Most professional development plans and strategies simply offer high-quality training or activities that teachers then decide how (or if at all) to implement in their classrooms. By using a targeted professional learning plan, schools can increase the likelihood of student success by using cycles of learning to incorporate professional development…

Every teacher can recall a range of experiences in professional development workshops. Some of these may have provided opportunities in which teachers felt engaged, empowered, and supported as learners, while others felt disconnected from practice. Although these authors recognize that workshops, particularly those with no follow-up support, are…

The principles of relationships, relevance, and rigor (the three R's) provide a framework for structuring conversations and initiatives in instructional practice (Wagner, 2002). Typically, this framework is applied to student learning. In this article, the authors apply the three R's to adult learning and highlight three small schools in order to…

An understanding of adult learning principles will enable staff developers to select the most appropriate learning environment for participants. The purpose and sample activities of formal, informal, or non-formal learning environments are presented. (JD)

Three learning concepts important for adult learners are that learning is accelerated by making connections to prior information, people learn best when actively constructing knowledge, and instruments are important in supporting knowledge retrieval and construction. The paper explains how index cards can be useful instruments in learning. (SM)

If teachers are expected to change their teaching behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs, they need to be involved in interactive, sustained, job-embedded approaches to learning. Research shows how the brain works and what reinforcements it needs to retain information and translate that to practice.