title: The Development of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in the Philippines: Roles and Views of Secondary School Principals

authors: Capili-Balbalin, Wenefe

subjects: Professional learning communities

abstract: It is widely recognised that principals play an indispensable role in the professional development of teachers in schools. In the Philippines, principals encourage teachers to participate in the traditional and most common approach to professional development such as conferences, seminars, workshops, and training. Despite documented benefits of these traditional approaches to teacher professional development, recent studies show that many teachers find them insufficient, inconsistent, and sometimes they do not necessarily address teachers’ classroom needs. There is a growing body of literature that recognises the importance of teacher engagement through professional learning communities (PLCs) as a new approach to teacher professional development. Unlike traditional approaches to teacher professional development, PLCs redefine professional development from programmes that regard teachers as passive learners to programmes that regard teachers as active learners who are responsible for their own professional growth.  The study explored the roles and perspectives of secondary school principals in the development of PLCs in the Philippines. It is an underlying assumption that principals’ understanding of their roles in the implementation of teacher professional development policies in schools is central to the formation of PLCs. This raised two important questions that principals needed to contemplate: How did they view and implement national policies on teacher professional development in the school level? And, how did they perceive and establish PLCs in their schools?  The study utilised a qualitative research methodology based on an interpretive paradigm. Through the use of semi-structured interviews alongside policy analysis, three main themes emerged: lack of continuing teacher professional development programmes in the Philippines; varying views of principals in the development of PLCs in schools; and, effective leadership styles as key to support continuing professional development of teachers. The lack of continuing teacher professional development programmes suggests that principals in the study failed to establish PLCs in their schools. This offers some important insights on the leadership experiences of principals in the implementation of national policies on professional development and how it affects their roles in supporting teachers’ continuing professional development. The study also reinforces theories around strong influence of school leadership in the formation of PLCs, particularly in developing countries such as the Philippines. This is an important issue for future work, as top-down leadership continuously predominates in school organisations in the Philippines. Further work is recommended to investigate the implications of this for the confidence level of principals in their leadership in the context of secondary schools in the Philippines.

text: The Development of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in the Philippines: Roles and Views of Secondary School Principals It is widely recognised that principals play an indispensable role in the professional development of teachers in schools. In the Philippines, principals encourage teachers to participate in the traditional and most common approach to professional development such as conferences, seminars, workshops, and training. Despite documented benefits of these traditional approaches to teacher professional development, recent studies show that many teachers find them insufficient, inconsistent, and sometimes they do not necessarily address teachers’ classroom needs. There is a growing body of literature that recognises the importance of teacher engagement through professional learning communities (PLCs) as a new approach to teacher professional development. Unlike traditional approaches to teacher professional development, PLCs redefine professional development from programmes that regard teachers as passive learners to programmes that regard teachers as active learners who are responsible for their own professional growth.  The study explored the roles and perspectives of secondary school principals in the development of PLCs in the Philippines. It is an underlying assumption that principals’ understanding of their roles in the implementation of teacher professional development policies in schools is central to the formation of PLCs. This raised two important questions that principals needed to contemplate: How did they view and implement national policies on teacher professional development in the school level? And, how did they perceive and establish PLCs in their schools?  The study utilised a qualitative research methodology based on an interpretive paradigm. Through the use of semi-structured interviews alongside policy analysis, three main themes emerged: lack of continuing teacher professional development programmes in the Philippines; varying views of principals in the development of PLCs in schools; and, effective leadership styles as key to support continuing professional development of teachers. The lack of continuing teacher professional development programmes suggests that principals in the study failed to establish PLCs in their schools. This offers some important insights on the leadership experiences of principals in the implementation of national policies on professional development and how it affects their roles in supporting teachers’ continuing professional development. The study also reinforces theories around strong influence of school leadership in the formation of PLCs, particularly in developing countries such as the Philippines. This is an important issue for future work, as top-down leadership continuously predominates in school organisations in the Philippines. Further work is recommended to investigate the implications of this for the confidence level of principals in their leadership in the context of secondary schools in the Philippines.

year: 2017

title: Water column turbidity not sediment nutrient enrichment moderates microphytobenthic primary production

authors: Mangan, Stephanie

subjects: Science & Technology

abstract: Soft sediment intertidal habitats are under intense anthropogenic pressure resulting from increased land derived sediment and nutrient delivery. Long term, this can cause high water column turbidity and nutrient enrichment of sediment porewaters, which has cascading effects on coastal ecosystem functionality. However, how these stressors may interact and influence benthic productivity over alternating periods of submergence and emergence is largely unknown. This study investigates the effects of sediment nutrient enrichment (at three levels for 20 months) on benthic primary production at six sites in four New Zealand estuaries that spanned a gradient in water column turbidity. While nutrient enrichment had no detectable effect on microphytobenthic primary production, water column turbidity had a significant influence, explaining up to 40% of variability during tidal submergence, followed by temperature and sediment characteristics. In addition, negative net primary production (NPP) estimates and therefore net heterotrophy for the most turbid estuaries during tidal submergence resulted in an increased reliance on production during emerged periods, where NPP was positive across all sites. This study highlights the prominent role of water column turbidity over nutrient enrichment in moderating microphytobenthic production, and the increasing importance of emerged periods to maintain the health and functioning of coastal habitats.

text: Water column turbidity not sediment nutrient enrichment moderates microphytobenthic primary production Soft sediment intertidal habitats are under intense anthropogenic pressure resulting from increased land derived sediment and nutrient delivery. Long term, this can cause high water column turbidity and nutrient enrichment of sediment porewaters, which has cascading effects on coastal ecosystem functionality. However, how these stressors may interact and influence benthic productivity over alternating periods of submergence and emergence is largely unknown. This study investigates the effects of sediment nutrient enrichment (at three levels for 20 months) on benthic primary production at six sites in four New Zealand estuaries that spanned a gradient in water column turbidity. While nutrient enrichment had no detectable effect on microphytobenthic primary production, water column turbidity had a significant influence, explaining up to 40% of variability during tidal submergence, followed by temperature and sediment characteristics. In addition, negative net primary production (NPP) estimates and therefore net heterotrophy for the most turbid estuaries during tidal submergence resulted in an increased reliance on production during emerged periods, where NPP was positive across all sites. This study highlights the prominent role of water column turbidity over nutrient enrichment in moderating microphytobenthic production, and the increasing importance of emerged periods to maintain the health and functioning of coastal habitats.

year: 2020

title: The baskets of knowledge: A curriculum for an indigenous psychology

authors: Waitoki, Waikaremoana

abstract: Through the chapters in this book we have walked alongside Ripeka and her whānau. We have taken a journey into potentiality; that of Ripeka’s as well as our own. Our introduction to this book asked what would happen when we witnessed Ripeka through our eyes as a Māori psychologist, when diverse and multi-layered cultural contexts form our starting point. What would happen when we understood the interconnectedness of whakapapa, and tikanga to Ripeka’s past, present and future and how they could be used to guide pathways forward? We asked what would happen when we viewed Ripeka and her whānau through a lens of unrelenting hope and unrealised potential. If all those things happened, what value are we able to add as Māori psychologists to Ripeka’s life, and to that of her whānau?

text: The baskets of knowledge: A curriculum for an indigenous psychology Through the chapters in this book we have walked alongside Ripeka and her whānau. We have taken a journey into potentiality; that of Ripeka’s as well as our own. Our introduction to this book asked what would happen when we witnessed Ripeka through our eyes as a Māori psychologist, when diverse and multi-layered cultural contexts form our starting point. What would happen when we understood the interconnectedness of whakapapa, and tikanga to Ripeka’s past, present and future and how they could be used to guide pathways forward? We asked what would happen when we viewed Ripeka and her whānau through a lens of unrelenting hope and unrealised potential. If all those things happened, what value are we able to add as Māori psychologists to Ripeka’s life, and to that of her whānau?

year: 2016