Praxis development remains invisible in many discussions of professional learning because professional educators take praxis development for granted as an indissoluble part of education and educational work. This special issue provides new insights into professional learning for praxis development, and about the conditions that enable and…

This article aims to explain how social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter can be useful setting for effective professional learning communities (PLCs) for physical educators. It also pinpoints the opportunities and challenges of using social media for PLCs and provides recommendations for physical educators and physical education teacher…

This study explores readiness for change (RFC) in infant and early childhood education through the perspectives of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) consultants and social-emotional (SEL) coaches. Specifically, this research examines how these professionals perceive educators' RFC, identify barriers and facilitators to engagement,…

The growth of the Maker Movement has had a profound impact on museum education, particularly in science centers and museums that have established Maker Spaces, Fab Labs, or Tinkering Studios. While this has resulted in new educational practice taking root in these organizations, it has also raised the question of how best to support museum…

The article recounts the development of a five-stage model for the professional development of school principals and school leading teams. An instrumental qualitative case study methodology was utilized, based on seven in-depth interviews with the instructors who directed professional development for school staffs. The model reflects both…

Job-embedded professional learning throughout educators' careers for culturally relevant pedagogical knowledge and skill acquisition is necessary to support historically marginalized and minoritized students. Transforming culturally responsive practices from knowledge into skill requires time, self-reflection, and examining one's own bias. When…

This action research project occurred to assess the effectiveness of the continual learning process, a philosophy described by W. Edwards Deming. The study took place at a small, U.S. Midwest Lutheran school, conducted as a positive response to a teacher survey indicating the study's need. Five of the central concepts of this philosophy were that…

Professional development, typically initiated by administrators to improve student achievement outcomes, is often irrelevant to the needs of early career music teachers. As music teacher educators, we were concerned about issues of importance to early career music teachers as they entered the music teaching profession. We explored conversation as…

The current study was developed to consider reflection on experience in the professional context of academic faculty, and how reflection stimulates the learning and development of faculty, to mitigate personal and professional obstacles to academic career retention and success. Of the participants, 65% referenced "reflecting on…

Teachers' development can be seen as a dialog between their reflective thinking and their actions, with an added gradient of complexity from their social interactions. All of these elements are conjugated within their classroom practice, with their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) as theoretical background. This paper analyzes the case of a…

Research supports the contention that professional learning communities (PLCs) are a "path to change in the classroom" (DuFour, 1997). Teachers treading this path, however, can encounter obstacles or plateau as a result of five common challenges: incoherence, insularity, unequal participation, congeniality, and privacy. Fortunately,…

The professional learning journey for teachers can be either a challenging or a fulfilling one, depending on the conditions in each educational setting. One new initiative at the Manitoba Teachers' Society, the Collaborative Learning Team Grants project, seeks to address barriers such as fixed mindsets, a lack of time, and the absence of praxis,…

This report describes how teacher leadership is represented in the official documentation of key educational stakeholders in Alberta, Canada. Six themes emerged from the researchers' document analysis: foundational understandings; student diversity; innovative curriculum and student engagement; community engagement; 21st century competencies; and…

Critical reflection in teachers' professional development has received much attention in the scholarly literature, and there is an overwhelming consensus about its great significance to the quality of teachers' work. Nevertheless, despite the well-established role of reflection, a large gap between the professed goals and the actual reflective…

To enhance English as a second language (ESL) instructors' understanding and utilization of peer-reviewed research for professional learning and development, we facilitated the establishment of and supported professional reading groups in nine adult ESL programs. We examined the benefits and challenges experienced by the 76 participants over five…