Implementing a Professional Learning Community in a Private School in the Dominican Republic

Implementing a Professional Learning Community in a Private School in the Dominican Republic
Author: Miguelina Adelaida Coronado Cornelio
Publisher:
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2020
Genre: Private schools
ISBN:

The initiative of turning schools into Professional Learning Communities (PLC) is being implemented by many schools and school systems in different countries. PLC processes have shown to be successful in enhancing teachers' and students' learning (Gumus, 2013; Michalak, 2009; Mullen & Schunk, 2010). The fact that the Dominican Republic (DR) is committed to improving the quality of education, the implementation of PLC processes seems to be a compelling option to reach this goal. The Dominican Ministry of Education has followed the guidelines that research in the U.S. and other countries have set and has recently adopted PLCs' features and processes through an initiative that promotes teacher collaboration and continuous learning (Instituto Nacional para la Formación y Capacitación del Magisterio, 2016). Since the adoption of this research-based initiative is recent in the DR and highly contextual, this study examined the issues that a Dominican early adopter school experiences as it changes to a different operational method and responds to those issues. The study was conducted as an instrumental case study using a mixed methodology to obtain a thorough description of the PLC’s implementation and how stakeholders experienced the changes inherent to it. More specifically, the study focuses on identifying the issues the stakeholders encounter in the process, how they solve those issues, and the current status of the school's implementation strengths and weaknesses. The qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with teachers, school leaders, and a focus group to develop a thorough description of the factors that stakeholders encountered that either detract or facilitate the PLC processes' implementation in the Dominican context. The quantitative data were obtained through the administration of the instrument: Professional Learning Community Assessment-Revised (PLCA-R) (Hipp & Huffman, 2010). This instrument measured the level of implementation of the PLC dimensions by identifying its strengths and weaknesses at the practice level. The qualitative data revealed: (a) the PLC process’s complexity because teaching and learning require adjustments and adaptations; (b) teacher decision-making was limited to the instructional planning level because the leadership team makes the decisions at the school operations level; (c) PLC processes develop a collaborative culture and require teachers to open themselves to new ideas and strategies, make decisions in collaborative teams, and support each other’s learning and growth; (d) an environment in which prevails trust, honesty, ethics, and authenticity promote positive interactions that lead to teacher learning and professional growth, even though some teachers resist open sharing and acknowledgment of weaknesses; (e) ongoing support, feedback, and communication are fundamental to implement PLCs. Results of the PLCA-R teacher survey revealed both areas of strength and weakness for the current state of PLC implementation in the case school system. The weaknesses were shared leadership and the level of trust. Shared leadership did not develop as well as the other dimensions because administrators limited teachers’ decision-making to the instruction level. Additionally, teachers' level of trust was not yet well developed. Despite the weaknesses and issues, the PLC promoted a culture of collaboration, job-embedded professional learning, a more student-centered approach, greater use of student data to inform instruction, and application of research-supported instructional practices, especially those that increase student engagement and differentiation for student learning needs. However, these results make evident that in the Dominican context, the change in culture that a PLC requires (i. e., the change from teacher isolation to collaboration, communication, and trust among teachers and between teachers and school leaders) may require special attention in the PLC implementation process. Results of this study also suggest that teachers and school leaders in the DR have little or no experience in sharing leadership. This can interfere with the development of the PLC in its full capacity if not addressed by both teachers and school leaders in the early stages of implementation.

Professional Learning Communities

Professional Learning Communities
Author: Jean Haar
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2013-09-27
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1317926129

This book demonstrates how a professional learning community can increase teacher growth and student achievement. The authors provide detailed examples along with innovation maps to help school leaders implement the eight key elements of an effective PLC.

Professional Learning Communities by Design

Professional Learning Communities by Design
Author: Lois Brown Easton
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2011-07-14
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1412987113

If you are looking for an organic approach to purpose-driven professional learning, this is the book for you. Award-winning educator Lois Brown Easton's latest work provides a compelling case study in narrative form, a chronological PLC planning outline, and first-hand "lessons learned" about how PLCs develop, mature, and sustain themselves. You will not receive a PLC "prescription," but you will find inspiration, wisdom, discussion questions, and a companion CD.

Global Perspectives on Developing Professional Learning Communities

Global Perspectives on Developing Professional Learning Communities
Author: Nicholas Sun-Keung Pang
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2020-03-04
Genre:
ISBN: 9780367514013

This book discusses distinctive features of the professional learning community concept, practices and processes across six different education systems in the Asia-Pacific region, namely Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and the United States. It was originally published as a special issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Education.

Forged, Not Forced

Forged, Not Forced
Author: Tom Many
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2009-08-28
Genre:
ISBN: 9780176349776

Presented at the Learning by Doing Summit (2008) Anaheim, CA L earning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work™ is one of the latest resources to help educators understand promising strategies to improve student learning. Understanding the basic tenets of PLCs is important, but knowing is not enough. Leaders must implement, execute, and act. They must do. Leaders create a “learning-by-doing” culture by modeling learners’ behaviors. They roll up their sleeves and engage in the learning process with others, side-by-side, step-by-step. Using examples, stories, and anecdotes to support recommendations by influential authors in the field, Dr. Many offers specific strategies that increase the chance of successfully implementing the PLC model. DVD and flash drive with keynote presentation (flash drive also includes handouts, e-materials, and links)

Real World Professional Learning Communities

Real World Professional Learning Communities
Author: Daisy Arredondo Rucinski
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2016-12-08
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1475822820

In a professional learning community (PLC), teachers are organized into teams, committed to meeting on a regular basis to study their teaching strategies and the effects of those strategies on the students in their classrooms. The teacher teams can be of varied form and composition. Whatever the organizational structure, the teams have one goal – that is to improve teaching so that student learning is improved. Policy developers, legislators, and educational leaders have encouraged the adoption of collaborative professional learning teams as a school reform model for improving schools. In this book we describe the results of studies of professional learning communities in real schools and the effects of the teams on student learning. Much of the time school innovations are not examined in depth. Instead authors and developers simply advocate that they be used. In this book, school principals and administrators describe how their teachers used the PLC teams to improve student learning in their schools. In other words, this book presents actual research on the effects of the use of PLCs rather than testimonials.

Implementing Professional Learning Communities and Response to Intervention

Implementing Professional Learning Communities and Response to Intervention
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2014
Genre: Professional learning communities
ISBN:

"Professional Learning Communities are a philosophy of education that requires a schoolwide culture that embraces collaboration as a means to increasing student achievement. The essential characteristics of a PLC are a focus on student learning, a collaborative culture, and a focus on results. Specifically, PLCs necessitate that their members engage in conversations that address teaching strategies and analyze student data in an attempt to maximize the education experience. Response to Intervention is a process of increasing interventions that answers the question of how a school responds when students do not learn sufficiently. The two ideals can be united since PLCs create the culture and structure necessary to implement RT1. Effective implementation requires administrative support, a paradigm shift from teaching in isolation to collaborating, data analysis, and a relentless focus on student achievement."--leaf 3.

Professional Learning Communities: Divergence, Depth And Dilemmas

Professional Learning Communities: Divergence, Depth And Dilemmas
Author: Stoll, Louise
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education (UK)
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2007-03-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0335220304

This work aims to deepen conceptions and understanding of professional learning communities, as well as highlighting frequently neglected complexities and challenges. It is for 'thinking' professionals internationally, be they practitioners (within and supporting schools), policymakers, academics or research students.