Experiences and trajectories of Teachers Leading Professional Learning Communities in Chile: Told in the First Person

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Instructional & Professional Learning Leadership

Abstract

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are a key strategy for teacher development and school improvement, yet little is known about how teachers experience leading them especially in Latin America. This study explores how the professional trajectories of two Chilean teachers shape their leadership within PLCs. Using a biographical-narrative case study approach, it highlights how prior leadership roles, ongoing training, and institutional recognition contribute to building leadership capacities. The teachers describe leading a PLC as a formative process that involves fostering trust, navigating peer collaboration, and sustaining a shared pedagogical vision. Their first-person narratives reveal how leadership is constructed through daily community experiences, offering insights for promoting distributed leadership and recognizing teacher agency in collaborative school settings.

Authors

• Marcela Pena Ruz, Universidad de Chile

• Rebecca Ipinza, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

• Karen Manríquez, School Pedro Aguirre Cerda

• Karla Olea, School Pedro Aguirre Cerda