Teacher professional learning communities - Going beyond contrived collegiality toward challenging debate and collegial learning and professional growth

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine

Teacher professional learning communities (PLCs) are examined in three highly innovative schools through literature review, surveys, and interviews. The study identifies broad consistency in core PLC elements such as shared vision and values, collegiality, joint practical activities, and student learning data, alongside teacher inquiry, leadership support, and opportunities. It further highlights pivotal characteristics that intensify PLC professional learning impact and connects these to developmental phases of PLC establishment, offering guidance for PLCs focused on sustained teacher growth and improved student learning outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

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Teacher professional learning communities

Background and theoretical models

Introduction and research overview

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 54, Number 2, July 2014 Teacher professional learning communities: Going beyond contrived collegiality toward challenging debate and collegial learning and professional growth Susanne Owen University of South Australia Professional learning community (PLC) is a current ‘buzz’ term in business and educational contexts, seemingly referring to anything from decision making committees to regular meeting groups or collegial learning teams. This paper explores the concept of a PLC within three significantly innovative schools, based on an examination of the relevant literature and also focusing on surveys and interviews. Findings indicate that, while there is broad consistency across the literature and within the innovative school cases in terms of core PLC elements of shared vision and values, collegiality, joint practical activities and student learning data, teacher inquiry and leadership support and opportunities, there are some pivotal PLC characteristics which heighten the professional learning impact. In this paper, using vignettes from the case study schools, these pivotal characteristics are related to developmental phases of PLC establishment. This offers valuable insights about nurturing more learning-focused PLCs, with significant benefits for teacher professional growth and ultimately for Teacher professional learning communities 55 student learning. Keywords: Professional Learning Community, PLC, teacher professional learning Introduction Social, economic and political pressures are evident at a global level regarding the key role of education in ensuring children and adults have the skills and knowledge for living and working in a rapidly changing world. High-level educational outcomes for students are being increasingly linked with quality teachers and there is a need for ongoing professional learning to ensure that teaching practices are updated within an era of considerable educational reform. Significant school innovations include transformations in the role of learners and of teachers, organizational and pedagogical restructuring, and utilizing resources differently such as in terms of technology and learning spaces. There are generally also significant changes in curriculum content in innovative contexts, including more interdisciplinary approaches and also possibly including a focus on competencies and values (OECD, 2011). The establishment of professional learning communities (PLCs) has been indicated as effective in building skills and knowledge for working in innovative contexts across teacher and leader teams and networks, and also within online contexts and school and pre-service and postgraduate university study programs (Meiers & Buckley, 2009) . The research literature indicates considerable consistency in the key characteristics of teacher PLCs. Participants working together regularly over an extended timeline, shared values and vision, practical activities focused on student learning, taking an inquiry stance, being reflective and collaborating and sharing experiences, are characteristics which are consistently highlighted. Leadership support and opportunity for distributed leadership within teams are additional characteristics of many PLC models (Bolam, McMahon, Stoll, Thomas, Wallace & Greenwood; 2005; Johnson, 2009; Coburg & Russell, 2008; Scott, Clarkson & McDonough, 2011; Mockler & Sachs, 2002; Owen, 2005) . Despite this apparent agreement and the proliferation of education 56 Susanne Owen situations which have established PLCs, closer examination of the characteristics highlighted by various researchers indicates that there are varying degrees of emphases. Understanding this may help to account for the differential degrees of PLC impact on student and teacher learning (Vescio, Ross & Adams, 2008) . There are also frameworks which consider the developmental stages of PLCs, thereby enhancing understanding and providing insights

FAQs

What is the focus of the PLC study and how is it investigated?

The paper examines PLC models and developmental stages in three highly innovative schools using literature review, surveys, and interviews.

Which core PLC elements show broad consistency across the literature and cases?

Shared vision and values, collegiality, joint practical activities using student learning data, teacher inquiry, and leadership support and opportunities are consistently highlighted.

How do the paper’s findings relate pivotal PLC characteristics to PLC development?

Using case-study vignettes, the pivotal characteristics are linked to developmental phases of PLC establishment, explaining differences in professional learning impact.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine