The quality of the relationship between the mentor teacher and the student teacher is crucial for successful training. To date, however, little is known about how these relationships develop over time. The present study investigates this relationship formation based on the concept of relational turning point events. It presents findings of an…

Given the dyadic and multi-layered nature of professional relations, informal teacher learning mostly goes through complex, non-linear, and context-dependent professional interactions. Advice-seeking relationships (ASRs) are the most common form of informal interactions between teachers. However, due mostly to analytical constraints, little is…

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…

When new academics begin university life, the support they receive in their departments can vary. For many their initial experiences of the new job can be daunting. In this article 10 new academics from a range of disciplines were involved in a community of practice, known as Catalyst, to support them finding their feet within the university.…

Teachers are often encouraged to work in partnerships to support their professional development. In this article we focus on three forms of working partnerships based in English secondary schools. Each has an intended function of developing teaching practices. The cases of mentoring, coaching and an adapted lesson study come from both initial…

Research repeatedly suggests that a lack of autism awareness, plus poor interprofessional working, is undermining the development of effective autism provision across Scottish services. In response, the University of Aberdeen developed an interprofessional education (IPE) programme in Autism and Learning designed to address these problems. This…

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…