Professional learning communities in early childhood education: a vehicle for professional growth

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The lack of recognition and support for leadership and leadership development in the New Zealand early years’ sector has long been recognised (Thornton, Wansbrough, Clarkin-Philips, Aitken, & Tamati, 2009). This article reflects on what has changed in the 10 years since the publication of a discussion document by the Teachers Council which signalled a number of issues facing the sector with regard to leadership. Research and guiding documents are drawn on in order to identify the current challenges and opportunities, and recommendations are made for strengthening future leadership practice in the sector.

Section: Professional Learning Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mentoring Coaching and Critical Friendshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leadership in the early years: Challenges and opportunities

Thornton

2020

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“…In this configuration, positional leaders practise distributed leadership to encourage autonomy, deeper learning, engagement, and the effective use of individual expertise (Clarkin-Phillips, 2011;Stoll, 2011). In addition, the shared teaching spaces and smaller teaching communities of many ECE services facilitate some of the requirements of PLCs, such as having shared personal practice and collective learning and application (Thornton & Wansbrough, 2012).…”

Section: Professional Learning Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The benefits of distributed leadership in education have significant overlap with those of effective teacher professional learning: increased engagement; deeper learning; contextspecific learning; and improved pedagogical practices among teachers (Poekert, 2012). Further, the role of the positional leader in distributed leadership is described similarly to the leadership of PLCs, with commonalities including collaboration, relational trust, shared vision, supportive structures, and opportunities for leadership (Cherrington & Thornton, 2013;Edwards, 2012;Stoll, 2011;Thornton & Wansbrough, 2012). This cross-over of terms and concepts makes clear the relationship between the two constructs.…”

Section: The Relationship Between Distributed Leadership and Professimentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional Learning and Distributed Leadership: A Symbiotic Relationship

Denee

2018

Pedagogical improvement in early childhood education (ECE) is critically impacted by leadership and professional learning. Despite this importance, government funding for ECE professional learning has been significantly reduced over the past decade. Meanwhile, a growing body of research is suggesting that teacher professional learning is most effective when contextualised and sustained over time. In ECE, positional leaders have responsibility for ensuring ongoing teacher professional learning and the development of the programme while developing a culture of distributed leadership. This interpretive mixed-methods study examined the practices and perceptions of ECE teachers and leaders about leadership and professional learning. Surveys and interviews were designed to reveal the relationship between distributed leadership and professional learning in ECE settings and sought to discover practices of effective positional leaders in facilitating both. From the results of this study, it emerged that distributed leadership and professional learning are symbiotic and that ECE positional leaders need to develop certain leadership practices within their services in order to successfully foster both.

“…I outline what I believe needs to occur, at both a system level and within local EC contexts, in order to enable the development of effective PLCs within the New Zealand EC sector. Thornton and Wansbrough (2012) highlighted reasons why EC teachers should work towards developing effective PLCs: firstly, given that the ECNZ's requirements apply to EC teachers alongside their primary and secondary sector colleagues, it is important that EC teachers engage in ongoing professional learning within or across their services; secondly, EC teachers are expected to work collaboratively within teams and with parents and whānau to ensure that children's learning needs are supported; and; thirdly, working in a close physical space can make it challenging for EC teachers to engage in critical discussions of the type that Earl and Timperley (2008) advocate.…”

Section: Looking Forward: Developing Learning Communities In Early Chmentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional learning and development in early childhood education: A shifting landscape of policies and practice

Cherrington

2017

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This article traces shifts in the New Zealand early childhood professional, regulatory and policy landscape, and examines how these shifts create challenges and opportunities for early childhood teachers’ engagement in professional learning and development (PLD). It presents current understandings about effective PLD for teachers in the early childhood and wider education literature before arguing that professional learning communities offer promising opportunities to support early childhood teachers’ engagement in effective PLD in a shifting policy and practice landscape.