Teachers’ experiences of autonomy in Continuing Professional Development: Teacher Learning Communities in London and Hong Kong

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanore Hargreaves ◽  
Rita Berry ◽  
Y. C. Lai ◽  
Pamela Leung ◽  
David Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Teacher Learning Communities

scholarly journals “Et bra prosjekt som har gjort meg til en bedre skriver”– arbeid med skrivestrategier i videregående skole

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Lisbeth Elvebakk ◽  
Evy Jøsok
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Learning Groups ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Explicit Teaching ◽  
Teacher Learning Communities

Temaet for denne artikkelen er skriveopplæring i videregående skole. Artikkelen studerer en intervensjon med eksplisitt skriveopplæring og innføring av skrive¬ramme. Intensjonen har vært å se hvordan lærere kan samarbeide om skrive¬opplæringen på tvers av fag, og hvordan femavsnittsmetoden fungerer som redskap og strategi i opplæringen. Vi har primært vært interesserte i elevenes tanker om skriveopplæring og egen skrivekompetanse, og dette ser vi i sammen¬heng med hvordan faglærerne opplever å samarbeide på tvers av fagene. Data¬materialet vårt er observasjoner og spørreundersøkelser i etterkant av inter¬vensjonen. Analysen viser i hovedsak at elevene opplever at de har hatt nytte av femavsnittsmetoden, og at de ser stor verdi i at lærerne i ulike fag bruker en noenlunde lik tilnærming til skrivingen. Det kommer også fram at elevene finner det utfordrende å skrive gode fagtekster. Svarene fra lærerne peker i samme retning. Lærerne oppfatter at felles satsing på skriving er nyttig, og de fram¬hever verdien av lærersamarbeidet på tvers av fagene. Et interessant funn er at arbeidet med skriverammer har satt i gang betydningsfulle samtaler rundt skriving og tekstkompetanse både i kollegiet og i klasserommene.Nøkkelord: skolebasert arbeid med skriving, eksplisitt skriveopplæring, skrive-rammer, femavsnittsmetodenAbstractThe subject of this article is discursive writing. The article studies an inter-vention focusing on explicit teaching and implementation of writing frames in upper secondary school. The aim is to investigate the students’ perspectives regarding the teaching and their evaluation of writing competencies. These results are analysed in connection with the teachers’ experiences from teacher learning groups across disciplines. Our data are based on observations and surveys from both students and teachers. The results show that in general, the students have benefited from explicit teaching and a common approach across the disciplines. However, they also report on the difficulties regarding dis-cursive writing. The results for the teachers are similar. In addition, they report that teachers’ learning communities are valuable. The most interesting finding of this study was that the explicit teaching initiated meaningful discussion concerning learning and student writing.Keywords: teacher learning communities, explicit teaching, writing frames, five paragraph essays

Teacher learning communities: the landscape of subject leadership

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
alice w.k. chow
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Study Participant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leadership Orientations ◽  
Teacher Learning Communities

Purpose – Teacher learning communities (TLCs) formed within subject departments are conceptualized as reform platform for facilitating school improvement and teacher development. The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which three TLCs were structured and managed for generating change capability in secondary schools in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature on the contribution of learning communities to teacher professional development, and the functions and styles of subject leadership provides the theoretical background of the study. Participant observations and semi-structured interviews were employed as the main instruments for the investigation into the potentials of TLCs for enhancing professional renewals. Narrative accounts were obtained from a total of 21 teachers (including three subject leaders) on the nature and process of their participation in the renewal projects. Findings – The findings of the interview study reveal the landscape of subject leadership orientations that shaped the collaborative practices, power relations and knowledge representations within TLCs. Variability is noted in the subject leaders’ concerns for harmonious relationship, executive control, professional growth and leadership empowerment. The spectrum of knowledge structure in these communities is marked by a hierarchical relationship on one end, and a heterarchical relationship on the other. Research limitations/implications – This paper portrays the dynamics within three TLCs, and depicts a continuum of three leadership styles. The literature on subject leadership in TLCs could be enriched with further investigations into the contextual variables and sources of influence that affect the choice of leadership orientations of subject leaders who grapple with a balance between managerial imperative for control and accountability and a learning imperative for participative explorations that satisfy teachers’ aspirations for autonomy and creative investments in their own professional enhancement. Practical implications – Subject leadership training should emcompass reflective discourse on epistemological beliefs and assumptions on teacher learning and development, and leadership orientations that shape collaborative professional renewal practices. Originality/value – While research studies conducted in the Western world show that reflective and collaborative inquiries within professional communities have helped to improve classroom practices and teacher development (e.g. Hord, 1997), yet little is known about the management practices of subject leaders that shape the internal cultural conditions, power relations and knowledge representation within their departments in the context of Hong Kong.

scholarly journals A case study of two teacher learning communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Free-Queen Bongiwe Zulu ◽  
Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
South African ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Education And Development ◽  
Teacher Learning Communities

In the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development, a South African policy, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Department of Higher Education (DHET) call for the formation of professional learning communities and envisage support for teachers and access to enhanced professional development opportunities at the local level. However, the formation and operation of professional learning communities in a South African context is still unclear. In this article we use the concept of professional learning communities to examine the extent to which 2 teacher learning communities operate as professional learning communities. We used interviews, observations, survey questionnaires and document analysis to generate data. The findings of the study reveal that the 2 teacher learning communities were initiated by the DBE and not by teachers. However, the size of 1 teacher learning community and the nature of its functioning seemed to adhere to the characteristics of a professional learning community while the other did not. The findings indicate that professional learning communities that operate in developing contexts might be functional when all the stakeholders play a meaningful role in supporting professional learning communities.

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