Contrived collegiality versus genuine collegiality: demystifying professional learning communities in Chinese schools

The Middle Ground of Curriculum: History Teachers’ Experiences in Ghanaian Senior High Schools

“…Also, the average standard deviation of 0.92 indicates homogeneity of teachers' thoughts that interpersonal relations drive the efforts at decoding the formal curriculum document. It further demonstrates, as Wang (2015) found, that interactions in the history subject departments improved teachers' teaching preparation and grasp of teaching and learning resources. The subject department is, therefore, better understood in negotiating the curriculum when teachers' relationships in the department come under scrutiny.…”

“…Warm interpersonal relationship within the subject department is a subject subculture variable that nourishes the realization of the middle ground of curriculum. For instance, Wang (2015) argued that well-arranged school structures boost teacher collegiality which in turn furthers collective enquiry, responsibility and subsequently guarantee effective teaching. He found that a cooperative relationships among teachers benefit students when such arrangements are not imposed form above but were the result of intentional organization of the school or departmental space to foster interaction among teachers.…”

Professional learning communities: research and practices across six educational systems in the Asia-Pacific region

“…School reforms across different education systems in the AsiaPacific region have targeted education quality and equity, with a particular focus on the improvement of learning outcomes of all students and their holistic development. Accumulating research evidence indicates that teacher quality is the single most important in-school factor influencing student achievement, and the improvement in teaching quality is of paramount importance (Jensen, 2012;McKinsey & Company, 2007;Wang, 2015). Researchers have also sought to understand the relationship between leadership and learning, and they asserted the strong influence of leadership on teaching and learning.…”

“…Thirdly, the majority of the authors in this special issue are established researchers on PLCs in their respective contexts (e.g., Hairon & Dimmock, 2012;Hipp & Huffman, 2010;Huffman et al, 2015;Pang & Leung, 2016;Wang, 2015;Zhang & Pang, 2016). They examine leadership, learning, and teaching for sustainable school effectiveness and improvement through the lens of PLCs in six different education systems.…”

Unterstützendes Führungsverhalten schulischer Leitungskräfte für die Arbeit professioneller Lerngemeinschaften im Kollegium

“…Damit helfen sie Lehrkräften dabei, den Fokus auf das Ziel der Verbesserung des Unterrichts und der Schaffung von Lerngelegenheit für Schüler/innen aufrechtzuhalten. Vertrauens-und Beziehungsstiftung: Selbst ergiebige inhaltliche Anregungen dürften für die pädagogische Praxis folgenlos bleiben, wenn das professionelle Verhältnis der Lehrkräfte von Misstrauen oder Unsicherheit geprägt ist (Wells und Feun 2007;Pröbstel und Soltau 2012;Wang 2015). Substanzielle Auseinandersetzungen mit unterrichtlichen Entwicklungsbedarfen und das erfolgreiche Ringen um problemadäquate Lösungsstrategien verlangen nach Offenheit, lassen argumentative Kontroversen zu und können die professionelle Autonomie und Identität einzelner Mitglieder zeitweilig erschüttern (Cranston 2011;Gray et al 2016).…”