Mentoring Teacher Leaders through Networked Professional Learning Communities: A case from from China

• In Event: Exploring the Evolution of Professional Learning Communities Within Chinese Cultural Contexts

Abstract

Teacher leadership significantly drives professional growth and instructional improvement, yet the developmental processes for experienced teachers remain understudied. This qualitative multiple-case study investigates China’s Master Teacher Studio (MTS) model, in which master teachers mentor experienced peers across schools within a networked learning community. Data from Shanghai’s MTSs highlight the importance of sustained, multidimensional mentoring, peer support, and practical leadership responsibilities in transforming experienced teachers into empowered leaders. Leadership development emerged as reciprocal and continuous, involving the reshaping of professional identity within collaborative networks. These findings offer new insights into how structured mentoring and cross-school collaboration can systematically cultivate teacher leaders, providing important implications for the design of effective leadership development programs globally.

Authors

• Chenya Wang, East China Normal University

• Zheng Xin, East China Normal University