Transcript Creating Professional Learning Community

Creating Professional Learning
Communities
Gwyn Edwards
Associate Professor
Faculty of Education, HKU
2015/7/17
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Biographical Details:
London University, BSC (Geography)
University of Wales (Cardiff), PGCE Mount
Grace High School, Hinckley,
Leicestershire
Meopham School, Meopham, Kent
London University, MA Curriculum Studies
University of London, Goldsmith College
The University of Hong Kong
2015/7/17
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The Challenge:
The key to a successful curriculum reform is
to develop a new culture of teaching and
learning that can bring about real changes in
school life.
Education Commission (2000)
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The Answer:
The most promising strategy for sustained,
substantive school improvement is
developing the ability of school personnel
to function as professional learning
communities.
Dufour and Easker (1998)
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The Genesis:
Preferred organizations [in the future] will
be learning organizations …..It has been
said that people who stop learning stop
living. This is also true of organizations.
Handy (1995)
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The new problem of change …. is what
would it takes to make the educational
system a learning organization - expert at
dealing with change as a normal part of its
work, not just in relation to the latest policy,
but as a way of life.
Fullan (1993)
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The Commission recommends that schools
be restructured to become genuine learning
organizations for both students and teachers;
organizations that respect learning, honor
teaching, and teach for understanding.
Darling-Hammond (1996)
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We have come to realize over the years that
the development of a learning community
of educators is itself a major cultural change
that will spawn many others.
Joyce and Showers (1995)
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If schools want to enhance …. their capacity
to boost student learning, they should work
on building a professional community that
is characterized by shared purpose,
collaborative activity and collective
responsibility.
Newmann and Wehlage (1995)
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The Characteristics:
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Shared mission, vision and values
Collective inquiry
Collaborative teams
Action, orientation and experimentation
Continuous improvement
DuFour and Eaker (1998)
• Dispersed leadership
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The Building Blocks:
• Mission: Why do we exist?
• Vision: What do we hope to become?
• Values: How should we behave in order to make
our shared vision a reality?
• Goals:
Which steps will we take first, and
when?
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The Choices:
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incremental change v systematic change
peripheral change v core change
superficial change v substantive change
quick fix change v sustainable change
structural change v cultural change
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The Obstacles and Dangers:
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Fragmented Individualism
Balkanization (‘collaboration that divides’)
Contrived Collegiality (‘groupthink’)
Conflict Avoidance
False Prophets
Innovation Overload
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With change forces abounding, it is easy to
experience overload, fragmentation and
incoherence. Policies get passed independent of
each other, innovations are introduced before
previous ones are adequately implemented, the
sheer presence of problems and multiple
unconnected solutions are overwhelming. Many
schools and school systems make matters worse
by indiscriminately taking on ever innovation that
comes along - the ‘so called Christmas’ tree
schools - so many innovations as decorations,
superficially adorned.
Fullan (1999)
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Diolch yn fawr!
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