A CRITICAL EXAMINATION ON IMPLEMENTING AND ESTABLISHING A PLC USING AFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT

Received: 20th October 2023; Revised: 02nd January 2024; Accepted: 08th January 2024

Authors

  • Junie Michel MAEdL, M.Ed, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, Department of Education, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom

Keywords:

Professional Learning Community, Management, Leadership, Innovation, PLC

Abstract

This research examined the outcomes of implementing professional learning community (PLC) at an international school in the UAE, focusing on affective management. Exploration examining affective impacts is suited for a school as they are social environments with emotions impacting interactions and outcomes. A literature review on affective management is used to develop criteria for PLCs. Teacher recollection and school documents were used to evidence the PLC and compare to the model. Affective management of change is important in innovation because emotion influences teacher responses and outcomes. Implementation of innovations can contribute to feelings of vulnerability, discomfort and anxiety. Distributed leadership provides an opportunity for successful innovations but can result in conflict and resistance. Success is based on the shared goals of managers and subordinates. The establishment of the PLC was unsuccessful as there was no articulation of goals and lack of consistency in practice, which ultimately undermined teachers’ identities. Consequently, the requirements for affective containment were not in place and mangers and teachers conflicted with each other. Ineffective management led to teachers using emotional capacity to withstand stresses rather than forming a functional PLC. However, failure may also have resulted from anxiety stemming from the context of the school.

References

Al Awad, M. (2008). The Population of Dubai. Dubai: Dubai Economic Council. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259590696_The_Population_of_Dubai

Argyris, C. (1977). Double loop learning in organizations. Harvard business review, 55(5), 115-125. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Argyris%2C+C.+%281977%2C+September-October%29.+Double+Loop+Learning+in+Organizations.+Harvard+Business+Review%2C+pp.+115-125.&btnG=

Beatty, B. R. (2002). Emotional Epistemologies and Educational Leadership: A Conceptual Framework. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. New Orleans. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED468293

Bullough Jr., R. V. (2011). Hope, Happiness, Teaching, and Learning. In C. Day, & J. C.-K. Lee (Eds.), New Understandings of Teacher’s Work: Emotions and Educational Change (pp. 15-30). London: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0545-6_2

Day, C. (2011). Uncertain Professional Identities: Managing the Emotional Contexts of Teaching. In C. Day, & J. C.-K. Lee (Eds.), New Understandings of Teacher’s Work: Emotions and Educational Change (pp. 58-64). London: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0545-6_4

Day, C., & Lee, J. C.-K. (2011). Emotions and Educational Change: Five Key Questions. In C. Day, & J. C.-K. Lee (Eds.), New Understandings of Teacher’s Work: Emotions and Educational Change. London: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0545-6

Dimmock, C., & Walker, A. (2002). School Leadership in Context--Societal and Organisational Cultures. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED474977

Goddard, R. D., Hoy, W. K., & Hoy, A. W. (2000). Collective Teacher Efficacy: Its Meaning, Measure, and Impact on Student Achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 37(2), 479-507. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312037002479

Hargreaves, A. (1998). The Emotions of Teaching and Educational Change. In A. Hargeaves, A. Lieberman, M. Fullan, & D. Hopkins (Eds.), International Handbook of Educational Change (pp. 558-570). Springer Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4944-0_28

Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED530692

Harris, A. (2011). System improvement through collective capacity building. Journal of Educational Administration, 49(6), 624-636. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231111174785

Harris, A. (2013). Distributed Leadership Matters: Perspectives, Practicalities, and Potential. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203607909

Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2010). Professional learning communities and system improvement. Improving Schools, 13(2), 172-181. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480210376487

Harris, A., Jones, M., & Huffman, J. B. (2018). Teachers Leading Educational Reform: The Power of Professional Learning Communities. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315630724

James, C. (2011). The Importance of Affective Containment for Teacher Effectiveness and Successful Educational Change. In C. Day, & J. C.-K. Lee (Eds.), New Understandings of Teacher’s Work: Emotions and Educational Change (pp. 119-134). London: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0545-6_8

James, C., & Jones, N. (2008). A case study of the mis-management of educational change: an interpretation from an affective standpoint. Journal of Educational Change, 9(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-007-9030-1

Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2008). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership. School Leadership & Management, 28(1), 27-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632430701800060

Miller, P. (2017). Cultures of Educational Leadership: Researching and Theorising Common Issues in Different World Contexts. In P. Miller (Ed.), Cultures of Educational Leadership: Global and Intercultural Perspectives (pp. 2-23). London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58567-7

Nilsen, T., Gustafsson, J.-E., & Blömeke, S. (2016). Conceptual Framework and Methodology of This Report. In T. Nilsen, & J.-E. Gustafsson (Eds.), Teacher Quality, Instructional Quality and Student Outcomes: Relationships across Countries, Cohorts and Time (pp. 1-19). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41252-8_1

Payne, C. M. (2008). So Much Reform, So Little Change. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ajer/article/view/55563/42525

Rockoff, J. E. (2004). The Impact of Individual Teachers on Student Achievement: Evidence from Panel Data. American Economic Review, 94(2), 247-253. https://doi.org/10.1257/0002828041302244

Rondfeldt, M., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2011). How Teacher Turnover Harms Student Achievement. National bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series, Working Paper 17176. https://doi.org/10.3386/w17176

Rost, J. C. (1991). Leadership for the Twenty-First Century. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780313018435_A23451229/preview-9780313018435_A23451229.pdf

Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Wallace, M., & Thomas, S. (2006). Professional Learning Communities: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Educational Change, 7, 221-258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-006-0001-8

United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education. (2017). United Arab Emirates School Inspection Framework. Abu Dhabi: UAE Ministry of Education. https://www.moe.gov.ae/Ar/ImportantLinks/Inspection/PublishingImages/frameworkbooken.pdf

Zembylas, M. (2011). Teaching and Teacher Emotions: A Post-structural Perspective. In C. Day, & J. C.-K. Lee (Eds.), New Understandings of Teacher’s Work: Emotions and Educational Change (pp. 44-56). London: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.015

Downloads

Published

2024-03-15

How to Cite

Michel, J. (2024). A CRITICAL EXAMINATION ON IMPLEMENTING AND ESTABLISHING A PLC USING AFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT: Received: 20th October 2023; Revised: 02nd January 2024; Accepted: 08th January 2024. Docens Series in Education, 6, 01–27. Retrieved from https://www.docensjournal.org/index.php/docens/article/view/38