializes in the particular discipline. This is a multidirectional, hierarchical model in which the academic institute sets up a "facilitators' community" comprising facilitators from the various field communities. The institute presents them with innovative disciplinary content (skills, content knowledge, and relevant teaching strategies) and teaches them the skills for facilitation. The facilitators' community members evaluate this content and implement the content they deem suitable in the field communities (Aricha & Marzel, 2021). Concurrently, activities that teachers recommend in a particular field community are presented at the facilitators' community so facilitators can disseminate to the other communities. Thus, the content moves up and down the fan, benefiting all teachers who are members of the network of communities (Yayon et. al., 2021).
DIPLC facilitation is an important role in ensuring success. Facilitators are critical to creating a culture of continuous improvement, and are responsible for fostering a collaborative and reflective environment where educators of all backgrounds can share ideas and best practices and work together to improve instruction and student learning outcomes. The rationale for appointing and training DIPLC facilitators stems from educational leadership theories (Connolly, 2019), which advocate for strong, effective leaders who can provide direction and guidance and create and maintain a positive and productive learning environment for all learners.
This study investigated the skills and knowledge required to effectively facilitate DIPLCs within the context of rapid societal changes and emerging social and individual needs. Additionally, it examined different facilitator-training methods and the ways in which these methods supported the DIPLC facilitators. The goal was to understand how to best equip facilitators with the necessary skills and knowledge to lead and support the members of the community in their collaborative efforts to improve teaching and learning.
Method
The research employed a mixed methods methodology, which combines both qualitative and quantitative data to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Its basic premise is that combining qualitative and quantitative data improves the understanding of research problems more than either approach by itself (Creswell & Creswell, 2005). Analyzing the data helps validate the topics covered in the interviews through quantitative findings and vice versa (Greene, 2007; Shorten & Smith, 2017). This method was applied using triangulation design (Creswell et al., 2003), which seeks “to obtain different but complementary data on the same topic” (Morse, 1991, p. 122). The qualitative aspect of this study employed an ethnographic case study approach and a phronetic iterative approach to qualitative data analysis (Tracy, 2013). The phronetic iterative approach is a qualitative method that balances grounded analysis of qualitative data, such as interviews, participant observation field notes, documents, and visuals, with existing literature and theory. The qualitative data was collected over a period of five years using multiple methods, including interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. A total of 60 facilitators participated in the qualitative research, providing valuable insights and perspectives on the topic. The quantitative data on the effectiveness of different facilitator training models was collected using a questionnaire distributed during the months of April-May 2022 to 163 facilitators of DIPLCs funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE). This data was analyzed using statistical methods to identify patterns and trends, allowing for a systematic and objective examination of the facilitator-training models and their impact on the effectiveness of DIPLC facilitators. This multi-method approach enabled the researchers to comprehensively analyze the knowledge and skills needed to effectively facilitate DIPLCs and to assess the effectiveness of various facilitator-training models in improving these skills and knowledge. This approach allowed the researchers to obtain a thorough understanding of the key factors that contribute to the success of DIPLC facilitation and the strategies that can be implemented to improve the performance of DIPLC facilitators.
Expected Outcomes
The goal of this research was to develop a "guideline for DIPLC facilitation" that has the potential to assist in selecting the right people for the role and developing a training program for them. This study provided valuable insights into the complexities of DIPLCs and the necessary skills and knowledge required for effective facilitation. In addition, the study examined several models of training. The study found that there are several skills and areas of knowledge that are necessary to effectively facilitate a DIPLC. These include the abilities to strengthen social capital, to instill motivation for activity, to maintain balance, and to deal with inherent tensions in the community. The study participants emphasized the importance of providing specific training for DIPLC facilitators in order to support PLC success. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that DIPLC facilitators receive training in the areas defined in order to effectively lead and guide the groups in their work. In addition, the results showed that an ongoing facilitators' community (FPLC) is effective for training the facilitators. The FPLC offers participants the ability to model facilitator skills and to learn collaboratively, providing a safe space for consultations and a hub where top professionals in their field can mentor facilitators. The success of an FPLC relies on the ability to balance time spent on mentoring and community activities and to balance between top-down and bottom-up processes. In addition, FPLC success is also determined by the expertise level of the community’s sponsoring academic body – as perceived by the participants
References
Aricha, T., Marzel, A. (2021). Models of physics learning communities in Israel. In: Josefsberg Ben-Yehoshua, L. Ed. Professional Learning Communities in Science and Math. Tel Aviv: The Mofet Institute. 213-221. Berglas-Shapiro, T., and Flash-Gvili, I. (2021). Motivation invoking professional development – does such a thing exist? In: Josefsberg Ben-Yehoshua, L. Ed. Professional Learning Communities in Science and Math. Tel Aviv: The Mofet Institute, 25-49. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2005). Mixed methods research: Developments, debates, and dilemmas. In R. A. Swanson & E. F. Holton III (Eds.), Research in Organizations: Foundations and Methods of Inquiry (pp. 315–326). Berrett-Koehler. Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., Gutmann, M. L. & Hanson, W. E. (2003). An expanded typology for classifying mixed methods research into designs. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social and Behavioral Research (pp. 209-240). Sage. Greene, J. C. (2007). Mixed Methods in Social Inquiry (Vol. 9). John Wiley & Sons. Levy, S., Bagno, E., Berger, H., & Eylon, B. S. (2018, December). Physics Teacher-Leaders' Learning in a National Program of Regional Professional Learning Communities. In Physics Education Research Conference 2018. American Association of Physics Teachers. Morse, J. M. (1991). Approaches to qualitative-quantitative methodological triangulation. Nursing Research, 40(2), 120-123. Prenger, R., Poortman, C. L., & Handelzalts, A. (2019). The effects of networked professional learning communities. Journal of Teacher Education, 70(5), 441–452. Roberts, S. M., & Pruitt, E. Z. (Eds.). (2008). Schools as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development. Corwin Press. Tracy, S. J. (2013). Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. Watson, C. (2014). Effective professional learning communities? The possibilities for teachers as agents of change in schools. British Educational Research Journal, 40(1), 18–29. Yayon, M., Waldman, R., Katchevich, D., Akones, S., Mamlok-Naaman, R., Rap, S., & Blonder, R. (2021). The influence of professional learning communities on the knowledge and practice of science teacher and student learning: A review of empirical studies. In: Josefsberg Ben-Yehoshua, L. Ed. Professional Learning Communities in Science and Math. Tel Aviv: The Mofet Institute. 213-221.
Search the ECER Programme
- Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
- Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
- Search for authors and in the respective field.
- For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
- If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.