This study explores the role of creative arts in professional learning through a trauma-informed education (TIE) event for mentor and pre-service teachers. TIE requires educators to make complex relational shifts with students and to cultivate classrooms that promote safety, empathy, and empowerment. The professional learning event integrated…

In the Chinese vocational education context, expert feedback plays an important role in many teacher professional development programs, such as mentoring, lesson observation, teaching evaluation, and expert-teacher workshops. Previous research examined the general setting and effectiveness of these programs and did not go into depth about the…

As Australia's population becomes increasingly diverse, this paper examines how adult education can foster belonging, community, and empowerment for CALD learners -- a critical issue with broad societal implications. While Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) adult education aims to empower learners, this paper uncovers the complex…

Despite their position as providers of tertiary education, universities sit beyond normalised discourses of education where qualifications, registration, and continuing professional development are concerned. In this case study, we explore how participation in an academic induction program (AIP) builds foundational andragogy knowledge and skills…

This study was designed to investigate factors that influence university teachers' lifelong learning from the perspective of professional development. This study built a framework on Jarvis' lifelong learning definition which is rooted in the constructivist paradigm, indicating that adult lifelong learning is a process constantly constructed and…

Professional learning community (PLC) is a current "buzz" term in business and educational contexts, seemingly referring to anything from decision making committees to regular meeting groups or collegial learning teams. This paper explores the concept of a PLC within three significantly innovative schools, based on an examination of the…

This paper elaborates on a number of key criticisms of Mezirow's transformative learning theory as well as providing arguments that validate it. Our paper exemplifies how Mezirow's theory can help adult educators and prospective school teachers understand that social structures and belief systems can influence student learning, that learners make…

This paper reports on a strategy for exploring the life-centric practice of a lecturer in Higher Education. The initiative for this inquiry arose out of the realisation that there did not appear to be positive, heart-lifting stories in a lecturer's current teaching experiences. Using an appreciative eye and supported by a critical friend,…