To maintain a 21st century focus teachers need to be continually learning themselves. This means engaging in professional learning communities where educationally challenging discussions and sharing of practice occur. The exposure to new ideas and ways of teaching ensures teachers are continuing to learn and improve their practice. Professional learning communities need to be more than networks; they need to stimulate and provoke teacher learning and development.
A learning community is a group of organisations or individuals that operate as a collaborative network. Some are face to face but many are connected via the Internet.
A learning community provides opportunities for educators to connect with others, share ideas and resources, reflect critically on their practice, and create new knowledge about teaching and learning.
Learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime. Learning and work related activities are no longer separate. In many situations, they are the same.
George Siemens, Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age
Strong principles of an effective learning community include connection and collaboration. Participants can:
Participation also provides an opportunity for on–going, self–directed learning and ownership of professional development.
Schools are being talked about as “learning organisations”, and educators are encouraged to become “professional learning communities” or even “networked learning communities” within and across schools. School leaders have responsibility for supporting and sustaining a continuous culture of learning amongst staff, in a dynamic environment
Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching – a New Zealand perspective
Mary Ann Baxter and Kathy Paterson, teachers from Hamilton Girls' High School, describe how their staff developed as a professional learning community through incorporating the key competency – managing self, with e-learning and ICT.
20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network
An article outlining 10 tips for using professional learning networks.
The Virtual Learning Network (VLN), He kōtuinga ako ā-ipurangi, is an interactive resource provided by the Ministry of Education for all New Zealand educators.
"VLN Groups is a social network for teachers, school leaders and facilitators to connect, share experiences, and learn together. The main intent is to foster the co-construction, co-development, and the sharing of, best practice in blended learning environments."
Benefits of connecting, sharing, and collaborating in the VLN include:
Josie Woon, Assistant Principal at Takaro School, talks about how and why she uses the Virtual Learning Network. The community has helped her integrate technology into her class in a purposeful way by enabling her to connect with other "expert" teachers.
Inside the VLN are:
The Learning Exchange – a brokerage site enabling connections between teachers and learners. It joins clusters, schools, groups, and individuals who are learning through online and blended programmes.
VLN Groups – an online community for teachers, school leaders, and facilitators to connect, share experiences, and learn together. They include the Enabling e-Learning community groups.
The Enabling e-Learning Community provides an online community for all school leaders and teachers to explore innovative ways of using digital technologies to support and enhance learning and teaching. The discussions are driven by the needs of the community. Join this parent group to:
Use these discussion starters in conjunction with the e-Learning Planning Framework to identify and develop professional learning communities within your school or cluster that share e-learning understandings and practices focused on improved student learning outcomes.
Join the discussions or create your own thread in the enabling e-Learning: leadership community
Do principals really have time for a PLN?
To join the VLN, complete the registration form .
Visit the Getting started section for information on how to:
Teachers discuss using the Virtual Learning Network as part of a blended professional learning model and the benefits it has had for their cluster.
Josie Woon talks about the potential of Enabling e-Learning community groups to impact on teacher practice.
In this EDtalk, Outside the four walls of learning , Trevor Storr director of e-learning for a cluster of schools in South Canterbury and North Otago, describes the opportunity for collaboration and personalised learning provided by the Virtual Learning Network.
This handbook is for school leaders and anyone with an interest in, or responsibility for, the development of a learning community online. Based on the advice of experienced clusters, it provides a structured approach to establishing an online community.
You can access the handbook online or download it from the VLN.
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What Is a Professional Learning Community?
This article outlines key ideas behind effective professional learning communities.
Teacher standards and e-learning: Professional relationships
Look at how technologies can help you maintain professional relationships.
SEDL
This website provides some useful research information on developing professional learning communities. It contains resources to support the successful integration of ICT in learning.
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education
This international association is made up of teachers, educators, and affiliated organisations of teacher educators. Their focus is on the use of information technology in teacher education and staff development.
ICT professional learning
This page, from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria, Australia, makes references to how schools can plan, implement and evaluate effective ICT professional learning that contributes to improved teacher ICT capabilities.
Learning communities
This link, from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria, Australia, makes reference to how schools use ICT to extend learning beyond the school to support and connect students, staff and families to local and global learning communities.
Professional learning groups to support school wide e-learning at Epsom Girls Grammar
In this video clip from the NZC Online secondary middle leaders site on TKI, Claire Amos, Director of e-learning at Epsom Girls Grammar School, discusses how learning area professional learning groups support teachers with e-learning.
Network learning community case studies
Network Learning Communities are one of the professional learning and development opportunities offered in 2011 by the Ministry and delivered by School Support Services. Ten case studies, from NZ Curriculum Online, outline how school leaders have made connections and learned together to shape their school curricula.
Network learning community case studies
The Ministry of Education carried out an evaluation of the Network Learning Communities (NLC) initiative in 2010. These ten case studies on NZC Online outline how school leaders have made connections and learned together to shape their school curricula.
Formative coaching
In this EDtalks video, Tineka Tuala-Fata, DP at Peterhead School, describes the "Formative Coaching" model used at her school. This combines the power of structured peer observation, the sharing of good practice, learning conversations in teams, and reflective journals.
Professional learning communities
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, digital learning consultant, educator and teaching graduate, describes the way professional learning communities have lead to change in teacher practice for teachers in hundreds of schools in the state of Alabama.
Building communities of practice
In this EDtalks video, Cheryl Doing talks about the importance of establishing norms and protocols when setting up communities of practice.
Sustainability of professional learning
Dr. Pam O'Connell, Learning Media Ltd, describes the findings from her three year investigation into professional development programmes, and how schools planned for sustainability.
VLN groups
The Virtual Learning Network (VLN) groups is a social network for teachers, school leaders and facilitators to connect, share experiences, and learn together. The main intent is to foster the co-construction, co-development, and the sharing of best practice in blended learning environments. Find out more »
Enabling e-Learning community
This professional learning community within the VLN has been developed alongside the Enabling e-Learning website. It contains several groups to discuss particular aspects of e-learning. These include:
VPLD online discussion group
Join the discussion on VPLD (Virtual Professional Learning and Development) in the VLN.
The English Online mailing list is a place to share ideas, request help and resources, and establish professional relationships.
Links to all the ESOL and literacy mailing lists. Join the relevant groups to participate in email-based discussions.
Arts Online
Arts Online promotes professional communication through community discussion groups for each discipline, for primary and early childhood teachers, and for secondary school arts coordinators.
Media Studies
Join the Media Studies mailing list on TKI. This list is setup to allow the community to send emails to the whole group.
Science Learning Hub
Subscribe to the Science Learning Hub newsletter. Keep up-to-date with news, articles, and links for science and technology.
NZALT
Professional association for language teachers in New Zealand.
HETTANZ
Home economics and technology teachers association of New Zealand.
NZHEA
The NZ Health education association provides a professional community of support for health educators.
EONZ
EONZ is a national professional organisation supporting education outside the classroom (EOTC) and education outdoors .
NZACDITT
The New Zealand Association for Computing, Digital and Information Technology Teachers aims to create a community of teachers that share resources, communicate and speak with one voice.
edSpace
An online network for educators throughout New Zealand to connect, share knowledge and grow capabilities.
Connected educator
A collaborative calendar connects thousands of educators so they can engage in free (and freely given) online professional learning.
This paper outlines the importance of professional learning in the secondary school context, reviews relevant research on professional learning groups, and details the experiences of two schools that have introduced such groups.
A literature review focused on Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and e-learning in the context of Te Reo Māori and Kaupapa Māori education
The Ministry of Education has identified the need to further explore the use of Virtual Learning Environments, particularly in the context of te reo Māori and kaupapa Māori education. This literature review was sought to provide further understanding for the Ministry of Education in this area.