4.2 Presentation of findings 63
4.2.2 Principals’ enactment and enhancement of instructional leadership practices
4.2.2.5 Understanding of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) 95
The findings from the data suggest that the majority of school principals did not fully understand the concept of a Professional Learning Community. In fact, the responses of three of the four participating principals were inconsistent with what the literature is saying. For instance, the principal of Penguin Primary said:
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In the learning area committees there is interaction, robust decision making and people learning from each other. (Mrs Naicker)
Mr Nkosi of Albatross Secondary commented:
We have got a literacy period and a numeracy period where learners are taught how to read and count because there is a crisis in these areas. (Mr Nkosi)
Mr Ramdin of Robin Primary surmised that delegation is closely aligned to a Professional Learning Community. This is what he had to say:
The HoDs plan, organise, lead and control all aspects. So the idea is for the managers to delegate within the phases. Thereafter, the grade coordinators oversee the leadership at different levels. (Mr Ramdin)
In contrast to the aforementioned participants, Dr Chetty of Kestrel Secondary displayed a greater understanding of a Professional Learning Community. This is what he said:
We have got a principals’ Professional Learning Community in the Kranskloof Ward. The 34 of us meet and basically share knowledge about our difficulties and hardships. You will be amazed at what you could learn from others and certain principals are looked upon for guidance and advice. I try to incorporate some of these ideas into our school. (Dr Chetty) Dr Chetty of Kestrel Secondary added that:
I insist that our subject committee meetings must not be barren, to do meetings. We make it exciting: novel ways to teach the novel, creative strategies for teaching creative writing. So I initially start off and thereafter the staff follows. It is vital to draw people in and build their confidence. Crucially, I am involved with Higher Education Institutions such as Stellenbosch University which keeps me informed of cutting-edge knowledge in education.
I subsequently inform my teachers of the latest trends. (Dr Chetty)
Similarly, the perused documents corroborated Dr Chetty’s views on the existence of a Professional Learning Community at Kestrel Secondary. According to the SMT minutes of Kestrel Secondary on 16/05/2013, Dr Chetty stated that “a principals meeting will take place on May 23 at our school. We need to give the visitors a good impression”. Further, the SMT
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meeting at Kestrel Secondary on 13/01/2014 indicated that the learning area meetings should focus on “all relevant matters with regard to the curriculum, ground duty and discipline”. This clearly illustrates that a Professional Learning Community does exist at Kestrel Secondary. The findings emanating from Penguin Primary, Albatross Secondary and Robin Primary were, however, silent on this issue.
The findings suggest that the school principals did not fully grasp the concept of a Professional Learning Community. Mrs Naicker’s understanding of the concept was more akin to collegiality;
whilst Mr Nkosi understood it to mean a turnaround strategy. On the other hand, Mr Ramdin conceptualised a Professional Learning Community as being a distributed leadership practice.
This is inconsistent with the literature. DuFour (2004) asserts that powerful professional learning occurs when teachers are organised into teams and regularly meet to improve pedagogical practices. Moreover, there is a culture of systematic collaboration and teacher reflection in order to enhance teaching practices and learning outcomes. Dr Chetty’s view of being involved in a principals’ Professional Learning Community and subsequently cascading important knowledge to his staff suggests that he had a fairly good understanding of the concept. However, in contrast to the literature (DuFour, 2004; Williams, 2013), Dr Chetty did not refer to the use of data-driven decisions. This is a crucial aspect as the majority of time of Professional Learning Communities is focused on analysing learner assessment data in order to improve learning outcomes (Williams, 2013). Thus, one can deduce that the principals did not fully harness the power of Professional Learning Communities and therefore missed a golden opportunity to enhance teaching and learning in their schools.
From a literature perspective, The South African Standard for Principalship (DoBE, 2014) states that principals and the SMT have the overriding responsibility to build Professional Learning Communities in their schools. It also advocates that the principal should promote quality, secure commitment, and enhance the performance of all stakeholders in order to ensure that quality teaching and learning takes place. Moreover, a Professional Learning Community forms part of ongoing professional development as it comprises teamwork, empowerment and skills development (DoBE, 2014). In addition, Williams (2013) contends that Professional Learning Communities improve learner achievement outcomes and professional practices in schools.
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From a theoretical point of view, Weber’s (1987) model speaks directly to a Professional Learning Community. The second dimension focuses on organising the instructional programme which involves the principal making available instructional resources, creating a collaborative environment and supporting instructional best practices. This clearly alludes to the establishment of Professional Learning Communities in order to enhance teaching and learning in schools.
In summarising this sub-theme, the key finding that emerged was that the majority of school principals did not fully understand the concept of a Professional Learning Community. As a result, this may have a negative impact on their ability to enhance teaching practices and maximise learning outcomes in their schools.