1st Edition
Understanding Teacher Learning in Professional Learning Communities in China Experiences from a Shanghai Junior Secondary School
Based on six-month fieldwork in a junior secondary school in Shanghai, this book qualitatively investigates the implementation of Teaching Research Groups (TRGs), a form of school-based Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in China, and teachers’ different professional learning experiences within the structure of TRGs.
The author situates teacher professional learning in TRGs within broader historical, social, and cultural contexts and further suggests that the practice of TRGs reflects the Chinese approach of balancing the seemly complex dualities (e.g., commitment and control, collaboration and authority, and individual and collective approaches) in educational settings. This book supplements the present knowledge base on PLCs in the context of China and thus enriches the global discussion on constructing effective PLCs for teacher professional learning.
Scholars and students studying teacher professional learning and development, PLCs, school improvement, and Chinese schooling would find this book helpful.
1 Introduction 2 Teacher Professional Learning and PLCs: Theoretical Perspectives 3 The Development of TRGs in China: A Historical Review 4 Teacher Professional Learning in Shanghai and the Case School 5 The Organisation of TRGs: An Institutionalised and Systematic Design 6 Teacher Professional Learning Experiences in TRGs: Three Illustrative Cases 7 Factors Impacting Teacher Professional Learning in TRGs 8 Understanding Chinese PLCs for Teacher Professional Learning: The Balancing Act Appendix A: Methodology Appendix B: School Regulations on TRG Development Appendix C: Semester Agenda of TRG Activities Appendix D: List of Interviewees
Biography
Licui Chen is an assistant professor at the College of Education, Zhejiang University, China. Her main research areas include teacher professional learning and development, curriculum and instruction, and education policies and reforms. Her recent publications appear in Teaching and Teacher Education and Educational Research Review.
