Professional Learning Communities as a means for bringing teacher professionalization in teacher education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Professional Learning Communities as a means for bringing teacher professionalization in teacher education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Inclusion – equity; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

Professional Learning Communities (PLC) are internationally highly appreciated to serve school development and thus better pupils’ achievement. In a previous ERASMUS+ project (HeadsUP) broad experiences on establishing and developing PLCs of school principals and of teachers were gained and two important perspectives were finally deduced: (1) For real understanding what successful PLC work requires and how it is done effectively it needs to be experienced personally (2) and this experience should be provided early enough to equip teachers with methods of necessary professional development. Thus already student-teachers should become familiar with this method during teacher education at university. Courses on practical issues at university as much as phases of internship/practicum offer the opportunity to anticipate the later jobas much as to practice PLC work and get familiar with its requirements and chances.
The consortium consists of a group of experts that are highly experienced in setting up and accompanying PLCs. These partners are also experts on teacher education and bring out university courses and accompany internship/practicum on a regular basis. They aim at bringing the knowledge of effective PLC work into university didactics by experiencing and reflecting on students PLCs. The project is to establish students’ PLCs and accompany them to provide the chance for the teacher-students to experience this special form of productive cooperation for learning and professional development. Against the background of different university programs and traditions the project builds up different models of student-teachers’ PLCs (SPLC) according to local possibilities: (1) collect experience on long-term SPLCs (a semester or more) and on a short term (a couple of weeks), (2) develop combined PLCs of student- and mentoring-teachers. Furthermore, the consortium includes the perspective (3) how to work with school principals and with university staff on how to foster students’ PLCs and combined PLCs of students and mentoring teachers.
The project provides 6 Intellectual Outputs on three levels: (1) Academically required information like a Transnational Report on the status quo of student-teachers’ PLCs and an Evaluation Report on urgently needed results on requirements and benefits of students’ PLCs and the chances and limitations of combined PLCs of students and mentoring teachers. (2) Materials to guide the establishment and facilitation of student-teachers’ or combined PLCs as a Manual. (3) Materials for the practical support of teacher educators who support students’ or combined PLCs like Tool Kits of methods and Modules for Communication.
The 5 universities and 1school authority will establish on at least two semesters courses/seminars working with the method of students’ PLC with altogether approximately 120 students (Weingarten, Malagá, Feldkirch, Norway), 2 combined students and mentoring-teachers’ PLCs of about 10-12 persons (Cyprus, Sweden) and at least 1group of school leaders (15 persons) reflecting on the chances on establishing and facilitating the two versions of PLCs above at school in the service of school development (Trondheim).
The project advances the experience with this often discussed instrument of professionalization and promotes it into early teacher education and university didactics. It also shows the possibilities for full teachers to also benefit from a combinded PLC e.g. to get up-to-date by learning from current scientific knowledge that student-teachers possess. The impact will be on the students getting familiar with PLC work and to unse it early in their education at university and later on for their professionalization on the job. Also, the consortium will provide ideas attendant reflection of school leaders how combinded student and mentoring-PLCs in future can be initiaten more often and contribute to school development. For the (inter)national debate on teacher education the results of the project will be informative and be brought out in practical and scientific publication. Furthermore, the project provides 6 local and 1 international Multiplier Event. This last one will be advertised by an international call of proposal and thus spread the idea and the projects’ results far into the field of education and tertial education in Europe and beyond.
Having gotten familiar with PLC work the student teachers will be able to take up this instrument again when they are part of a school’s staff. Also with a wider networking in the matter of PLC for school development the establishment of the instrument in schools and across schools can be expected as much as adjustments in the mainstream of professional development in the school system.

Project Website

http://www.tepinteach.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 225717 Eur

Project Coordinator

PAEDAGOGISCHE HOCHSCHULE WEINGARTEN & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Linköpings kommun, Utbildningsförvaltningen
• UNIVERSIDAD DE MALAGA
• NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU
• Pädagogische Hochschule Vorarlberg
• EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY CYPRUS