professional learning communities

SAMEN WIJS

1

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIESProf. Dr. E. Verbiest

SAMEN WIJS

2

• 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

SAMEN WIJS

3

A professional learning community is ……………….

SAMEN WIJS

4

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

SAMEN WIJS

5

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


SAMEN WIJS

6

Outside view: implementation of external developed reform designs in schools

ResearchDevelopingDiffusion

Two fundamental paradigms in innovation theory

SAMEN WIJS

7

• 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

SAMEN WIJS

88

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

SAMEN WIJS

9

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

SAMEN WIJS

10

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.

SAMEN WIJS

11

KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHERS

KNOWLEDGE OF TEACHERS

KNOWLEDGE BASE OF THE PROFESSIONAL

SAMEN WIJS

12

KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHERS

• Theoretical knowledge (codified in books) • Based on research• Basis for skills en didactical approaches

• Evidence based teaching

SAMEN WIJS

13

KNOWLEDGE OF TEACHERS(practical knowledge)

• Developed on the basis of experiences• Implicit knowledge• Influential• Vulnerable

SAMEN WIJS

14

VULNERABILITY OF PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE

Ambiguity of stimuli

Interpretation in the context of frame of references

Psychological processes

Apprenticeship of observation

Routines

SAMEN WIJS

15

VULNERABILITY OF PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE

REFLECTIONCOLLECTIVE LEARNING

IN APROFESSIONAL LEARNING

COMMUNITY

SAMEN WIJS

16

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.


Timperley et al. 2007:

SAMEN WIJS

1717

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

SAMEN WIJS

18

THE C.O.P.L. - PROJECT

(CAPACITIY BUILDING IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES)

CAPACITEITSONWIKKELING IN

PROFESSIONELE LEERGEMEENSCHAPPEN

SUPPORT and RESEARCH

SAMEN WIJS

19

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

SAMEN WIJS

20

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.

SAMEN WIJS

21

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

SAMEN WIJS

22

1. How to think about development of a professional learning community?

One answer: thinking in stages of development

SAMEN WIJS

23

CAPACITY

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

not yet initiated initiated implemented incorporated

Personal capacity

Interpersonal capacity

Organisational capacity

SAMEN WIJS

24

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

SAMEN WIJS

25

CAPACITY / DIMENSION

DEEPENING

ANCHORING

BROADENING

LESS

MORE

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SCHOOL AS A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY

SAMEN WIJS

26


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

SAMEN WIJS

27

1. How to account for the development2. Interventions:

• Sources? • Focus: are the interventions directed at the

development of the three capacities?


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

SAMEN WIJS

28

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?

SAMEN WIJS

29

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

SAMEN WIJS

30

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

SAMEN WIJS

31


1. How to account for the development2. Interventions

• Sources• Focus • Interventions

3. Role of the school leader?

SAMEN WIJS

32

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

SAMEN WIJS

33

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

SAMEN WIJS

34

• 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


SAMEN WIJS

35

• 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


SAMEN WIJS

36

A b

A e

B b

B e

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Culture builder Educator Architect


professional learning communities

Documents