Forming Learning Communities: Important Elements for Collaboration Between Schools and Professional Development Organizations

• In Event: The National Writing Project: Networked Development and Use of Knowledge to Support Teachers’ Professional Learning

Abstract

During the last two decades, there has been a major focus on professional learning communities as a strategy to reform school cultures to focus on improving student learning. (Louis, 2006; DuFour 2005). However, no studies have looked at how vibrant professional communities can be created through design principles that support people working together in flexible and dynamic ways. This paper applies Wenger, McDermott & Snyder’s (2002) seven design principles to the work of four Local Writing Project (LWP) sites to better understand the nuances of successful teacher communities. The principles are: open dialogue between inside and outside perspectives; focus on value; design for evolution; invite different levels of participation; develop both public and private community spaces; combine familiarity and excitement; and create a rhythm for the community.

This paper draws on four case studies, representing “strong” and “weak” communities, conducted as part of the larger experimental evaluation, i.e. National Evaluation of Writing Project Professional Development (WPPD). We determine the strength of the communities using several factors, including teachers’ perceived value of the partnership, their interest in continuing to work with the teacher consultants, and reported changes in teachers’ instructional practice.

Data collection consisted of annual site visits which entailed interviews with LWP site, school, and district personnel, and observations of classrooms and professional development (PD) events. On average, we interviewed 15 respondents per site each year. Interviews focused on five topics: LWP site context, school context, partnership planning, professional development, and changes in teacher practice as a result of the PD. We supplemented site visits with annual phone calls to a subsample of respondents and a review of documents. We analyzed the qualitative data using structured debriefing forms keyed to the analytic categories, integrating data across respondents and documents and refining case-specific analytic themes. We then coded the debriefing forms using a coding scheme we developed based on Wenger et al.’s seven design principles. Two researchers coded the debriefing forms covering site visits conducted from 2007 to 2011. A sample of reports was double coded to test the coding scheme and establish inter-rater reliability.

Findings indicate that none of the partnerships successfully executed all seven design principles. However, two partnerships created strong communities of learners within schools while two did not. What differentiated the successful partnerships was that the teacher consultants began by diagnosing the strengths and needs of the school community, which enabled them to provide PD that teachers valued. Drawing on their own expertise, the teacher consultants were able to supplement what the teachers requested with concepts that they realized the teachers lacked. Moreover, the teacher consultants worked from a broad framework of how the partnership should evolve, which was flexible enough to adapt to the changing context. That is, they opened a dialogue between inside and outside perspectives, focused on value, and designed for evolution. This analysis suggests that external professional developers should focus on these points in their work with schools in order to improve the quality of the teachers’ community.

Authors

• Teresa McCaffrey, SRI International

• Kristin R. Bosetti, SRI International