The Status Quo, Problems And Improvements Of The Learning Communities For Enlish Teachers

English learning communities are fundamental units in educational and academicresearch in senior middle schools, which are the cradles for improving English teachers’professional working. The communities’ teaching and researching abilities, as well asthe teaching methodology, exert influences on teachers’ developments. The constructionof the communities is fairy meaningful in enhancing teachers’ professionaldevelopments. The construction of English teaching and research group (TRG) is one ofthe best ways to convert the professional functions of the communities, which is also theimportant method to procure the professional developments of English teachers. Englishlearning communities of TGR are learning-organization based, which are guaranteed bythe corresponding systems and characterized by mutual communications with teachers’collaboration.The research has analyzed the problems of the TRGs for English teachers inYichang senior middle school by questionnaires and interviewing, and the ways out inthe TRGs by using the theory of cooperative learning. Then the research has proposedthat the learning communities for English teachers are effective ways to promote thetransformation of TRG functions and improve teachers’ professional developments.In the present study, the construction of the learning communities is realized by thecooperative learning in the TRGs for English teachers, which ultimately aims atprocuring teachers’ professional developments. In each facet of the study, we haveparameters that can be adopted for the analysis. The analysis of the current states andproblems of the English learning communities is based on the three facets offundamental information of the teachers, situations and effects of the communities, andthe suggestions for the further developments of the communities. Then the solutionssuch as developing supportive and sharing leaders, nurturing mutual perspectives andwishes, strengthening mutual learning and applications, and culturing supportiveconditions. In the vertical analysis, the communities have been pushed further frominitiative to execution, and finally to institutionalization. This aims at not only improving teachers’ knowledge and ability structures, but also developing teachers’professional structures. Therefore teacher’s professional developments can becomprehensively enhanced therein.