Supervisor Transformation within a Professional Learning Community.

High-quality professional development is defined as having the characteristics of longevity, context specificity, teacher voice, collaboration, and follow-up (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995; Lang & Fox, 2003; Lieberman, 1995; McLeskey & Waldron, 2002; Richardson, 2003). Effective professional development is "grounded in inquiry, reflection, and experimentation that are participant driven" (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995, p. 597). One vehicle for professional development that adheres to the principles inherent in high-quality professional development is professional learning communities (PLCs). Also referred to as communities of practice (Wenger 1998), these communities are "groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or passion about a topic, who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis" (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002, p. 4). Professional learning communities are named as contexts that are ripe for members to engage in transformation (Servage, 2008). Transformation is process that occurs when a learner engages in critical reflection on their assumptions and beliefs resulting in adapting existing frames of reference or adopting new frames of reference for viewing the world (Mezirow, 2000). This study includes data from a PLC of prospective teacher field supervisors who focused on bringing an equity focus to their supervision practice. This article will explore the transformation in a PLC and the key elements that supported transformation for three field supervisors. Additionally, in order to more adequately portray the integrated nature and complexity of these elements, implications for understanding and fostering transformation within PLCs are presented. Theoretical Framework Professional Learning Communities Wenger et al. (2002) describe communities of practice as (1) possessing a shared concern or domain of interest that provides the community with a unique identity, (2) engaging in joint activities and discussions, and (3) developing a shared practice that includes developing strategies for solving problems. As the PLC members meet over time, they "develop a unique perspective on their topic as well as a body of common knowledge, practices, and approaches" (Wenger et al., 2002, p. 5). During these meetings, communities work to solve problems, discuss individual situations and needs, talk about common concerns, act as sounding boards, develop personal relationships and patterns of interacting, tell stories, and coach each other. In a PLC, knowledge is not viewed as an object or something that can be owned. Instead, knowledge "resides in the skills, understanding, and relationship of members as well as in the tools, documents, and processes that embody aspects of this knowledge" (Wenger et al., 2002, p. 11). Wenger (1998) points to the fact that, in order for collegial learning to take place within a PLC, there must be deliberate attention to both practice and the community itself. PLCs can become venues for problem solving and inquiry as the community encourages greater supported risk taking (Englert & Tarrani, 1995; Snow-Gerono, 2005). PLCs are lauded as a positive reform in professional development where "through collaborative inquiry, teachers explore new ideas, current practice, and evidence of student learning using processes that respect them as experts on what is needed to improve their own practice and student learning" (Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008, p. 90). An overwhelming portion of the literature on PLCs focuses on descriptions of programs, teacher perceptions, and learning community characteristics (Vescio et al., 2008). However, relatively little research examines the specific interactions and dynamics by which a PLC constitutes a resource for learning and innovations in practice (Little, 2003; Wilson & Berne, 1999). Transformative Learning Theory One theory of adult learning, transformative learning, can be defined as: The process by which we transform our taken-for-granted frames of reference (meaning perspectives, habits of mind, mind-sets) to make them more inclusive, discriminating, open, emotionally capable of change, and reflective so that they may generate beliefs and opinions that will prove more true or justified to guide action. …