A look into a professional learning community

Abstract

—Professional learning communities are not commonplace in Iran and this is evidenced by the scant literature in this regard. The present study is an attempt to fill the gap in the literature. This study was conducted in the hope of evaluating a professional learning community within an English language institute in Iran to detect the threats to its survival from the viewpoints of some of the teachers and members of the board of studies. The analysis of the data uncovered three major strengths the current PLC enjoys. These plus points are the dynamic work context, management policy, and a nexus of focus communities. There is, however, a consensus among participants that in recent years many teachers have detached themselves from different communities within the institute. The analysis of the data revealed sense of belonging, teacher’s view of the profession, infrastructure and flawed dialogue as the major threats.