There is no universal definition for professional learning community. But we can see a wide range of definitions are exits in the professional learning community framework. PLC may have nuances of explanations in different contexts.
Mitchell and Sackney (2000, as cited in Wang, 2018) interpret that “PLC is a set of people sharing and critically interrogating their practice in an ongoing, reflective, collaborative, inclusive, learning oriented, growth-promoting way.” Bolam et al (2005) describes “an effective PLC has the capacity to promote and susutain the learning of all professionals in the school community with the collective purpose of enhancing pupil learning”.
According to Hipp and Huffman (2010, as sited in Wang, 2018) they see PLC as “professional educators working collectively and purposefully to create and sustain a culture of learning for all students and adults”. Another definition by Liberman and Miller (1999) describes PLC as “places in which teachers pursue clear shared purposes for student learning, engage in collaborative …show more content…
Firstly, the notion of collective learning is mentioned by every researcher. It is not just focus on individual teachers’ professional learning but of professional learning within a community. Collective learning can be taken as a major strategy which helps to operate a high performing in PLCS. Collaboration and shared values and practice are other similarities that I see in the definitions of theorists. Without collaboration, linking collaborative activities and achievement of shared purpose, an objective of better teaching practice is unachievable. Most common similarity is that every theorist’s focus is not just on individual teachers’ learning but also on students’ academic performance. It is the most conspicuous feature that all researchers have included in their definitions as the objective of the