The authors argue that to help beginning teachers improve their practice, they (as teacher educators) must acknowledge their ongoing development toward becoming professional educators in the school communities they inhabit and with the students they serve. This piece cites numerous examples of teachers reflecting over a two-year period on their…

The two chapters in this section (Basile & Gutierrez, 2011; Yendol-Hoppey & Smith, 2011) contribute to the understandings about how to maintain resources and develop accountability necessary for successful partnerships. The authors discuss important themes related to the sustainability and maintenance of professional development schools, including…

In this paper the authors suggest that teacher educators in higher education institutions (HEIs) in England are not fully convinced that teaching should be a Masters profession. The original engagement with Masters-level provision for student-teachers in England seems to have been founded on a technicality rather than a committed philosophical…

As both Friedman (2007) and Wagner (2008) have eloquently emphasized in recent years, children need to learn more complex material in preparation for further education and work in the twenty-first century. Teachers, therefore, must learn instructional approaches that develop the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in an increasingly…

The close connection between the quality of provision for young children and professionalisation of the field has long been supported by international research. That the two are inseparable aspects of one picture is beginning to become accepted at European policy level, as evident in recent high level EU policy documents. This article explores the…

Performance Management clearly illustrates an attempt by the State to control the work of teachers by making them more efficient, more effective and more accountable. This article will critically scrutinise this bureaucratic process and amplify the voices of those being controlled and will highlight first-hand accounts of how teachers employ…

EdCamp is a grassroots movement of do-it-yourself professional development "un-conferences" that originated in Philadelphia in November 2010. In just a little over a year and a half the phenomenon has gained serious momentum across the country and now around the globe. This teacher-driven, bottom-up approach to professional development…

The educational scenario in India country is now passing through an era of renovation and refinement. The school education as well as higher education is included in this rejuvenation, with least consideration to teacher education. Pedagogic changes gained momentum by the inception of nation wide schemes such as MLL, DPEP, SSA and the emerging…

Museum education leaders often find themselves thrust into greater responsibility without an opportunity to prepare themselves for the challenges ahead. In this article, I discuss my own struggles transitioning from manager of a specific program area to oversight of an entire education department. This transition happened unexpectedly, and the…

This position paper observes the impact of "Proposition 227", California's "English for the Children" initiative, on the professional development of teachers of English Learners. It draws on information I obtained while working as an evaluator of the California Teacher Institutes (CTIs), a network of institutes aimed to enhance…

The author suggests that we apply recent research knowledge to improve our conceptualization, measures, and methodology for studying the effects of teachers' professional development on teachers and students. She makes the case that there is a research consensus to support the use of a set of core features and a common conceptual framework in…

How can current findings in neuroscience help educators identify particular cognitive strengths in students? In this commentary on Immordino-Yang's research regarding Nico and Brooke, I make 3 primary assertions: (a) the cognitive science community needs to develop an accessible language and mode of communicating applicable research to educators,…

Our world today is full of challenges and opportunities. Civilization will survive if, and only if, educational leaders implement postmodern thinking in public education. Postmodernism was originally a critique of modernism. The views of Clarence Johnson in this article support postmodernism as a current state of mind that allows a way of seeing…

Teaching is a complex profession that involves grappling with a variety of management styles; federal, state, and local mandates; local policies and agendas; and informed curriculum practices that affect pedagogy. Teachers work in increasingly diverse schools, and they must be reflective practitioners to deal with the many social and educational…

This paper is an experience-based reflection. Its aim is two-fold. The first is to critique the technocratic model of developing teacher educators. The second is to speak in favour of the potential values of critical practitioner inquiry (CPI). I do this by presenting how I, together with a group of my colleagues, benefited from the project. Our…