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Thinking together changes the educational experiences, provision and outcomes for SEND pupils – professional learning communities enhancing practice, pedagogy and innovation
Author(s) -
Van Themaat Jacqui Ver Loren
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
support for learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.25
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1467-9604
pISSN - 0268-2141
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9604.12263
Subject(s) - professional learning community , professional development , pedagogy , set (abstract data type) , psychology , quality (philosophy) , learning community , professional studies , process (computing) , medical education , sociology , medicine , computer science , philosophy , epistemology , programming language , operating system
This article reflects on how school‐based professional learning communities (PLCs) can support the professional learning of educators from different school settings who share a common goal of ensuring quality teaching and learning opportunities for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). PLCs offer the opportunity to move beyond continued professional development that often only requires passive participating in a training session, to an effective culture of professional learning which requires an internal process in which educators can create professional knowledge through interaction with information in a way that challenges previous assumptions and creates new meanings (Timperley, 2011:4‐5). I will describe how sharing classroom‐based knowledge, experiences and expertise across school settings, through a professional learning mind‐set lens, guided by a teacher/educator inquiry and/or knowledge building cycles, promotes meaningful outcomes for pupils. I investigate the similarities and differences between two PLCs I facilitate: the Autism Network for Educators (ANfE) and the Teaching Assistant (TA) Network and how these communities require every participant to demonstrate relentless commitment to self and professional and practice improvement, by valuing on‐going learning and continuous inquiry. PLCs promote the concept of improvement as a team effort for which everyone is responsible. The article concludes that when our pupils become the central purpose of our professional learning, instead of a by‐product of continued professional development, we promote a school‐ and system‐wide culture that offers sustainable professional development thought improved outcomes for every pupil.