Global Perspectives on Developing Professional Learning Communities

This book discusses distinctive features of the professional learning community concept, practices and processes across six different education systems in the Asia-Pacific region, namely Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and the United States. It provides a platform for an exchange of different perspectives and offers alternative possibilities of theorizing professional learning communities across different socio-cultural contexts. Contributors provide valuable insights for policy makers, education researchers and educators in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere to deal with critical questions about the improvement of teaching and learning and school improvement in a globalizing world.

This book was originally published as a special issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Education.

Introduction: Professional learning communities: research and practices across six educational systems in the Asia-Pacific region Nicholas Sun-Keung Pang and Ting Wang 1. School leadership and professional learning community: case study of two senior high schools in Northeast China Ting Wang 2. Investigating the development of professional learning communities: compare schools in Shanghai and Southwest China Jia Zhang and Nicholas Sun-Keung Pang 3. Educational reforms and the practices of professional learning community in Hong Kong primary schools Nicholas Sun-Keung Pang, Ting Wang and Zoe Lai-Mei Leung 4. Factors that develop effective professional learning communities in Taiwan Peiying Chen, Che-Di Lee, Hongda Lin and Chun-Xi Zhang 5. The emerging landscape of school-based professional learning communities in South Korean schools Moosung Lee and Jihyun Kim 6. Facilitation for professional learning community conversations in Singapore Hairon Salleh 7. Professional learning community process in the United States: conceptualization of the process and district support for schools Dianne F. Olivier and Jane B. Huffman