The role of ‘accomplished teachers’ in professional learning communities: uncovering practice and enabling leadership

Abstract

This paper describes the signature role played by accomplished, experienced teachers in professional learning communities, and the importance that these practitioners make their teaching public and shared. In so doing, the authors describe how accomplished practices can be shared between classrooms and between practitioners with varying levels of experience. The authors examine five different examples, three from programs developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and two studies done on and with the National Writing Project, and ask: how do teachers learn by uncovering their own teaching practices? What conditions support teacher learning? And lastly, how do teachers learn to lead in professional communities and contribute to educational reform? The authors conclude that robust, lasting professional development must begin with what teachers know and do, effecting educational reform from within the classroom.