Professional development

About: Professional development is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 81108 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1316681 citations.

Rethinking the Practicum in the Professional Development School Partnership

Abstract: The reemergence of the professional development school movement in North America may mark the beginning of a paradigm shift in clinical teacher education. Conceptual and structural obstacles to student teacher learning in practicums that must be addressed if the professional development school is to achieve its goals are discussed. The conceptual barriers result from inadequate conceptions of reflection that neglect teachers' practical theories, values, the social conditions of schooling, and the social aspects of reflection. The structural barriers include the placement of student teachers in single classrooms rather than schools, the selection of placements, supervisory relations, and the lack of multicultural placements. Professional development schools offer an opportunity to overcome these obstacles by altering the power and role relationships in the practicum.

Why Professional Development Matters.

Abstract: Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Unless indicated otherwise, buyers of this book have permission to make up to 30 copies of handouts if they are to be used for instructional purposes as long as this book and Learning Forward are properly cited. Requests for permission to reprint or copy portions of this book for other purposes should be faxed to 513-523-0638 on organization letterhead. E-mail requests will be accepted at office@learningforward.org. All requests must specify the number of copies that will be made and how the material will be used. Please allow two weeks for a response. See WHY Professional Development MATTERS FOREWORD " Another professional development day! What an inconvenience! " Th is comment rings across kitchen tables, through grocery store aisles, on the sidelines at soccer games, and in the breakrooms in local businesses. Parents expect their children to be in school and rely on schools not only for educating them, but also for providing a safe and dependable place for students to be each day. Families and even employers are inconvenienced on inservice days or when the school day starts late or ends early to provide time for teacher professional development. For business and community leaders, the quality of a community's education system relates directly to the economic success of the community. School success translates into tax revenues, real estate values, and community satisfaction. When asked what they want for their children, parents, and community members overwhelmingly agree that they want the best teacher possible in every classroom. Research confi rms that the most important factor contributing to a student's success in school is the quality of teaching. While parents may not be familiar with the research, they are united in their desire to ensure great teaching for every child every day. Professional development is the most eff ective strategy schools and school districts have to meet this expectation. Professional development is the strategy schools and school districts use to ensure that educators continue to strengthen their practice throughout their career. Th e most eff ective professional development engages teams of teachers to focus on the needs of their students. Th ey learn and problem solve together in order to ensure all students achieve success. School systems use a variety of schedules to provide this collaborative learning and work time for teachers. When time set aside for professional development is used eff …

Promoting Inquiry-Based Instructional Practice: The Longitudinal Impact of Professional Development in the Context of Systemic Reform:

Abstract: Over the past decade, national and state policy makers have wagered heavily on systemically reforming science and mathematics education through inquiry-based instructional approaches. This study ex...

A study of social participation and knowledge sharing in the teachers' online professional community of practice

Abstract: To facilitate professional development of teachers in the online context, the online community of practice (CoPs) has become an important platform in which individuals with similar interests or common goals get together to share their resources, develop working strategies, solve problems, and improve individual as well as organizational performance. In this study, we have collected self-reported knowledge-sharing behaviors from 321 members of the largest online professional CoP of teachers in Taiwan. The results show that closer connections among online CoP members can lead to greater recognition of and altruism towards others. Moreover, performance expectation and self-efficacy belief play essential roles in knowledge-sharing participation. Thus, the development of social relationships among online teacher members helps them obtain potential resources and reliable support through their social network. Also, teachers' membership in the online professional CoP fosters a prosocial attitude that heightens their willingness to share useful resources and solve other members' problems, both emotionally and instrumentally. Consequently, knowledge-sharing behaviors, in terms of knowledge giving and knowing receiving, are significantly predicted by prosocial commitment and performance expectation respectively. The implications to both research and practice are provided in this paper. The strength of ties and prosocial commitment help obtain resources and support in the online professional CoP.Self-efficacy reflects a mediating effect on knowledge sharing through prosocial commitment and performance expectation.Knowledge sharing as a form of social participation is predicted by prosocial commitment and performance expectation.