Professional Learning Communities Supporting Professional Development of Teacher Educators in Myanmar Education Colleges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37205/TEL-hun.2024.1.02Keywords:
professional learning community, professional development, teacher educatorsAbstract
Teachers need to improve their teaching skills to increase the learning benefits of their students. Professional learning communities not only cater to the needs of individual teachers and the whole staff, but also improve the quality of their teaching, and through this, boost their students’ achievement.
In a professional teaching community, the key to
improved learning for students is the continuous learning of teachers (Bryk, Camburn & Louis, 2009). The professional learning community (PLC) is becoming a popular technique
for teachers' professional development, and, as a result, there is a need for research that explores their impact.
This study aims to map the effects of the implementation of professional learning communities at a Myanmar Education College, how they impact on the quality of teacher educators’ work, and, hopefully, in turn, on their student teachers’ achievements. Methodically, the study used a qualitative approach and a random sample to obtain data from teacher educators at Monywa Education College, who answered open-ended interview questions. The data revealed that there is a need for more PLCs of teacher educators to nurture their professional development and for the provision of extensive pedagogical support for the operation of PLCs in the current situation.
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