Learning In Professional Communities Research Articles

The power of professional learning communities

Abstract In this paper I share some key principles and examples from the Data Informed Practice Improvement Project. The project develops an innovative model of mathematics teacher development, with three main strands: teachers work with data from their classrooms, they use this data to understand and engage with learner errors in mathematics, and they do this collectively in professional learning communities, with facilitation from members of the project team. I describe each of these strands and present three examples that show how the strands work together to support teacher learning in professional communities. These examples illuminate a key achievement of the project: a focus on learner errors in professional learning communities can develop powerful conceptual knowledge of mathematics among teachers at the same time as developing teachers’ knowledge for teaching and teaching practices.

Professional learning in professional communities: the ultimate goal

The question about the role and purpose of editorials was raised in two earlier issues of Professional Development in Education by Ken Jones (2012) and Jim O’Brien (2012), and they have clearly dra...

A Coterminous Collaborative Learning Model: Interconnectivity of Leadership and Learning

This qualitative ethnographic study examines a collaborative leadership model focused on learning and socially just practices within a change context of a wide educational partnership. The study analyzes a range of perspectives of novice teachers, mentor teachers, teacher educators and district superintendents on leadership and learning. The findings reveal the emergence of a coalition of leaders crossing borders at all levels of the educational system: local school level, district level and teacher education level who were involved in coterminous collaborative learning. Four categories of learning were identified as critical to leading a change in the educational system: learning in professional communities, learning from practice, learning through theory and research and learning from and with leaders. The implications of the study for policy makers as well as for practitioners are to adopt a holistic approach to the educational environment and plan a collaborative learning continuum from initial pre-service programs through professional development learning at all levels.