PLC
Order Description
For this week’s assignment, you have selected a minimum of 25 articles that directly applies to your issue/problem. In addition, you have revised your first assignment using the feedback from your faculty instructor. Your main task is to write a literature review on your chosen issue or problem.
NOTE: A literature review goes beyond an exercise in summarizing the articles, which is an annotated bibliography. Here, you will also reflect on and discuss possible areas for future research that are suggested within the literature. You can use this assignment as an opportunity to take a more in-depth look at an aspect that you think will be relevant to your issue or problem. The main purpose here, however, is to locate articles that support, define, and provoke your thinking about your issue or problem, as well as to get experience in writing a literature review.
Length: 8pages
Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Review APA Form and Style.
Professional Learning Community first came into existence in the 1960s when professionals in the education sector offered the concept as an option to the endemic of isolation to the profession of teaching in the United States. Although the concept of Professional Learning Community has been extensively studied since the late 1980s and the early 1990s, there is insufficient evidence to warrant a strong correlation between PLC and teacher efficacy (Chitpin, 2014). Researchers in education profession have conducted vast studies on Professional Learning Communities and the effects they have on the education system. The researchers have found that having firm PLCs in schools have led to several positive cultural changes that include increased peer learning, reduced teacher isolation, increased knowledge of effective strategies of teaching, higher teacher retention rates, job satisfaction and increased content knowledge (Feldman & Fataar, 2014). Moreover, studies of Professional Learning Communities have found that there is significant correlation between the concept and gains in the learning of students and improvement in teacher practice. Despite these findings, evidence on the relationship between the teacher efficacy and the presence of Professional Learning Communities is still little. Therefore, this research proposes a research question:
What is the relationship between the presence of Professional Learning Communities and teacher efficacy in light of teacher isolation, knowledge of effective strategies of teaching, teacher retention rates, job satisfaction and content knowledge?
Professional Learning Communities have immense impacts on all stakeholders of education. A study of the research question above will impact learners, teachers and administrative factions of learning institutions (Chitpin, 2014). In the research, the effects of Professional Learning Communities (hereby the Social Capital measured by surveying teachers’ performance) and the individual ability of the teachers (hereby the Human Capital measurable by the education of the teacher, their teaching ability and experience in the classroom) on the achievement of students will be scaled. Therefore, the results and implications of the study will impact students by improving their academic performance, the teachers by improving their performance and efficacy, job satisfaction and retention of their jobs, as well as administrators by improved social good will.
Some of the data that will have to be collected for the completion of the study will be the level of trust and frequency of interaction between teachers. This will be in a bid to investigate the relationship between the level of social capital and the performance of students as a result of Professional Learning Communities. As such, performance of students will be the other data that will be collected. Experience of teachers as well as their ability will be the other variables in the study. Additionally, the research will qualitatively determine the support and level of sharing of leadership within learning institutions. Collective creativity and inquiry, shared accountability by shared practice and structures to support collaboration and shared vision will also be qualitatively considered.
Importance of Professional Learning Community to the Teaching Profession
The proposed study will be of significant interest to the field of education given many speculations of positive outcomes of PLC among students and teachers. Studying the aspect of PLC and its impact on teacher efficacy will help demystify claims placed forth and enable stakeholders in the education discipline to make informed decisions relating to the management phenomenon. There is need to solve a variety of problems affecting learners and teachers, and the solutions are claimed to be achievable through institution and implementation of workable Professional Learning Community frameworks. With a conclusive research on Professional Learning Community, reduction in teacher isolation may be realized. There may be increased commitment to the goals and mission of the school and an enhanced vigor in working towards strengthening the mission (Stoll et. al., 2006). Additionally, proper research and analyses or interpretation of data collected will be useful in establishing shared responsibilities for complete student development and collective responsibility towards success of all students. There is need to ensure powerful learning that defines good classroom practice and teaching to create new beliefs about learners and teaching. This need, together with the desire to achieve more morale, teacher satisfaction and lower absenteeism rates are achievable by proper Professional Learning Community frameworks (Stoll et. al., 2006). In addition, the study stands a chance to increase meaningful understanding of contents that teachers teach and increase the role that the teachers play in helping their students achieve their expectations.
Additional Information
Base on already documented speculations on the potential positive impacts of PLC on improving education, there is need to conduct research on the issue to materialize any of the speculations in school and classroom situations. There is need to reduce student absenteeism and decrease drop-out cases to non-existent. If the research proposal is approved, it will focus on the realization of increased learning that is equitably distributed. With an objective research on Professional Learning Community in relation to teacher efficacy, the study will provide practical solution to smaller achievement of gaps between learners from different economic, social and cultural backgrounds.
References
Chitpin, S. (March 04, 2014). Principals and the professional learning community: learning to
mobilize knowledge. International Journal of Educational Management, 28, 2, 215-229.
Feldman, J., & Fataar, A. (January 01, 2014). Conceptualising the setting up of a professional
learning community for teachers’ pedagogical learning. South African Journal of Higher Education, 28, 5, 1525-1540.
Stoll, Louise, Bolam, Ray, McMahon, Agnes, Wallace, Mike, & Thomas, Sally. (n.d.).
Professional learning communities: a review of the literature. Stoll, Louise and Bolam, Ray and Mcmahon, Agnes and Wallace, Mike and Thomas, Sally (2006) Professional Learning Communities: a Review of the Literature. Journal of Educational Change, 7 (4). Pp. 221-258. Issn Print: 1389-2843 Online: 1573-1812.
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