Professional Learning Community Implementation and Teacher Perceptions of Participation Influences on Professional Growth Submitted by (original) (raw)
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This report is a literature review on methods for measuring the efficacy of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) used in schools as a form of teacher professional development. Research-based characteristics of successful PLCs are identified, and several studies are cited that indicated student achievement gains as a result of PLC implementation. This research contributes to the literature on evaluating effective PLC professional development. Professional Development through PLCs: Methods for Measuring PLC Efficacy Certain characteristics are often found in the most effective Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). First, a shared vision for a school and collective responsibility for results by a community are vital to success (Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008; DuFour, 2014). A second key component of PLC work is reflective dialogue and inquiry among members of a PLC, which allows for frequent examination and discussion of teacher practice (Darling-Hammond & Richardson, 2009). A third recurring theme in the literature is the importance of teachers using classroom data, both formatively and
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Professional learning communities (PLCs) represent a collaborative approach to professional development wherein colleagues engage in joint learning activities that align with individual needs. Within the realm of education, PLCs encompass tailored initiatives aimed at enhancing teachers’ professional growth, with a specific emphasis on improving educational outcomes for teachers. The success of this approach hinges upon integrating theoretical knowledge and its practical application. The Ministry of National Education recognizes the significance of reevaluating this approach to facilitate the transformation of schools in Turkiye into collaborative learning communities by implementing PLC strategies and the needed adjustments. To realize this vision, the Ministry places great importance on establishing an enabling environment that encourages teacher interaction and offers diverse opportunities for their professional development. The data were collected using document analysis methodology and covered topics related to inservice teacher training. According to the PDC Model, any PDC is utilized beginning with participant teachers receiving theoretical training from academics and/or field experts, then informed about what practices to apply in their classrooms according to their prior learning from the theoretical phase. Then, community teachers evaluate their own classroom practices, and eventually, they all gather to evaluate practices and conclude the PDC. Good practice examples are shared in the final evaluation to inspire other colleagues nationwide. It is found that teachers are more efficient and productive when they collaborate, which is defined as establishing a working partnership in line with common goals and objectives.
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Professional Development in Education, 2019
Fostering the development of Professional Learning communities (PLCs) should be a priority for education because of their capacity to enhance teachers' professional development. However, in everyday educational (school) contexts studying and supporting the growth of PLCs is a complex endeavour. As a consequence, there is a lack of instruments for extensively investigating PLCs on different levels of development as well as the factors that influence the development. This article describes the first steps of the construction of measuring instruments, suitable to investigate PLCs in the complex school context: a study of the operationalisation of PLC characteristics and influencing factors into attitudinal and behavioural indicators. The operationalisation is founded on relevant literature and on educational practice, the latter by focus groups consisting of educational practitioners. This study yielded indicators for the eleven characteristics of the PLC concept and two context factors, which were subsequently used for selecting and constructing instruments. This study contributes to the research methodology for investigating PLCs and to bridge the gap between educational research and educational practice. The latter by constructing instruments that are considered relevant, recognisable and practical by educational practitioners.
CONTINUOUS INQUIRY MEETS CONTINUED CRITIQUE- THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMM
The term Professional Learning Community is commonplace, and it holds many meanings and suggestions. For the purpose of this essay, however, we discuss a specific Professional Learning Community (PLC) that was established in a high school, fifteen months prior to the application of a survey instrument to evaluate participants' perceptions on the initiative. The PLC that we evaluate in this article had a set of very specific goals: To create a department within a high school where collaboration would become a norm and not a rarity, and to encourage collaboration that would include designing formative and summative assessments, collecting, comparing, and disaggregating student data to enhance classroom practices and meet students' needs. Most importantly, maximizing student achievement is the long-term goal for this endeavor ).
Professional Learning Communities, Teacher Collective Efficacy, and Teaching Outcomes: A Replication
Proceedings of the 2019 AERA Annual Meeting
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The Role of Principals in Professional Learning Communities
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