scholarly journals Implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) (Differences Between Saudi Arabia and the USA)

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-122
Author(s):  
Jo Nell Wood ◽  
Abdulmajeed K. Alshammari
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Implementation Level ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

Professional Learning Community (PLC) for teachers is one of the trending ways on improving students’ achievement. This article aims at investigating the implementation level of Professional Learning Community (PLC) in the schools of the United States of America and Saudi Arabia, as perceived by teachers. Also, the article evaluates whether there are significant differences on the implementation level based on country, gender, and years of experience. Participants of the study were public school teachers from both countries. To attain the purpose of the study, the descriptive approach was used. Using Means and Standard Deviation (SD), the findings reveal that the level of implementation of PLC in Saudi Arabia was higher compared to the USA. However, by using the T-test and ANOVA, it was revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the implementation level based on country, gender, and years of experience. Recommendations and suggestions were provided for implementation improvement and future studies. Keywords: Professional Learning Community (PLC), teachers’ professional development, school improvement

School culture and leadership of professional learning communities

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 682-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
School Culture ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policies And Procedures

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore supportive and shared leadership structures at schools as a function of school culture policies and procedures. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative study was conducted at three secondary schools in the Midwestern USA. Administrators and teachers were interviewed, professional learning communities observed and artifacts collected to explore school culture policies, procedures and leadership in the implementation of professional learning community practice. Findings – This study concludes that school leaders must provide supportive and shared leadership structures for teachers in order to ensure a positive school culture and effective professional learning communities that impact school improvement. Leaders in schools must work directly with teachers to create policies and procedures that provide teachers the leadership structure to directly impact school improvement through professional learning community collaborative efforts. Originality/value – This study builds on the school culture and professional learning communities literature by exploring existent policies and practices in schools as unique cases. Much of the literature calls for specific case studies to identify issues in the implementation of effective practice. This study is important to the community as specific cases that may inform educational leaders on mechanisms that may be leveraged to ensure successful implementation of policies and procedures outline in school culture and professional learning community literature.

scholarly journals Assessment of Professional Learning Community in Private Schools of Lahore

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 619-628
Author(s):  
Sajid Masood ◽  
Ghazal Khalid Siddiqui ◽  
Huma Lodhi
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Private Schools ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Insignificant Difference ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

The purpose of the study was to investigate existence of professional learning community (PLC) in five private schools of Lahore. The researcher used an instrument Professional Learning Community Assessment Revised developed and revised by Olivier, Hipp, and Huffman (2010) to collect data from 800 teachers from five private reputed schools of the Lahore. The sample was selected conveniently because of very limited to no access to certain schools. With response rate of 80% and reliability of .951 in local context the data were analyzed. The analysis revealed existence of all dimensions of PLC in all five schools of the Lahore. Supportive condition (structure) was perceived as dominant dimension of the PLC. Insignificant difference was identified between perceptions of male and female teachers. Moreover ANOVA revealed that in Heaven school and Custodian school two dimensions of the PLC, shared and supportive leadership and shared values and vision are practiced better than other three schools: Shining star, Grammar, and Hospitality. This research has identified existence of PLC in private schools of the Lahore and invites researchers to explore the same in public schools and further investigate relationship of PLC with school effectiveness, students’ achievement, teachers’’ professional development and other variables.

Sharing a powerful IDEA: learning organizations collaborating to innovate and design engaging applications in STEM education

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-12
Author(s):  
William L. Sterrett ◽  
Rauf I. Azam ◽  
Mahnaz Moallem ◽  
Jess Boersma ◽  
Ahsan Bashir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle Schools ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers And Students

Purpose This study sought to better understand how to support and plan for a collaborative effort that brought educators together from three universities in the United States and Pakistan. This project sough to foster collaborative relationships between the two countries by expanding knowledge, collaboration, and capacity in middle schools in the Punjab region of Pakistan with a particular focus on underrepresented students and middle grades STEM instruction. Design/methodology/approach This study was informed through the use of formative survey data gathered from the workshop participants throughout the course of the week. The researchers conducted pre and post surveys of 22 participants using Likert scale items. Findings This project provided insights regarding curriculum alignment, engaging communication, teacher-centered formative data. These findings offered insights on how to grow as reflective practitioners and researchers, and how to form a robust multi-national professional learning community. Research limitations/implications The survey data were gathered from participants who willingly sought professional development in one region of Pakistan. The sample was small (four participating middle schools and one local university) and thus the findings cannot be necessarily generalized to a greater population. Practical implications This project provides practical insights of how teams can work together in regard to building a professional learning community. Teams can plan with intentionality, foster various modes of discussion, and empower both teachers and students to inquire, solve problems, and share their insights. Social implications The STEM topics in this study are important across continents. Navigating time constraints and distance is feasible through communication, attention to objectives and clarity in goals, and a desire to learn outside of one’s usual comfort zones. Originality/value This project was unique in the time and space in which it was designed and implemented, yet it offers value in fostering ongoing collaboration through various modalities and in being intentional in the planning process.

Enhancing preschool-kindergarten educator implementation of interactive reading instruction through vertical teaming: Exploring collaborative enquiry

2020 ◽  
pp. 146879842097852
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Kotas ◽  
Julia Bridi ◽  
Sarah M Garrity
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Literacy Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reading Practice ◽  
Interactive Reading ◽  
Transitional Kindergarten ◽  
Using Data

Using data from a 2-year empirical project in an urban school within the United States, this article describes how educators of preschool, transitional-kindergarten and kindergarten (PreK-TK-K) altered perceptions and practices as a result of participating in a purposefully crafted professional learning community using collaborative enquiry. Emergent thematic findings highlight shifts in educator understanding and application of interactive reading practice and alignment across classrooms of young learners. This vertical professional learning community provided space and time where educators constructed meaning through collaborative enquiry, video observations and reflection, which informed educator thinking and enriched student interaction for literacy learning.

scholarly journals Professional Learning Communities Approach: Implications for Policy and Practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 181-200
Author(s):  
Osama Al Mahdi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
New Approaches ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

Over the last decades researching and developing teachers‖ professional development frameworks and practices had underwent a paradigm shift. This shift was driven by the complexities of teaching and learning requirements, an increased necessity for reforming educational systems, and more need for accountability and quality outcomes (Vescio, Ross & Adams, 2007). The main feature of these new approaches is that they shift professional development beyond merely focusing on a teacher‖s simple attainment of knowledge and skills to a framework that requires teachers to deeply reflect on their own practices, to innovate new classroom pedagogy, and authentic understanding and expectations of student outcomes (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995).These new approaches of teacher professional development include a variety of practitioner-based activities such as: peer observation and assessment, working cooperatively on shared projects such as curriculum development or strategy planning, engaging in lesson study groups, conducting action research, and participating in individually guided activities such as online distant learning or academic higher educational programs. When teachers engage in professional development activities that entail sharing questions, finding answers, experimenting practical actions and engaging in a productive dialogue, this may promote their sense of belonging as knowledge workers in their professional learning communities, and this would support them in achieving their learning and teaching goals which would reflect at the end on their students‖ knowledge, skills and values (Al-Mahdi, 2019a, Al-Mahdi, 2019b, Al-Mahdi & Al-Wadi, 2015). This chapter aims to explore professional learning community as an innovate approach in teachers‖ professional development and discuss possible ways for implementing it in Bahrain Teachers College, University of Bahrain. The following sections will focus on: defining professional learning community, characteristics of a professional learning community, leading professional learning community, international research on professional learning communities, professional learning communities research in GCC countries, and reflections on the educational context in Bahrain and implications for policy and practice.

Three Innovations: Promises and Perils

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-90
Author(s):  
Sam Oh Neill
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
School Board ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Social Emotional Learning ◽  
School Reforms ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Purpose Of Education ◽  
Differentiation Of Instruction

In 2003, I began a longitudinal study into the purpose of education. The process of my investigation included getting involved in new innovations as they were introduced to our school board. As I looked deeper into the purpose of schooling I discovered some startling things about how and why systems of education, through the apparatus of schooling, influence who and what, professionally, people become. I also discovered patterns related to the act of becoming that exist in school reforms. This study analyzes three reforms introduced between 2003 and 2017: Professional Learning Community, Differentiation of Instruction, and Social-Emotional Learning. 

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