Localizing teacher professional development at scale enabled by professional learning communities: A study of teacher learning centers in Indonesia

Teachers play a pivotal role in designing and implementing teaching and learning activities for student learning engagement and learning outcomes. For teachers to take up such a role, their capacity for teaching and learning has to be built and supported throughout their career – from pre- to in-service professional development. However, some teachers lack professional development opportunities in emerging and developing Asian countries due to geographical locations (remote and rural areas), gender, special needs, and sociopolitical issues (displaced communities, ethnic minorities). At the same time, there is a lack of quality professional development initiatives that engage teachers and keep them updated with necessary competencies. Based on a study of teacher learning centers (TLCs) in two regencies in Indonesia, this chapter examines how teachers are supported by TLCs that function as professional learning communities that localize their professional development. The chapter also reports the challenges teachers encountered when applying TPD to classroom teaching and discusses how these challenges can be possibly addressed in the local context. Copyright © 2023 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.