New Teachers: Navigating the World of Professional Learning Communities

Elizabeth Vest, M. S.Middle Tennessee State University

Assessment, Learning and School Improvement Doctoral Program

AbstractTeacher retention is a common concern among school leaders, and new recruits are

leaving the profession within the first five years of employment at alarming rates (Ingersoll, 2002). Structured collaboration is one strategy for providing new teachers with support and guidance that has the potential to improve retention rates. Many schools have implemented Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to provide a structure for their collaborative efforts because of the evidence that it has the potential to improve student achievement (DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2011). Could the PLC model be used to support our new teachers in their early years or are the demands placed upon them within their PLC teams more than they can handle with all of their other new responsibilities as teachers? From a social constructivist and pragmatist point of view, this qualitative case study looks at what type of responsibilities new teachers were asked to perform within their PLC teams, what they found helpful in their work, and the challenges they faced. Through structured interviews, the researcher explored how new teachers with less than 3 years of experience adjusted to working within a Professional Learning Community (PLC). Four new teachers with less than three years of experience from the same school were interviewed in order to learn more about their experiences working within a PLC team. Through this study, it was evident that these teachers believed that their overall experience had been a positive one and they appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with their more experienced colleagues. From this study, school leaders may consider how new teachers perceive PLCs as a support system as they navigate their first years of teaching in order to improve teacher quality and student success.

Literature Review

Methods• Qualitative Single Case Study• Identified a middle school with functioning PLCs• Purposeful Sample *4 teachers with less than 3 years of experience• Structured Interviews • Member Checked Transcripts• Creswell’s Constant Comparative Analysis• Developed Codes, Categories and Themes• Compared content of interviews with Hord’s positive outcomes for school

staff and DuFour, DuFour and Eaker’s characteristics of a PLC

Recommendations for School Leaders

• School leaders should consider whether new teachers understand the PLC process, the research behind it and determine if new teachers feel comfortable contributing in their teams.

• The new teachers in this study understood the value of the work required within their PLC teams. School leaders should review their implementation of PLCs and consider whether it is effective and if roles are clearly defined, so they can ensure positive outcomes for staff and students.

References Creswell, J. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. DuFour R., DuFour R., & Eaker, R. (2011). Revisiting learning communities at work: New insights for improving schools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. Feiman-Nemser, S. (May 2012). Beyond solo teaching. Educational Leadership, 69(8), 10-16. Goodwin, B. (May 2012). Research says: New teachers face three common challenges. Educational Leadership, 69(8), 84-85. Hord, S. (1997). Professional learning communities: Communities of continuous inquiry and improvement. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/pubs/change34/ Hord, S. (2008). Evolution of the professional learning community. National Staff Development Council, 29(3), 10-13. Horn, P. J., Sterling, H. A., & Subhan, S. (2002, February 25). Accountability through ‘best practice’ induction models. Paper presented at the Annual American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. NY: New York City. Ingersoll, R. (2001). Teacher turnover and teacher shortages: An organizational analysis. American Educational Research Journal, 38(3), 499-534. Ingersoll, R. (2002). The teacher shortage: A case of wrong diagnosis and wrong prescription. NAASP Bulletin, 86(631), 16-31. Saldana, J. (2008). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE. Schmoker, M. (2004a). Learning communities at the crossroads: Toward the best schools we’ve ever had. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(1), 84-88.

Contact InformationElizabeth VestALSI Doctoral Student, MTSU615-337-1830 met4c@mtmail.mtsu.eduRick Vanosdall, Ed.D, MTSU, Faculty Sponsor

PLC Literature

Teacher Retention

New Teacher Isolation

RationaleTeacher Retention Rates• 40% of new teachers leaving in the first

five years (Ingersoll, 2002)

Concerns of New Teachers• Classroom Management• What and how to teach• Lack of support from colleagues (Goodwin,

2012)

Research Question• How does a new teacher with less than

three years of experience navigate the world of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)?

*What are the perceived benefits *What are the challenges?

Interview Protocol• Describe the PLC process at your school.• What kind of work are you involved in within your PLC team?• What kind of experience or prior knowledge did you have of PLCs? What did

you learn about PLCs in your undergraduate program?• What did you find helpful in your work within your PLC this past school

year?• What did you struggle with or what challenges did you face in your work

within your PLC this past school year?

ConclusionsPLCs address 2 out of 3 of the concerns of new teachers: 1. What and how to teach 2. Lack of support from colleagues

(Goodwin, 2012)

Connections to Hord’s Outcomes for School Staff• REDUCTION in the ISOLATION of teachers• Increased COMMITMENT TO THE MISSION AND GOALS of the school and increased

VIGOR in working to strengthen the mission• SHARED RESPONSIBILITY for the total development of students and collective

responsibility for students’ success• POWERFUL LEARNING that defines GOOD TEACHING and classroom practice, that

creates new knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learners• higher likelihood that teachers will be WELL INFORMED, professionally RENEWED,

AND INSPIRED to inspire students(Hord, 1997, p. 33)

Codes Categories Themesreally helped benefitscollaborate not isolatedmeet expectation of collaborationcommon assessments summative assessmentsstandards being taught how to teachstudent issues firm believerno prior knowledge createtogether teamtalking reflectdifferent types of students planfocus newwhat students have learned in it just like you arechallenges use of data

collaboratecommon assessmentstandards to be taughttogethertalkingchallengesuse of datahow to teach benefitsnot isolated

Value of collaborationWhat to teach and how to teachSound assessment practicesFeeling of support