Abstract
A recent pandemic in 2020 forced schools to shift from in-person pedagogy to online learning. Schools had to re-evaluate how they would continue functioning and delivering meaningful instruction. School communities grappled with creative mechanisms for teaching and learning during this crisis. They were tasked to develop innovative solutions using electronic platforms to ensure that the culture of learning was maintained. Teacher professional development (PD) is an ongoing imperative, and during Covid-19, schools had to come up with ways to implement teacher PD. Situations like these often lead to the creation of new professional learning communities (PLCs) or test the efficacy of existing PLCs, reiterating the need for this study. Therefore, further research was necessary to understand the complex interplay between school culture and teacher PD. Professional learning communities (PLCs) can help a school identify how to blend technology into instructional plans, review new methodologies and share academic experiences with peers while creating a sense of community. Professional learning communities (PLCs) grounded within the schools’ context are viewed as most effective because of their collaborative nature. This study used a generic qualitative approach located in an interpretive paradigm This inquiry was conceptualised as a comparative study of three independent schools in Gauteng, purposively selected because of the diversity of cultures and their geographical locations. These schools are, however, connected as they belong to the same Educational Trust. The three schools have multicultural staff and learners. The main research question guiding this study was: How did the influence of school culture, if any, foster continuing professional development opportunities for Mathematics and Sciences teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Key Terms: Professional Development; School Culture, Continuous Professional Development; Professional Learning Communities; STEM education; Teaching and Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic.