South African organisations and particularly institutions of higher learning have been confronted with workforces that increasingly reflect the diversity of the South African population. This changing workforce composition implies that the multitude of individual and cultural differences and similarities become increasingly apparent among…

In this continuously changing contemporary economy, companies have to be able to anticipate technological innovations and to compete with other companies worldwide. This need makes important a company's ability to evolve through its employees' learning and through continuous development. Securing and retaining skilled employees plays an important…

Since teachers at Frontier Central High School in Hamburg, New York, began using a learning styles approach, the number of special education students earning regular high school diplomas has grown dramatically. The secret of their success is a well-researched, faculty-developed curriculum that considers the needs and strengths of individual…

The rising demand for administrative staff development is largely a product of external forces (political demands for reform). Many superintendents are exploring alternatives to meet the requirements of employee improvement. This article describes the efforts of three superintendents and a university professor to develop a meaningful database for…

Describes the procedure by which content area teachers are trained to implement the use of study guides in their classrooms. (AEA)

Argues that teachers' individual differences contribute to the failure of many inservice workshops. Suggests ways by which consultants and staff developers can deal with differences and provide alternatives for more individualized instruction. (RL)

Employees classified into development and research groups were contrasted for differences in vocational interest and personality inventory responses. Discriminant and classification analyses indicated that these two groups could be distinguished. Development personnel exhibited greater interests in supervisory-related areas, but researchers showed…

Effective professional learning requires that staff developers thoughtfully plan to meet varying teacher needs and be responsive to differences--that they model the differentiation teachers will practice in the classroom. Staff developers must be mindful of participants' current learning needs and plan according to their readiness, interest, and…

Presents six suggestions for personalizing professional development for middle school teachers: (1) encourage openness to change; (2) facilitate teachers' self-assessment; (3) urge teachers to be learners; (4) encourage a focus on the enjoyable in teaching; (5) advocate that teachers contribute to peers' growth; and (6) promote full lives beyond…

Providing leadership for a diverse camp population and providing diverse leadership is a challenge. Presents ways to diversify campers and staff, and ways to promote diversity through socialization, education, and experience. Planned and spontaneous incidents should be related to diversity, and similarities should be discussed so that no one feels…

Maintains that staff guidance in early childhood and child care programs can be optimized when it functions within the guidelines of developmentally appropriate practices in regards to staff age, stage appropriateness, and individual appropriateness. Differences in individual staff temperament and cognitive styles are considered. (BB)

The purpose of this article is to present the findings from some empirical research carried out in 2002 among 200 staff working in 13 secondary schools in South Wales, concerning their views of the management of professional development. The findings indicated many of the significant differences between staff were gender-based. Female staff…