Professional learning communities : divergence, depth and dilemmas / Louise Stoll and Karen Seashore Louis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stoll, Louise, 1956-

Contributor:

Louis, Karen Seashore.

Series:

Professional learning

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Group work in education.

Teachers--Professional relationships.

Teachers.

Physical Description:

xx, 207 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Maidenhead : McGraw-Hill/Open University Press, 2007.

Summary:

What is a Professional Learning Community? What are the key challenges facing these communities and how might they be resolved? Is it time to extend our thinking about Professional Learning Communities? There is great interest internationally in the potential of professional learning communities for enhancing educational reform efforts and sustaining improvement. This international collection expands perceptions and understanding of professional learning communities within and beyond schools, as well as highlighting frequently neglected complexities and challenges.

Drawing on research, each chapter offers a deeper understanding of topics such as distributed leadership, dialogue, organizational memory, trust, self-assessment and inquiry, and purpose linked to learning. Three of the most challenging dilemmas facing professional learning communities are explored - developing professional learning communities in secondary schools, building social capital, and sustaining professional learning communities. The authors provide pointers on why these challenges exist, offering rays of hope for ways forward. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in building capacity for sustainable learning and the ability to harness your community as a resource for change.

Contents:

1 Professional learning communities: elaborating new approaches / Louise Stoll, Karen Seashore Louis 1

Part 1 Divergence 15

2 The involvement of support staff in professional learning communities / Ray Bolam, Louise Stoll, Angela Greenwood 17

3 Extending the learning community: a broader perspective embedded in policy / Coral Mitchell, Larry Sackney 30

4 From professional learning community to networked learning community / David Jackson, Julie Temperley 45

5 Beyond borders: can international networks deepen professional learning community? / Louise Stoll, Jan Robertson, Lynn Butler-Kisber, Sylvia Sklar, Tom Whittingham 63

Part 2 Depth 77

6 'Normalizing' problems of practice: converting routine conversation into a resource for learning in professional communities / Judith W. Little, Ilana S. Horn 79

7 How leaders use artifacts to structure professional community in schools / Richard Halverson 93

8 Developing collective understanding over time: reflections on building professional community / Sharon D. Kruse, Karen Seashore Louis 106

9 Using assessment tools as frames for dialogue to create and sustain professional learning communities / Kristine Kiefer Hipp, Jane Bumpers Huffman 119

10 Transforming practice from within: the power of the professional learning community / Dorothy Andrews, Marian Lewis 132

Part 3 Dilemmas 149

11 Building professional learning communities in high schools: challenges and promising practices / Milbrey W. McLaughlin, Joan E. Talbert 151

12 Building social capital in professional learning communities: importance, challenges and a way forward / Bill Mulford 166

13 Sustainable professional learning communities / Andy Hargreaves 181

14 Professional learning communities: a reflection / Ann Lieberman 199.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780335220311

0335220312

0335220304

9780335220304

OCLC:

77795685