by LeeAnne Lavender, PeerSphere Storyteller
At Access International Academy Ningbo (AIAN) in China, professional development for teachers has entered an exciting new phase thanks to the school’s participation in PeerSphere’s peer learning communities (PLCs). This initiative marks a significant shift in how educators at AIAN engage with and benefit from professional growth opportunities, adding to and complementing traditional models of professional development.
The impact of PLCs on AIAN’s faculty, a diverse group of passionate educators, is noteworthy. Last year, 8 faculty members joined PLCs to test the experience and see what it was like. This year, 15 educators and staff members are involved, and this is resulting in fresh insights and collaborative opportunities.
“For those of us who participated last year, we got a lot out of it (the PLC experience),” says Ryan Godlewski, head of school at AIAN. “At each of our leadership sessions at school, things from our PLC experiences came into our conversations, everything from child protection to support for teachers’ mental health. We started implementing and trying new things this year based on those conversations.”
Ryan joined the AIAN staff in 2017, first as a teacher and then a leader. He has played a pivotal role in integrating PLCs into the school’s culture and, under his leadership, AIAN has embraced PLCs as a tool for fostering a dynamic and collaborative learning environment for teachers.
“It’s often in the informal exchanges and side conversations during a PLC session where we learn the most,” says Ryan. He says his participation in the PLC communities has not only informed his leadership approach but also encouraged a culture of continuous learning among his staff.
One notable outcome from Ryan’s involvement in the PLCs has been the development of effective strategies for assessing the impact of professional development at AIAN, a goal aligned with the school’s commitment to continuous improvement.
“One of our WASC goals is about measuring the impact of professional development, and we got great ideas from other schools,” says Ryan. “We also realized other schools are grappling with this, too.”
The school’s commitment to professional development is further exemplified by initiatives encouraging teachers to share their PLC learnings, lead workshops, and even form their own peer learning groups at AIAN.
“Our school is smaller and newer than some schools, and we have many teachers who started their careers as assistants in their areas of speciality,” explains Ryan. “For example, our teacher librarian used to be the library assistant and our athletic director stepped into the role in addition to her position as an administrative assistant. So in their PLCs, they’re gathering information, and learning so much. Several staff members have shared examples from other schools with leadership and are making suggestions for things we could do differently. It’s pretty exciting.”
For the AIAN team, peer learning has become a core component of professional development, now and for the future. Ryan is excited to see how members of his team will grow into PLC leaders as time goes on, so they can share their growing expertise as their own practice evolves and expands.
Below, left to right: an aerial view of the AIAN campus, a staff photo, the elementary team
Photo above: AIAN PeerSphere PLC participants this year
