Supporting Learning Within a School: Professional Learning Communities

• In Event: 61.051 - Professional Learning Communities for Teacher Development

Abstract

Improved pupil learning is dependant upon teacher learning. The concept of Professional Learning Communities offer a context for supporting learning processes in schools. The question is: Which interventions lead to a supportable school development where the professionals can learn in order to improve the learning of the pupils?
Twelve elementary schools were supported in their development as PLC. Using a multi-method approach questionnaires and interviews were used to measure.
Schools scored different and significant higher on the different dimensions at the end of the project. There are interventions, which contributed to the development of schools as PLC, for example, connecting capacity building with the innovation agenda of the school, stimulating and modelling a professional culture, implementing annual PDP-meetings.

Author

• Paul Hennissen, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences