Through the Eyes of Novice Teachers: Professional Learning Communities at Work

Abstract

This qualitative collective case study explored how novice teachers with three years of experience or less perceive working within a Professional Learning Community (PLC). From a social constructivist and pragmatist point of view, this collective case study focused on how novice teachers described working within a PLC team. The study considered what types of responsibilities novice teachers were asked to perform within their PLC teams and their perceptions of the experience. Novice teachers with three years or less experience in the classroom were interviewed and observed in order to learn more about their experiences working within a PLC team. In addition, the researcher conducted a focus group, maintained a field journal, and collected relevant PLC artifacts. From this study, school leaders may consider how novice teachers perceive PLCs while navigating the first years of teaching.

The primary themes from this study relate to the topics of improving self-efficacy, accountability of instruction, the development and use of assessment, increasing autonomy within the PLC team, and the careful implementation of PLCs (Figure 14). Throughout the study, teachers valued and appreciated having a team to provide support and share ideas with. The novice teachers in this study seemed to naturally seek collegial support and were open to collaborating with their peers. They valued the experience of their colleagues and wanted to improve their craft. PLCs can provide structure to the collaborative efforts that occur among teachers so that they can lead to positive improvements in student learning. However, the study found that careful implementation of PLCs is pivotal to their success, especially for novice teachers.

Keywords: novice teachers, Professional Learning Communities, collaboration