Download - PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES
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PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIESProf. Dr. E. Verbiest
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• What is a professional learning community?• Why (should we develop) professional learning communities?
(innovation theory – effect of a professional learning community).
• Assumptions of a professional learning community.
• Developing a professional learning community.• How to think about (how to conceptualize) development
of a professional learning community?• How to develop a professional learning community
(research project)
• Discussion
OVERVIEW
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A professional learning community is ……………….
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PROFESSIONALISM: - Interest of students- improvement- knowledge base
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
Three fundamental concepts
LEARNING: - of students- of professionals- individual, collective
COMMUNITY: - shared vision- shared responsability- mutual recognition
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Personal capacity active, reflective and critical (re)construction of knowledge currency
Interpersonal capacity shared values and shared vision on learning and teachingcollective learning and shared practices
Organisational capacity supportive structural conditions supportive cultural conditions shared, supportive and stimulating leadership
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
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Outside view: implementation of external developed reform designs in schools
ResearchDevelopingDiffusion
Two fundamental paradigms in innovation theory
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• Limited results• Mutual adaption• Local factors (motivation, beliefs, capacity of teachers, culture,
school leader…) are important• Policy cannot mandate what matters• Deprofessionalising
Evaluation of innovations according to the outside view
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Outside view: implementation of external developed reform designs in schools
Inside view: developing capacity of schools to transform
themselves into supportive environments for teacher learning and change.
Two fundamental paradigms in innovation theory
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Do professional learning communities work?
• Few research
• Modest evidence
• Indirect positive effect on students’ results
• Through the creation of an innovative climate in the school
• Positive effect on teachers’ well being in the school
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Assumptions of a professional learning community.
1. Knowledge is situated in the day-to-day lived experiences of teachers and best understood through critical reflection withothers who share the same experience .
2. Actively engaging teachers in PLCs will increase their professional knowledge and enhance student learning.
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KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHERS
KNOWLEDGE OF TEACHERS
KNOWLEDGE BASE OF THE PROFESSIONAL
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KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHERS
• Theoretical knowledge (codified in books) • Based on research• Basis for skills en didactical approaches
• Evidence based teaching
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KNOWLEDGE OF TEACHERS(practical knowledge)
• Developed on the basis of experiences• Implicit knowledge• Influential• Vulnerable
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VULNERABILITY OF PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE
Ambiguity of stimuli
Interpretation in the context of frame of references
Psychological processes
Apprenticeship of observation
Routines
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VULNERABILITY OF PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE
REFLECTIONCOLLECTIVE LEARNING
IN APROFESSIONAL LEARNING
COMMUNITY
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The opportunity to process the meaning and implications of new learning with one’s colleagues appears to be fundamental to the change process, where that change impacts positively on student outcomes.
Participation in structured professional groups was, however, associated with neutral or negative outcomes for students in several studies. These studies show that it is possible forteachers to be given generous amounts of time to collaborate and talk together, only to have the status quo reinforced, with change messages misunderstood, misrepresented, or resisted.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
Timperley et al. 2007:
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Timperley et al. 2007: CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING IN A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
• High but realistic expectations of students and believing they could make a difference.
• Norms of collective responsibility for students
• Analysing the impact of teaching on student learning.
• Challenging problematic beliefs and testing the efficacy of competing ideas.
• Bringing in new perspectives by external experts
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THE C.O.P.L. - PROJECT
(CAPACITIY BUILDING IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES)
CAPACITEITSONWIKKELING IN
PROFESSIONELE LEERGEMEENSCHAPPEN
SUPPORT and RESEARCH
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Research questions1. How to account for the development of a school as a
professional learning community
2. Which interventions contribute to the development of a school as a professional learning community? • Interventions:
• Sources: external / internal action / event• Focus: are the interventions directed at the development
of the three capacities? • Which interventions are contributing to the development
of the schools as a PLC? • What is the role of the school leader
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THE C.O.P.L. - PROJECTApproach / Methods
1. Quantitative (questionnaire – dimensions of a PLC) –• 6 schools in the project• 89 other schools ( benchmarking)• Pre and post test
2. Qualitative (interviews - dimensions of a PLC) • 4 schools (most successful) schools in the project• At the begin and at the end of the project, with school
leaders and teachers• Transcription, coding, applying codes >> 4 whit-in case
analyses and a cross case analysis.
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September 2005 – June 2008.COPL-project
Sep Jan Jul Jan Jul Oct Jan Jun 05 06 06 07 07 07 08 08
Theoretical studyDeveloping questionnaireand interviews
Questionnaire 89 school (survey)
Questionnaire 6 project schools
Questionnaire 6 project schools
Sem 1 2 3 4 5 6Consultation, Coaching
Interviews 6 schools Interviews 4 schools
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1. How to think about development of a professional learning community?
One answer: thinking in stages of development
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CAPACITY
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
not yet initiated initiated implemented incorporated
Personal capacity
Interpersonal capacity
Organisational capacity
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1. How to think about development of a professional learning community?
One answer: thinking in stages of development
Another answer:• No stages• Three different concepts:
• Broadening• Deepening• Anchoring
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CAPACITY / DIMENSION
DEEPENING
ANCHORING
BROADENING
LESS
MORE
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SCHOOL AS A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
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THE C.O.P.L. - PROJECT
1. How to account for the development
2. Interventions:
• Sources? Event Action
Internal
External
Internal event
External action
Internal action
External event
Internal action by
school leader
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1. How to account for the development2. Interventions:
• Sources? • Focus: are the interventions directed at the
development of the three capacities?
THE C.O.P.L. - PROJECT
Almost every intervention focused on developing one or more capacities
Every capacity influenced by one ore more interventions
The school leaders are using deliberately the concept of a PLC as frame-work for selecting interventions
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THE C.O.P.L. - PROJECTFrame of Analyses
1. How to account for the development2. Interventions
• Sources• Focus:• Which interventions are contributing to the
development of the schools as a PLC?
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Professional development Re-organisation of the teaching process and making
teachers depending on each other
Independency Interdependency
story aid and sharing joint worktelling assistance
Effective interventions
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Professional development Re-organisation of the teaching process and making
teachers depending on each other Connecting the development as a PLC to the running
innovations and actions in the school Re-organisation of the structures for meetings and CPD Leadership
Effective interventions
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THE C.O.P.L. - PROJECT
1. How to account for the development2. Interventions
• Sources• Focus • Interventions
3. Role of the school leader?
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THE C.O.P.L. - PROJECTRole of the school leader
• In schools most developed as a PLC, three roles are fulfilled
• CULTURE BUILDER• EDUCATOR• ARCHITECT
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CULTURE BUILDER
THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL LEADER
• developing and disseminating a shared vision and sense of purpose, aimed at the improvement of the pupils’ learning
• stressing the professional standards and expectations
• stimulating trustfull relations and tolerance for errors
• stimulating innovative attitudes and experiments
• providing individual psychological support
• involving the team members in CPD
• using rituals and symbols to underline the values sought
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• modelling the teacher’s actions
• instructional leadership
• providing teachers with information regarding the pupils’ progress• maintain a professional dialogue and stimulate teachers
intellectually
• systematically supervise teachers’ learning processes
• help to set feasible targets for teachers
• train staff members and teams in the skills required for learning
• develop leadership
EDUCATOR
THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL LEADER
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• making space, time and money available for learning, co-operation, CPD
• developing systems providing teachers with information
• developing shared and distributed leadership• draw up selectional and assessment criteria that stress individual
and collective learning capacities• developing basic rules and procedures for communication, the
organisation, curriculum and professional development
• forming sub-teams in (bigger) schools
ARCHITECT
THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL LEADER
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A b
A e
B b
B e
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Culture builder Educator Architect
THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL LEADER