The Construction of Infant/toddler Teachers' Professional Learning Community in the Chinese Context: Dilemmas and Strategies

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 11:45am
  In Poster Session: AERA Division K Section 6 In-Service Educators - Poster Session 3

Abstract

Professional learning communities are one of the main approaches to teacher education reform in the world. Infant/toddler teachers can improve professional quality by fostering professional learning communities, but related empirical research is few. Using qualitative methods, this study surveyed 24 participants who participated in the infant/toddler teachers' professional learning community of the Nanjing N Group in China. The results show that (1) the practice of professional learning community faces dilemmas of teachers' weak willingness to participate, difficulty in conducting in-depth dialogues, and stagnation of cooperation on the surface. (2) Teachers' individual characteristics, workload, Chinese traditional culture and seminar setting are influencing factors. (3) Optimization strategies are proposed from aspects of participants, support, environment creation and seminar settings.

Author

• Dejin He, East China Normal University