Professional Learning Communities' role in high school teachers' professional learning at a private school in the Western Cape

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Education is seen by most governments as an area that must be highly regulated and prescribed to servenational interests. Consequently, top-down professional development programmes have become thenorm. This highly prescriptive environment threatens to diminish teacher professionalism, and at the sametime, struggles to deliver effective career-long teacher professional learning or improved learnerachievement because uniformity of knowledge is assumed when the aim is the transmission or transferof knowledge and internalization. Such a situation does not serve the multifarious contexts and needs thatexist in our schools today.Career-long professional learning is commonly advocated for in-service teachers and this case studyintended to show that Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), as seen through the lens of activitytheory, could serve those learning needs well. Teachers' classroom practice and professionalism haveregularly been mentioned in publications since 1990 and the literature suggests that professional learningthrough participation plays a crucial role in both of these. The objective of this research study was thus toexplore how the participants learn and to discover the gap between current learning practices and thepotential for professional learning in a Professional Learning Community.Positioned within qualitative research, this single case study design viewed Professional Development inEducation through the lens of Y. Engeström's (1987) activity theory, which propounds a cultural historicalapproach to learning in which teachers see themselves as one, constantly transforming point of anintegrated system of learning. A constructivist paradigm thus guided data collection and analysis.Seven teachers who had exhibited an active interest in independent professional learning anddevelopment were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structuredinterviews, a focus group discussion and four questionnaires. Data were analysed by coding themes,which formed the basis of this case study's findings and recommendations. Prior to theme development,the definitions of key terms were clarified to reflect the constructivist paradigm of this case studyThe following key findings were revealed by the data.There was paradigmatic dissonance between the three educational activity systems, namely thenational government DBE, the provincial WCED and the school. The learning community within which the participants learnt professionally qualified as aProfessional Learning Community, even though they did not call themselves so.The Professional Learning Community had a distinct culture which allowed the participants tocommunicate effectively. However, it also had a limiting effect on professional learning becauselayered development had resulted in several shared horizons. The Professional Learning Community played a positive role in collegial support because theparticipants saw themselves as a community. However, if the Professional Learning Communitywere to mature, it would need long-term support.The participants learnt formally and informally, although the role of reflection and collaboration intheir learning could be further developed.The participants took collective responsibility for their learners' learning.The implication for teachers' professional learning lies in establishing and fostering a culture of engagingin Professional Learning Communities. The revitalised professional rigour that goes with professionallearning and development leads to the development of teacher agency which in turn facilitatesprofessional decision-making, effective classroom practice and enhanced learner achievement.Adaptability is one of the key characteristics of a modern teacher; the modern classroom is such acomplex environment in which teachers must operate effectively that they have to be able to constructknowledge flexibly.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University