Leading a Professional Learning Community – Supportive Leadership

It is difficult to see how a PLC could develop in a school without the active support of leadership at all levels. Leadership is therefore an important resource for PLCs, in terms of principal commitment and shared leadership (Mulford & Silins, 2003). The nature and quality of the leadership provided by the principal and senior staff has a significant influence on the nature of the school culture (Schein, 1985).

The joint action, characteristic of PLCs, has been described as distributed leadership (Gronn, 2000; Spillane, 2006). In many PLCs, principals work with teachers in joint enquiry and provide opportunities for teachers to take on leadership roles related to bringing about changes in teaching and learning. Based on Australian research into PLCs Crowther (2001) suggested that, within the community, pedagogic leadership works in

116

parallel with strategic leadership as teacher leaders and administrative leaders develop new roles and relationships within the school. Harris (2003, p. 322) also concludes:

If we are serious about building Professional Learning Communities within and between schools then we need forms of leadership that support and nourish meaningful collaboration among teachers. This will not be achieved by clinging to models of leadership that, by default rather than design delimits the possibilities for teachers to lead development work in schools.

Harris (2009) states that distributed leadership is primarily concerned with the reciprocal interdependencies that shape leadership practice. A distributed perspective on leadership recognizes that leadership involves multiple individuals and crosses organizational boundaries. Distributed leadership encompasses both formal and informal forms of leadership practice. Consequently within PLCs, distributed leadership is characterized by teachers working together on a shared area of enquiry. Distributed leadership provides the infrastructure that holds the community together, as it is the collective work of educators, at multiple levels who are leading innovative work that creates and sustains successful PLCs.

Most of the researches on PLC have been effected in western countries where the PLC model is embedded in the school system. Leclerc et al. (2013) studied how the school leader can act as a pillar for the establishment of a Professional Learning Community among special education teachers at the secondary level. The example of one school which has established and functioned as a PLC for 2 years was under study. It is interesting to note how the school leader and the deputy school leader have put in place systems to develop the PLC and how they are always supporting the staff during the meetings and providing structural support for the PLC to work. Leclerc et al. (2013, p.128) proposed seven dimensions that the school leader need to consider and take actions for the development of the PLC. These are:

• ideological (work around shared vision and values for promoting student learning);

• organizational (create collaborative teams, provide the appropriate structural support and climate; and define responsibilities);

• affective (develop a collaborative culture and enable teachers to work interdependently);

117

• participative (engage everyone in the process and the school leader provides pedagogical support, shares leadership roles and decision making);

• cognitive (sharing good practices based on evidence, collective learning and continuous improvement);

• pedagogical (focus on the learning process, analyse results collectively and provide solutions based on research findings); and

• reflective (systematically and regularly analyse data and ensure that teachers possess the required skills and become reflective practitioners).

According to their study, Leclerc et al. found that the school has been successful in the implantation of the PLC with the full support and competencies of the school management despite certain difficulties like a heavy work load and limited time. They also reported two dimensions which are more difficult to establish, as pedagogical and reflective.

Another very recent research on school leadership and the PLC has been carried out in secondary schools Northeast china by Ting (2016). There, the term Professional Learning Community is not used commonly, despite the fact that the concept of the PLC is being used to improve schools. A case study on two senior high schools revealed that

School leaders demonstrated strong instructional leadership and visionary stewardship for school improvement. They played a critical role in developing and communicating a shared vision, shaping a culture of trust, supporting and monitoring collegial learning (p.209).

Hence, the school leader plays a very important role in creating the proper school environment and acts as a guide and facilitator towards the realization of the school vision and the ongoing school improvement.

Both schools exhibit a distributed leadership approach with a strong focus on professional development. Teachers work in collaborative teams where emotional bonds and shared responsibilities strengthen professionalism. Ting (2016, p.210) found that ‘concerted efforts were made to create aligned structures and processes that support collective inquiry and to develop a culture of collaborative learning that builds collective capacities”. This shows that in order to shift from ‘teachers working in isolation’ to

‘collaborative teams’, a lot of effort, training, communication and monitoring are needed from all quarters. It just does not happen overnight. Here, leadership is distributed, not on

118

a voluntary basis or informal manner, but team leaders are elected by team members based of their competencies. Research findings show that the leaders of the collaborative teams play an essential role in curriculum development, peer mentoring, and collaborative learning.

However, decision making process seems to be largely at the level of the school management. There is also the feeling that teachers are working under tremendous stress and they are held accountable for students’ academic performance at high stake examinations.

Harris and Jones (2017, p.31) reported that ‘many teachers noted that they found it difficult to maintain and sustain Professional Learning Communities within their schools without the support of senior leadership’. Therefore, the role of the heads of schools and heads of departments is crucial for an effective PLC. They also found that a strong and supportive leadership is an essential condition for PLCs to thrive and survive in schools.

School leadership that sustains the PLC can therefore be termed as supportive leadership.

It involves leadership at all levels as a form of leadership capacity. Firstly, the suitable school leadership model is a blend of instructional leadership, transformational leadership and distributed leadership as discussed above. The support of the school leader in providing all the necessary conditions for the PLC is a determining factor. He provides the opportunities and encourages everyone to participate in leadership activities. In other words, he is a leader of leaders. Supportive leadership is therefore a school wide capacity that is built with the involvement and participation of all actors.

119