The concept of professional learning communities (PLCs) has received considerable attention in research as well as in school practice since the late 1990s. PLCs have been positively associated with a variety of outcomes for both teachers and students, but differences in the way the concept is operationalised, and the fact that most of the research…

Professional learning community (PLC) has drawn global attention in the field of adult learning. This study applies paradox theory to examine how a group of Chinese school teachers transform their teaching practices in a self-organized PLC without school policy support. The researchers applied the biographic-narrative-interpretive method (BNIM) to…

Among existing infrastructures to disseminate innovative teaching methods and to build collaborative networks, the authors situate a community of practice (CoP). They explain what a CoP is and compare it with teaching-focused economics journals and conferences, and other infrastructures such as institutional teaching centers. Since 2016, the…

The kernel of this paper was to investigate the state of intergenerational knowledge-sharing practices in a principals' professional learning community (PLC) at a selected South African education circuit. The paper was nested in a qualitative approach and the interpretivist paradigm. Deliberate and snowball sampling techniques were employed to…

Networked approaches to professional learning have been shown to offer broad influence and unique benefits to teachers' continuing development. However, despite decades of research into the professional learning community (PLC) approach within single schools, there is a paucity of research about network PLCs and a lack of models for effective…

In order to prevent the interruption in the education process during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which would inevitably lead to serious socio-economic consequences, the universities from low-income countries, including those from Bosnia and Herzegovina, shifted to "emergency remote teaching," a type of teaching that is…

Background: Background: Research demonstrates the benefits of communities of practice (CoP) for teachers' professional learning in Physical Education (PE). However, much less is known about how CoPs can be used to understand pre-service teachers' (PSTs) professional learning in their Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programmes.…

Through a school case study, this research identifies the macro- and micro-elements that influence the continuing professional development of nursery staff in a Spanish educational setting. Organizational theories are employed to highlight the professional learning experienced by nursery staff through types of learning (formal, informal, and…

Purpose: This study explored high school teachers' perceptions and collaborative learning experiences in integrating information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching using lesson study (LS) whilst engaging in teacher professional development (TPD). Earlier forms of TPD were often theoretical, and teachers had difficulty in applying…

This qualitative case study explores the Chinese school principals' experiences in building a learning community through the Fifth Discipline (shared vision, personal mastery, mental models, team learning, and system thinking) in helping them embrace student engagement, teacher commitment, and parents' involvement for school improvement and…

The pandemic vastly disrupted education dissemination worldwide and catalyzed a shift toward online teaching. Hence, this paper aims to describe how professional learning communities (PLCs) in Kuwait's public schools foster successful changes in online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, in tandem with the leaders' involvement in PLCs and the…

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) communities of practice (CoP) have emerged as collaborative learning environments that unite people with a shared interest. However, forming and maintaining a successful SoTL CoP can be challenging, requiring careful planning and execution. As academics, we face various challenges in our teaching and…

The shortage of qualified Early Childhood Teachers is one of the most complex challenges facing the Australian early learning sector. The Early Childhood Elevate Mentoring Program (ECEM) was conceptualised, developed and implemented with ECTs to enable them to support Diploma trained educators as they studied an accelerated Bachelor of Early Years…

An international need exists for effective programmes that will enhance learners' interest in studies and careers related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, i.e. STEM. When considering the impact of STEM programmes, it is important to identify what can enable or constrain effective programme implementation. As such, enablers can…

This paper examines the influence of professional learning communities (PLCs) on informal teacher leadership in Hong Kong schools to overcome issues reported in the literature on the challenges to teacher leadership posed by Chinese hierarchical school contexts. We test the relations among PLC, informal teacher leadership, teacher focus on…