Learning Communities In Schools Research Articles

Educational reforms and the practices of professional learning community in Hong Kong primary schools

This study explored the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs) in Hong Kong primary schools. It investigated the profiles of the strengths of professional learning community in schools under study and particularly examined the practices in schools which were identified as strong PLCs. It extends research on PLCs in the Hong Kong context and formulates a quantitative perspective to compare and validate PLC variables across schools in Hong Kong. The Professional Learning Community Questionnaire (PLCQ) for Hong Kong schools was developed to assess the PLC practices in six different areas: leadership for teacher learning, collaborative learning capacity, student-focused orientation, a culture of sharing, mutual understanding and support, and continuous professional development. A composite construct, the Professional Learning Community Index (PLCI) expressed in quantitative terms was utilized to assess the strength of PLC in a school. The research findings show that within the schools which were identified as strong professional learning communities, both the school leaders and teachers had strong emphases on the six subscales of the PLC practices.

Investigating the development of professional learning communities: compare schools in Shanghai and Southwest China

This quantitative study investigated and compared the development of professional learning communities in schools located in two Chinese cities, namely, Shanghai and Mianyang. The two cities have significant differences in terms of educational, economic, social, and cultural development. While Shanghai is a directly controlled municipality in East China, Mianyang is a city of Sichuan Province in Southwest China. Based on the literature review and an analysis of the Chinese context, the authors developed a questionnaire to explore and compare the professional learning community (PLC) practices of schools in the two cities. Findings show that schools in Mianyang had more PLCs practices than those sampled schools in Shanghai, in terms of collaborative learning and facilitative leadership. Such differences could be explained by the educational, economic, social, and cultural differences between the two cities. Practical implications for school development in both Shanghai and Mianyang as well as suggestions for future research are provided.

Learning communities: proposal for development and sustainability from the social education in educational institutions.

In this article we offer a view from the Social Education with schools that are involved in the educational model Learning Communities because despite being a practice that occurs more than 35 years ago in Spain (Morla, 2015) it is still quite unknown in the schools. This allows us to find many gaps in its implementation, and especially in its maintenance over the years. That is why, then present a proposal for Learning Communities from Social Education as a model of development and sustainability, where raw intervention with the entire educational community as a whole so inter-relational. In this sense, we understand that the education of students is the responsibility of the entire community, and although a project is excellent, always must have provided a method or protocol that can support when the project is losing enthusiasm. While the purpose of this publication goes further, as it tries to reflect the active role played by social educators in the development and sustainability of learning communities in schools

Benefits to faculty involved in medical school learning communities

Purpose: Job satisfaction plays a large role in enhancing retention and minimizing loss of physicians from careers in academic medicine. The authors explored the effect of learning communities (LCs) on the faculty members’ job satisfaction.Methods: Between October 2011 and May 2012, the authors surveyed 150 academic clinical faculty members serving as LC mentors for students at five US medical schools. Factor analysis was used to explore satisfaction themes and relationships between these themes and other characteristics.Results: Factor analysis revealed two major sources of this satisfaction: a Campus Engagement factor (e.g., feeling happier, improved sense of community, better communication skills, and feeling more productive) and a skills factor (e.g., improved clinical skills, being a better doctor). Higher Campus Engagement factor satisfaction was associated with less desire to leave the learning community (p = 0.01) and more FTE support for role in LC (p = 0.01). Higher skills factor satisfaction was associated with the school that provided more structured faculty development (p = 0.0001).Conclusion: Academic clinical faculty members reported serving as a mentor in an LC was a strong source of job satisfaction. LC may be a tool for retaining clinical faculty members in academic careers.

Democratic Bodies: Exemplary Practice and Democratic Education in a K–5 Dance Residency

This research highlights a K–5 dance artist-in-residence as a form of democratic and exemplary dance education that ignited collaboration, promoted equity, fostered student autonomy, and demonstrated rigor in school curriculum. Through examining observation, interview, and performance-based data and calling upon critical, democratic education literature, the author found that the whole-school dance pedagogy and residency design nurtured and exemplified eight democratic signatures: access, participation, multiplicity, movement/change, space, process, conflict, and possibility. The author provides examples from the residency of how these signatures theoretically align with the data, demonstrating how these students engaged with curricular and dance content through embodied democratic practices. Ultimately, this model of best practices in dance education gives insight into how this whole-school dance residency model can help us to continue to bring dance to schools, exploring movement as a way of thinking, knowing, and communicating while creating artistic, democratic learning communities in schools.

Building Professional Learning Communities to Enhance Continuing Professional Development in South African Schools

As part of a developing country South African teachers need to be appropriately developed to meet the growing social and economic needs of the country. The National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development and the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa are two initiatives to fulfil the dire need for quality teachers. Since little research has been done on aspects that are important for effective collaboration among teachers, this article attempts to answer the following research problem: How can professional learning communities in schools be implemented effectively to enhance the continuing professional development of teachers in South African schools? A dynamic model of professional learning communities is presented, showing how individual learning, professional development communities, a conducive school environment and networking lead to transformational change in teachers.

Teacher professional development for technology integration in a primary school learning community

Teacher professional development (TPD) can benefit teachers in classrooms. This study contributes to an understanding of TPD processes where there is sufficient technology integration through teacher participation in a school-based community. It assesses the effectiveness of TPD and its potential problems. Qualitative research methods are used to collect data during the instructional practice process and interactions among participants. The origins and outcomes of TPD-induced changes in technology integration are examined. Changes to teacher technology integration resulting from instructional observations, teacher self-reflection with little stress researcher coordination, and the principal’s support for innovative teaching. However, anxiety existed due to classroom observations. Moreover, teachers were not willing to provide comments to other teachers in ideas and practices of integrated teaching. The conclusions of this study can be a basis for future studies of TPD for technology integration and facilitate continuous development of teachers’ teaching ability. Additionally, arranging an adequate coordinator for a TPD professional learning community is recommended.

A philosophical analysis of David Orr’s theory of ecological literacy: biophilia, ecojustice and moral education in school learning communities

In his writings, David Orr claims that the US is in an “ecological crisis” and that this stems from a crisis of education. He outlines a theory of ecological literacy, a mode by which we better learn the ecology of the Earth and live in a sustainable manner. While emphasizing a shock doctrine, the diagnosis of “crisis” may be correct, but it is short-lived for children and adults of the world. In this philosophical analysis of Orr’s theory, it is argued that we move beyond the perspective of crisis. By extending Orr’s ecological literacy with biophilia and ecojustice and by recognizing the importance of experience-in-learning, science education is envisioned to incorporate values and morals within a longer term ideology of educational reform.

Creating Democratic Learning Communities: Transformative Work as Spatial Practice

The focus of this article revolves around democratic learning communities and the work of P–12 teachers and educational leaders as spatialized practice. Through a critical pragmatic lens, we explore what is necessary to transform the social space of contemporary schools into democratically practiced places of learning for teachers: democratic learning communities. The importance of democratizing social space for learning is examined in relation to developing faculty learning communities. The transformation occurs when learning communities of inquiry and practice are engaged in social discourse concerned with generating new knowledge while critically examining existing knowledge in relation to existing social practices. Extending how educators think about faculty learning communities in schools as a form of spatialized practice, Dewey's ideas of democratic education are accepted as a basis for reconceptualizing the social space within the school as a democratically practiced place.

Leading Educators' Relearningin a Post-Soviet Country

Following the collapse of the USSR in 1989, educators in socialist countries such as Latvia not only had to establish democratic governance structures, they also faced huge uncertainty as they turned toward a postmodern Europe. Faculties of education and public schools were expected to relearn to reteach. They had to decentralize leadership, relearn new theories and practices, incorporate new information and technologies, and create innovative teaching strategies. In conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Science, the University of Latvia led the country by launching a program of professional development for teacher educators. This article explores the content, context, motivation, uncertainties, and application of educators' learning and relearning as they tried to create a learning community at the university level, to help teachers re-create a learning community in schools

Leadership for Bilingual Education: Reflections on Social Justice

The role of administrator preparation programs should be one of creating the conscientization (Freire, 2000) of aspiring administrators. Administrator preparation programs with a social justice perspective support and agitate aspiring administrators to act and address equity issues affecting all of those involved in the school learning community (Cambron-McCabe & McCarthy 2005; Marshall, 2004). Conscientization leading to action is a key component in preparing school leaders to embody a social justice philosophy. The types of activities required of aspiring school administrators within the two courses described here encourage aspiring administrators to reflect and act on the social, economic, and educational inequities perpetuated in schools. This article describes assignments required within educational leadership preparation programs in two Hispanic-serving institutions in the Southwest. The purpose of each assignment is presented, followed by process, implications for social justice, and recommendations to enhance the projects.

The project of the other: developing inclusive learning communities in schools

This paper considers the possible nature and membership of learning communities in schools and what evidence there may be of middle leaders trying to develop and sustain learning communities with their colleagues, even though these communities encompass asymmetrical power relationships between members. Although it is argued that students and support staff are part of these learning communities, not apart from them, the limited evidence from this study does not support this. How power is used and distributed to construct collaborative cultures, and the part played by middle leaders, is central to the development of a learning community. The promotion of dialogue and consultation amongst members helps them to generate a sense of community which, in turn, enables them to tackle effectively the tasks and dilemmas facing them. Empirical evidence from a small scale study in England indicates the ways in which some middle leaders have tried to build learning communities, and their colleagues’ views on their efforts, while negotiating the value‐laden tensions and dilemmas inherent in all middle management posts in educational organisations.

Working at community boundaries: A micro-analysis of the activist's role in participatory learning networks

The interaction of agency and context in workplace learning is explored through a micro-analysis of the implementation of networked learning communities in schools in England. Interviews with local activists show evidence of co-participation between individuals' responses and their workplace roles and experience as they take up the opportunity to create a networked learning community for their schools. The paper raises issues about the community of practice model as promoted for workplace learning, with its emphasis on group participation rather than individual agency. Activists make strategic use of existing power relationships in order to facilitate networked learning, and develop skills in influencing and communicating across existing practice communities. Sustaining the network also depends on continuing intervention and strong support from activists' personal communities of trusted peers and colleagues with whom values and goals are shared. The opportunities, challenges and risks of using a networked approach to foster workplace learning are explored.

The Role of Shared Values and Vision in Creating Professional Learning Communities

Defining a vision based on shared values is a crucial step that administrators must consider as they lead their schools through reform efforts. This article reports findings from a national study of creating professional learning communities in schools and how an organizationalframework helped to explain vision development in 18 schools. Recommendations for principals to provide support to faculty members are offered.

Union Contracts and Teacher Professional Development

In this article, I report the results of an investigation that examined the impact of teacher union contracts on the development of professional learning communities in schools. There are three primary sources of data used in the study: 1) 100 written teacher union contract documents; 2) structured interview data from 21 educators (school superintendents, principals, directors of staff development, and teacher union representatives; and 3) focus group interview data from educational leaders in schools. The analysis and discussion focus on five areas related to teacher professional development with implications for policy and practice: explicit language covering opportunities for teaching learning in their work; governance and decision making structures, that is, specific provisions covering wages, hours, and conditions of employment; the description of legitimate and sponsored activities for the professional development of teachers; and the resources supporting the on-going professional growth of teachers. The findings indicate that rethinking, restructuring, and organizational re-culturing in schools are initial expressions of a new unionism that has the potential to lead to the development of more powerful professional learning communities in schools.

Building Learning Communities in Schools: The Next Generation or the Impossible Dream?

Although educational change continues to be a topic of considerable interest in research, scholarship, policy, and practice, it remains a problematic issue. Many metaphors for generating sustainable change have been advocated from time to time. One such metaphor currently enjoying some popularity is that of a learning organization or a learning community. This paper describes the influences that emerged in one attempt to build a learning community in an elementary school. Influences clustered into four constellations of issues: individual, group, organizational, and contextual. While many of the influences supported the teachers' attempts to generate effective organizational learning, others interfered with the process. At the end of the study, the staff believed that they had created an authentic learning community on staff, but over time the processes diminished and eventually, as more of the original participants left the school, disappeared. The cultural and political realities of life in schools suggest that the development of a learning community among teachers is decidedly difficult. Although the metaphor holds promise for generating sustainable improvement and renewal in teaching and learning, its ultimate success is questionable.