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Encouraging Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Dr. Paul Hennissen

Encouraging Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Dr. Paul Hennissen Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (NL) Bergen, 2012 June 15. What do we know ?. Great teachers can change a student’s life Excellent teaching is the foundation of our best schools Can we realise this?

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Encouraging Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Dr. Paul Hennissen

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  1. Encouraging Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Dr. Paul Hennissen Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (NL) Bergen, 2012 June 15

  2. What do we know? • Great teachers can change a student’s life • Excellent teaching is the foundation of our best schools • Can we realise this? • Strong communities of teachers Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  3. Content of the presentation 1.Introduction 2. Research Questions 3. Method 4. Findings 5. Conclusion & discussion Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  4. Introduction • World-wide economic and cultural changes demand high levels of quality of education and of teaching. • In the past decade we have experienced the limits of formal, externally driven, professional development and school innovation. (Timperleye.a., 2007) • Sustained change asks for individual and collective learning processes of teachers and teacher educators. • PLCs offer a context for these learning processes. • PLC = community of permanent research and improvement (Hord, 1997). Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  5. PLCs: an idea or reality? • PLC: professionalism, learning, community • PLC a promising and popular concept. • We still know little about PLCs en how to encourage it. • How can we encourage schools as PLC on a concrete level? • Which interventions lead to a sustainable school development? Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  6. Research Questions • How can the development of schools into PLCs be described? • Which interventions contribute to the realization of a PLC? • Which role of the school leader is effective in this process? Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

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  9. Method: context • CoP-project (Communities of Practice) • Combined development and research • Between end 2010 and 2013 • Six schools were supported in their development into PLCs. • The support of the schools consists of six seminars for the schools’ representatives and consultation. Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  10. Quantitative • Quantative data (questionnaire, Verbiest2011) • Eachstaffmembergivesananswerhowheperceived the dimensions of PLC in school? • For each school a percentile score was calculatedcomparedwith 167 other schools. • A test score that is greaterthan 63% of the scores of schools taking the test, is said to be at the 63th percentile. Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

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  13. Qualitative • Qualitative data: Semi-structured interviews with school leader & group of teachers • Opinionregarding the development of their school as a PLC and role of the school leader • Guidelinesfor interviews basedon 7 dimensions • Full descriptions, encoded and described in terms of 7 dimensions of PLC. Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  14. Set up Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  15. Findings • In the context of this paper onlysomemainfindingstillnow are summarized. • Research question 1: How to describe the development? • The scores of each school willberelated to the scores of a group of 167 other schools: percentile score. Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

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  19. Findings 2 • Research question 2: whichinterventionscontribute to the development of PLCs. • This is not easy, becauseit is notalwaysclear at the outsetwhat the intensions are. • And almosteveryinterventioncaninfluence more thanonecapacity at the same time. • But we seeinterventionthatcontribute to the innovation agenda of the school. Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  20. InterventionsthatencouragePLCs • Stimulating and modelling professional culture • Re-organisation of the primaryprocess • Creatinginterdependancebetweenteachers in the primaryprocess • Coachingteachers’ learningprocesses • Connectingcapacity building with the innovation agenda of the school • Re-organisations of the structuresforprof.development and meetings, aimed at collectivelearning. Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  21. Conclusion It is possible to • charactise schools with the 7 dimensions of PLC-concept; • differentiate between schools; • encourage professional learning communities. Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  22. Questions • Whatcontributes to PLCs in schools? • Is the role of the school leader crucial? • Whatcanresearchers do to encouragePLCs? Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

  23. Thankyouforyourattention. Ifyou want more information, please mail me Paul.hennissen@zuyd.nl Paul Hennissen - Bergen 2012

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