Paper Summary

A Narrative Inquiry Into Rural Teachers’ Experiences in Professional Learning Communities

Mon, April 16, 12:25 to 1:55pm, Vancouver Convention Centre, Floor: Second Level, East Room 10

Abstract

Throughout my teaching career opportunities for professional growth were very important. My move to rural New Brunswick and my interest in professional development (PD) influenced this study. Conversations with rural teaching colleagues left me wondering about how their professional growth was being addressed. New Brunswick policymakers’ focus for PD has turned to professional learning communities (PLCs). This narrative inquiry focuses on the experiences of teachers in rural New Brunswick schools to reveal how the PLC model was adopted at their schools and whether this implementation had an effect their practice. Three teachers’ stories reveal their PLC provided limited professional growth having turned to other sources of PD and provides feedback to policymakers to enhance the implementation of the PLC model.

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