Abstract
Schools in India typically provide teachers with professional development in the form of workshops with a one-size-fits-all approach. However, a large body of international studies show this to be ineffective in transforming classroom practice, and the draft National Education Policy of India released in 2020 lists several shortcomings of current in-service professional development practices across the country. On the other hand, a large body of international research has emerged to show that professional learning communities (PLCs) are one of the most effective means to improving teacher practice and student learning. Yet, the National Education Policy does not make any explicit mention of PLCs. This study shows that the benefits of PLCs researched in international contexts may apply to the Indian context too because it was found that participation in PLCs might have supported increased collaboration among teachers, improved classroom teaching, and increased unity and consistency in practice across classrooms, at two schools in India. Also, this paper presents important findings related to the successful planning and operationalization of PLCs in the context of Indian schooling. It is hoped that with the publication of this study, public and private schools in India will be encouraged and better prepared to take steps towards the establishment of PLCs in their institutions as a key lever for school improvement.
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Notes
ABC School Network is a pseudonym.
School 1 and School 2 are pseudonyms.
WhatsApp is a free software that allows users to make groups and message each other on their phones.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Sanyukta Bafna for supporting the Acres Foundation team with the implementation of the professional learning communities at City Montessori School, Lucknow. Finally, we would like to thank Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, Susmita Basu, Meenu Shukla, Sushama Rajkumar, Poonam Mittal, all members of the Quality and Innovation Department (QAID), Gomti Nagar II campus, and Aliganj I campus, for supporting our efforts throughout the implementation and data collection of this project.
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The education consultants that supported the implementation of PLCs at the schools under study are also the authors of this paper. The authors are employed by the The Acres Foundation Mumbai, India.
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Zahedi, S., Bryant, C.L., Iyer, A. et al. Professional learning communities at a primary and secondary school network in India. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 22, 291–303 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-020-09665-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-020-09665-7