This article focuses on the learning activities provided for ten experienced teacher educators from six teacher education institutions in Ukraine. The authors examine how teacher educators approach professional development when introducing a new interdisciplinary course in teacher education programmes Methods of Teaching the interdisciplinary…

We have used the concept of ethnography as explanatory critique in earlier research in three projects in Spain relating to teacher professional development and leadership for socially just schools. This research involved participant observations, interviews, informal conversations, document analysis and virtual ethnography. However, we have also…

After outlining the central role of leadership for individual and interorganisational learning in sustainable Professional Learning Networks (PLN), this article describes Austria's professional learning environment and professional learning (PL) within this changing field. In order to meet urgent institutional requests for sustainable PL, new…

The current study aimed to examine the perceptions of primary school teachers in different periods of their professional life regarding what constitutes professional development and their experiences with reformed professional development courses. Teachers (N = 45) were enrolled in the study from three professional life periods (entry-level,…

This article is a descriptive analysis of the local impact of a national school/university partnership programme in Scotland. Starting from a high-level report on improving teacher education, a series of recommendations was filtered through various stages and agencies until local providers (local authorities and higher education institutions) were…

Teachers today operate in highly politicized accountability environments where quick results, typically measured by K-12 test scores, are demanded. Although focusing on student learning outcomes is critical, equally essential is assuring that teacher learning opportunities which can strengthen instruction are available to teachers. A decade ago,…

In this Viewpoint, we aim to raise questions about the positioning of teachers and teacher knowledge in professional development networks. We contend that diverse purposes across professional development configurations labeled "networks" have been glossed over in the literature, obscuring important questions about teacher learning and its role in…

The field of children's services in Australia is currently undergoing significant change. For example, the current implementation of the Early Years Reform Agenda encompasses the development of National Quality Standards, which promote a strong focus on workforce development. As a consequence, practitioners in this sector are being required to…

Teacher leadership has gained attention in recent years as a plausible means by which educational reform and instructional improvement can be accomplished through ongoing, site-based professional development for teachers. This article reviews and draws conclusions across the research literature on professional development and teacher leadership to…

Professional learning to embed educational reform may need to take account of the stage of the reform rather than previous teaching experience. As reforms move to the embedding phase, some teachers have become more expert in executing the reform than others and may be well placed to provide professional learning. In 2007, the New Zealand Ministry…

Wales provides an interesting case study of the ways in which policies relating to continuing professional development (CPD) change over time. During the past three decades there has been a swing from central political influences on CPD policy to a focus on school priorities coupled with greater individual professional focus, then back again to…

This paper argues that school professionals' attitudes to continuing professional development (CPD) fall into identifiable types, which influence their involvement with CPD. In order to consider appropriate support for staff to take up relevant CPD, this paper aims to identify what these attitudes are. To this end, a model developed as an outcome…

This paper reflects on the development of teacher continuing professional development (CPD) in Scotland, a constituent part of the United Kingdom that now has significant devolved powers within the United Kingdom--from a time when INSET was ill-coordinated and unvalued to the present reliance on CPD, with substantial investment, as the agent of…

Perceptions play a significant role in an individual's decision-making. This paper reports on a study that investigated primary school science teachers' perceptions of their school district professional development and its basis and impact on the teacher development process in a large district in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. From the…

The present study examines an innovative attempt to address national priorities with regard to subject (mathematics and science) and the needs of gifted and talented pupils. The initiative, PGCE Plus, was at the transition from initial qualifications and the domain of continuing professional development, occurring in the summer immediately…