The following table offers a selection of resources focused on Leading and Facilitating Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). These materials provide guidance on the essential skills and strategies needed to effectively lead and support PLCs, ensuring productive collaboration and meaningful outcomes. Whether you are an experienced facilitator or stepping into this role for the first time, these resources will help you develop the competencies required to guide and sustain successful PLCs.
| SPANISH RESCOURCES | |
|---|---|
| Ministerio de Educación. (2021). Manual para crear y acompañar Comunidades Profesionales de Aprendizaje (CPA) de equipos directivos. Ministerio de Educación. República del Educador. https://ecuador.vvob.org/sites/ecuador/files/2021_ecuador_eftp_manual_crear_acompanar_cpa_directivos.pdf | This handbook is aimed at the educational advisory staff (EAS) (facilitators) and the school management teams (headteachers) (leaders) who participate in a PLC. The emphasis on the EAS lies in their key role in the promotion, creation, and support of headteacher PLCs. Once the PLC has been formed, this handbook is mainly oriented to the person in charge of the internal coordination, chosen by the PLC members, who will lead and maintain the continuity of the PLC while the EAS continues to accompany, but remotely. |
| Flores-Fahara, M.; Bailey-Moreno, J. Y Torres-Arcadia, C.C. (2021). Liderazgo docente en comunidades profesionales de aprendizaje: Estudio de caso de dos escuelas públicas en México. Revista Electrónica Educare, 25(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.15359/ree.25-1.4 https://www.revistas.una.ac.cr/index.php/EDUCARE/article/view/11538 | This study analyses the formation process of two PLCs made up of teachers and headteachers of public primary schools in the city of Monterrey, in Mexico with the objective of promoting school improvement processes through the organizational model. The differences and similarities of each of them are analyzed in terms of size, social composition, people participating in the PLCs and the role played by the headteachers leaders. The research team participated as facilitators of the PLCs. |
| Barrero Fernández, B., Domingo Segovia, J., & Fernández Gálvez, J. D. (2020). Liderazgo intermedio y desarrollo de comunidades de práctica profesional: Lecciones emergentes de un estudio de caso. Psicoperspectivas, 19(1), 1-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-vol19-issue1-fulltext-1751 | This case study “aimed to analyse the actions of a regional advisor as a middle leader for the development of professional practice communities within their area. The purpose of the case study was to determine the general view of this action model from the perspective of their interlocutors (teachers, school leaders, families and supervisor) and to draw comprehensive lessons from this knowledge.” (p. 1). It is claimed that the school system has support services that can assume the role of critical colleagues and intermediate leaders. It is also mentioned that the inspectorate and support services could also act as intermediate leaders. The study explores the work of an advisor to four schools in a low socio-economic and cultural area. The advisor decides to get involved in and facilitate the professional development of teachers and carries out activities aimed at creating learning communities or “networks of collegiality or learning communities”. |
| Krichesky, G. J. (2017). El desafío de Liderar Comunidades Profesionales de Aprendizaje. Un estudio de casos sobre dirección escolar. In F. J. Murillo, Avances en Liderazgo y Mejora de la Educación. Actas del I Congreso Internacional de Liderazgo y Mejora de la Educación (pp. 33-36). Red de Investigación sobre Liderazgo y Mejora de la Educación – RILME. https://repositorio.uam.es/handle/10486/679520 | The objective of this research study (case study) involved identifying, describing and understanding leadership practices linked to the development of PLCs in two schools in Madrid where collaborative learning is promoted through experimentation and collective reflection. The study aimed at answering the following research questions: – What leadership practices encourage collaboration among colleagues? – How do headteachers promote collective learning among teachers? – What impact does a headteacher have on the resulting collaborative learning modalities? |
| Luna Cortés, G., & Cano Ruiz, A. (2018). Innovar desde la telesecundaria a través de la conformación de comunidades profesionales de aprendizaje. Innovación educativa, 18(77), 165-181. https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1665-26732018000200165 | A group of teachers of ‘telesecundaria’, a modality of instruction that combines distance and presence teaching, located in the state of Veracruz in Mexico, aimed to innovate in their daily practices with the leadership of their headteacher, who took over the role of pedagogical leader. An innovation project was designed by the headteacher that addressed the school challenges. Consequently, the teachers’ difficulties were assumed as starting points. The objective of this innovation project was to set up a PLC among the teaching staff, assisted by collaborative consultancies with the purpose of developing reflective skills and improving teaching practices. |
| Margalef García, L. (2011). Encouraging Teachers’ and Students’ Innovation with the Support of Teacher Learning Communities. CEP Journal 1(1), 133-152. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1130729.pdf | This case study presents the preliminary results of six “Teaching Innovation Teams”, that is, learning communities that were created at the University of Alcalá (Spain) with the aim of promoting the implementation of curricular innovation processes through collaborative learning processes. A case study comprised of six Teaching Innovation Teams was conducted and the factors and limitations of the learning communities for professional development and innovation were analysed. Four of the six groups consisted of teachers from the same disciplinary area: two from the health sciences, one the from social sciences and one from engineering. Two further interdisciplinary groups consisted of teachers from different disciplinary areas. The research questions were the following: – What stages or phases do the Innovation Teams go through? – What factors favour the team’s involvement in the innovation? – What is the facilitator’s role? What strategies are used to encourage reflection by the team and foster their development? – What are the relationships established amongst the team members and between the team and the facilitator? |
| Margalef, L., & Pareja Roblin, N. (2016). Unpacking the roles of the facilitator in higher education professional learning communities. Educational Research and Evaluation, 22(3-4), 155-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2016.1247722 | The study reported here (a multiple case study approach [4 cases] took place within the context of a teacher development programme running at a public university in Spain since 2006. A key feature of this programme was the establishment of PLCs across the university with the ultimate goals of (a) facilitating teacher learning and (b) improving the quality of teaching through the collaborative design and implementation of innovative teaching strategies. The current study was set out to answer the following research questions: – What roles and tasks do facilitators adopt throughout the development of the PLCs? – What strategies do facilitators use to support teacher learning in the PLCs? – What challenges do facilitators confront in their work with the PLCs |
| Mellado Hernández, M.E., Rincón-Gallardo, S., Aravena Kenigs, O.A., & Villagra Bravo, M.P. (2020). Acompañamiento a redes de líderes escolares para su transformación en comunidades profesionales de aprendizaje. Perfiles Educativos, XLII(169), 52-69. https://doi.org/10.22201/iisue.24486167e.2020.169.59363 | This multiple-case study describes the support strategy to ten networks of school leaders (N = 139) in Chile, and its impact on the development of their school management skills, leadership practices, and culture of learning. These leaders were supported by “critical friends” from an Educational Leadership Center for two and a half years. The research questions are: – What effects does the accompaniment of a “critical friend” have on the development of capacities, practices and culture of collaboration in networks of school leaders? – What conditions must be ensured to promote online learning? And – How can an external advisor foster network learning? |
| Barrios, E. Torre, M., Sanchidrián, C., Gallego, M. M., & del Arco, R. (2024).Strategies employed by external facilitators to support and sustain communities of practice among teachers. Paper presented at the ATEE Spring Conference 2024: Teacher education research in Europe: Trends, challenges, practices and perspectives. Bergamo, Italy. May 29th – June 1st, 2024. https://hdl.handle.net/10630/32467 | This paper explores the strategies employed by facilitators in supporting communities of practice among in-service teachers in Andalusia, Spain. As collaborative professional development approaches for teachers gain popularity, research highlights the crucial role of facilitation in the effectiveness and sustainability of these communities. Facilitators, often former experienced teachers, work as trainers in official institutions responsible for teachers’ professional development. The study conducted five focus groups with facilitators, identifying strategies that align with those found in previous research on university teachers’ Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The strategies identified are categorized into five groups: Group Work Strategies: Enhance collaboration and group interactions, creating a conducive environment for teacher learning. Knowledge-Building Strategies: Advance teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and improve their practice. Reflection Strategies: Encourage both individual and collective reflection among teachers. Communication-Facilitating Strategies: Optimize communication effectiveness within the group, ensuring active participation of all members. Bureaucracy-Facilitating Strategies: Help manage the administrative aspects of formal collaborative development initiatives. These strategies are key to fostering effective professional development and ensuring active engagement and sustained growth within teacher communities. |
| Torres, M., Sanchidrián, C., & Barrios, E. (2024). Liderazgo y facilitación de las Comunidades Profesionales de Aprendizaje (CPA) de docentes (LeaFaP). Paper presented at the I Congreso Internacional de Educación de la Universidad Isabel I. Burgos, April 25th-26th, 2024 https://hdl.handle.net/10630/32472 | This paper provides an overview of the Erasmus+ project “Leading and Facilitating Professional Learning Communities in Schools towards an Inquiry-based and Reflective Practice (LeaFaP),” detailing its objectives, activities, and key outcomes. It also presents the findings from our literature review on facilitation and leadership in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), shedding light on best practices and areas for improvement in this critical aspect of professional development. Additionally, insights from our report on the challenges and needs faced by PLC leaders and facilitators are shared, offering suggestions for professional training in this field. |
| GERMAN RESOURCES | |
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| Warwas, J., Helm, C., & Schadt, C. (2019). Unterstützendes Führungsverhalten schulischer Leitungskräfte für die Arbeit professioneller Lerngemeinschaften im Kollegium. Zeitschrift für Bildungsforschung, 9(1), 37-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s35834-019-00230-w https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s35834-019-00230-w | This German-language article, published in the Zeitschrift für Bildungsforschung, examines how supportive leadership by school principals influences the effectiveness of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) among teachers. The study explores key dimensions of PLCs, such as cooperative development, normative consensus, and sustainable infrastructure, and investigates how specific leadership practices—like providing structural support, fostering trust, and encouraging collaborative teaching—can enhance these elements. The article is based on data from 395 teachers in vocational schools in Germany and offers valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners interested in school leadership and teacher collaboration. |
| ENGLISH RESOURCES | |
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| DeMatthews, D. (2014). Principal and Teacher Collaboration: An Exploration of Distributed Leadership in Professional Learning Communities. International Journal of Educational Leadership and Management, 2(2), 176-206. https://doi.org/10.4471/ijelm.2014.16 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1111683.pdf | This article, published in the International Journal of Educational Leadership and Management, explores the collaboration between principals and teachers within Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) through the lens of distributed leadership. Based on a qualitative multi-case study conducted in six elementary schools in West Texas, the research examines how principals distribute leadership roles and responsibilities to support effective PLCs. The findings highlight the ways in which leadership distribution enhances teacher collaboration, professional development, and overall school improvement. The study provides valuable insights for educational leaders and professionals involved in principal preparation programs. |
| Gray, J. A., & Summers, R. (2015). International Professional Learning Communities: The Role of Enabling School Structures, Trust, and Collective Efficacy. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 14(3), 61-75. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1086795.pdf | This article, published in the International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, explores the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in 15 international private schools across South and Central America. The study examines the role of enabling school structures, trust in the principal, collegial trust, and collective efficacy in fostering effective PLCs. The findings suggest that the presence of strong enabling structures and high levels of trust significantly contribute to the development and sustainability of PLCs, with implications for improving collaboration and educational outcomes in diverse international contexts. |
