This conceptual paper discusses 'unseen observation' as an alternative model of classroom observation to support teachers' professional learning. The paper starts with a critical synopsis of how observation has been appropriated principally as a performance management tool for monitoring teacher effectiveness in the UK. It argues that the…

This study investigates teachers' understanding of how conversations between colleagues can promote the development of knowledge. Its purpose is to supplement previous research in the field of knowledge processes in respect of conversation as an integral part of teachers' everyday work. On the basis of interview data obtained from teachers in a…

This case study involved an urban elementary school's implementation of a peer-observation professional learning protocol, collegial visits (CVs). The study sought teachers' perceptions of CVs as a professional learning format, whether CVs aligned with contemporary professional learning expectations, how and in what ways CVs influenced social…

When centred on the professional exchange of skills and knowledge, overseas volunteering can be a beneficial form of professional development. In contrast to voluntourism where volunteers buy an overseas experience, professional-based overseas volunteering centres on professional collegiality and skill exchange which leads to greater professional…

Articulations of effective teacher professional development (PD) consistently foreground a focus on curriculum content and how best to teach it. Consequently, when teachers work together on pedagogy they typically work with colleagues who have similar specialisations, focusing on a specific subject or part of the curriculum. Arguably, however,…

School principals play a key role in the creation and nurture of school conditions conducive to Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). In China, whereas the term PLC itself is an imported concept and rarely used by school practitioners, the precept of PLCs, collaborative teacher learning activities, are firmly embedded in teachers' daily work.…

A starting point for realising connections between leadership and professional learning is to focus specifically on teachers and their conceptions of leadership. Typically, leadership is understood as a designated position with a defined role and responsibilities for individuals. An alternative conception is to view leadership as collective rather…

Supporting new academics when they begin a university career is important for them to adapt quickly and easily to the institutional goals and expectations. For those arriving from overseas and a different culture, often with families, this support is even more crucial. In this article, 10 academics from a range of disciplines, in which nine were…

Excellence in higher education teaching has become a policy priority of governments worldwide in recent years. In the United Kingdom, for example, the introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework in 2016 heralded an unprecedented focus on the quality of teaching. Set against the backdrop of such policy developments and wider global interest…

In this paper we consider the pedagogic and cultural role of practitioner research (PR) in teacher learning, using a case study approach set in a secondary academy school in the West Midlands of England. We acknowledge teacher learning and its influence on pupils as complex and relational, and that this should encourage more research, not deter or…

This study was a qualitative comparative case study of two secondary schools (one urban high school and one suburban middle school) where teams of teacher leaders were in the planning stages of implementing an initiative about a peer observation protocol called collegial visits. The primary research question was, 'How does a team of teacher…

Collaborative inquiry (CI) has emerged as a dominant structure for educator professional learning in the twenty-first century. CI engages educators in collaboratively investigating focused aspects of their professional practice by exploring student responses to instruction, leading to new understandings and changes in classroom teaching. However,…

This study investigates early childhood education teachers' and assistant teachers' views about a year-long professional development model that focuses on developing intentional teaching. The study shares the results of interviews conducted with the teachers at the end of the implementation of a one-year experimental professional model in Head…

This study examined the extent to which significant changes after one year of a longitudinal, state-funded teacher professional development program were sustained during the second year. Participants taught in elementary schools located in small, rural school districts in the state of California in the United States. The research examined changes…

In an effort to explore Greek-Cypriot teachers' development of professional identities, the current study reveals the ways in which seven teachers in one primary school in Cyprus perceive themselves as agents improving their teaching and growing as professionals. In-depth interviews indicate that teachers' conceptions of good teaching reflect a…