Featuring Dr. Dana Vedder-Weiss, Associate Professor of Education, Ben-Gurion University

A growing body of literature underscores the benefits of professional learning communities (PLCs) for teacher professional development. While many studies highlight the collaborative learning opportunities offered by PLCs, they also reveal associated challenges. However, in addressing these challenges, the focus has largely been on the cognitive dimensions of teacher learning—such as knowledge, skills, and perceptions—often neglecting the social challenges inherent in collaborative learning.

In this presentation, Dr. Dana Vedder-Weiss will introduce a research project that critically examines this issue by exploring the tensions between learning objectives and social goals, as well as how teachers and facilitators navigate these complexities. She will discuss a series of studies from a comprehensive design-based implementation research project on PLCs. These studies investigated the relational dimensions of discourse within PLCs, including face-work, disagreements, status, and emotional norms. Dr. Vedder-Weiss will argue that the prevailing norms of professional discourse in PLCs significantly shape relational dynamics, often hindering professional learning.

Feel free to bring your lunch. Drinks will be provided. 

Meet Dr. Dana Vedder-Weiss: Dr. Dana Vedder-Weiss is an associate professor at the School of Education at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. She earned her PhD in Science Education from the Weizmann Institute of Science. Currently, she leads the Informal Learning Environments Research Group and chairs the Department of Pedagogy and Teacher Learning. Her research focuses on the socio-emotional dimensions of teacher and student learning in science and other domains within both formal and informal educational settings. Dr. Vedder-Weiss is the recipient of the NARST 2020 Early Career Research Award and serves as the incoming Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching.