<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>A network professional learning community (PLC) is characterised by a non-hierarchical approach to professional learning. Members are supported to engage and to learn when leadership is distributed across a network PLC. The mixed methods study reported here was designed to examine how a network PLC could effectively improve visual arts pedagogy in early childhood education (ECE) settings. The design and analysis were considered through a lens of distributed leadership. The research had two main stages, a nationwide survey and an embedded case study. The case study findings demonstrated the possibilities of a network PLC approach to foster distributed leadership across PLC members, the facilitator, ECE teams and leaders; participants successfully shared and applied new learning and improved pedagogy for visual arts learning. Overall, this study suggests that leadership is a critical aspect of the network PLC approach, and that attention should be paid to distributed leadership and to the role of the positional leaders in supporting the application of learning from a network PLC to education settings.</p>
</abstract>

A network professional learning community (PLC) is characterised by a non-hierarchical approach to professional learning. Members are supported to engage and to learn when leadership is distributed across a network PLC. The mixed methods study reported here was designed to examine how a network PLC could effectively improve visual arts pedagogy in early childhood education (ECE) settings. The design and analysis were considered through a lens of distributed leadership. The research had two main stages, a nationwide survey and an embedded case study. The case study findings demonstrated the possibilities of a network PLC approach to foster distributed leadership across PLC members, the facilitator, ECE teams and leaders; participants successfully shared and applied new learning and improved pedagogy for visual arts learning. Overall, this study suggests that leadership is a critical aspect of the network PLC approach, and that attention should be paid to distributed leadership and to the role of the positional leaders in supporting the application of learning from a network PLC to education settings.

Distributed leadership across a network professional learning community

Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Distributed leadership across a network professional learning community"}

A network professional learning community (PLC) is characterised by a non-hierarchical approach to professional learning. Members are supported to engage and...

Distributed leadership across a network professional learning community

Published Online: Dec 31, 2023

Page range: 76 - 92

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jelpp-2023-0005

Keywords
Leadership, distributed leadership, teacher leadership, facilitation, professional learning, networks

© 2023 Rachel Denee, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Distributed leadership across a network professional learning community

Published Online: Dec 31, 2023

Page range: 76 - 92

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jelpp-2023-0005

KeywordsLeadership, distributed leadership, teacher leadership, facilitation, professional learning, networks

© 2023 Rachel Denee, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Leadership, distributed leadership, teacher leadership, facilitation, professional learning, networks