"Transformational Professional Learning" is a periodically published e-newsletter designed to influence what educational leaders think, say, and do to improve teaching and learning by promoting deep understanding of important issues, the transformation of beliefs and assumptions, and a stream of powerful goal-focused actions. There are two…

It's true that students gain more from learning experiences when they're encouraged to plan their activities, share their knowledge with one another, and tailor material to their own needs. So why not create a professional development program that gives teachers the same range of options? This book provides the framework and steps to help…

This paper describes the use of research to shift a traditional teacher preparation program, that teaches all courses on the university campus, toward having a focus on "becoming a member of an urban education community," including teaching university courses at an urban elementary school and including community involvement in the…

This book includes step-by-step instructions to help experienced teachers become just as skilled at mentoring beginning teachers as they are at teaching. It describes how teacher mentors can: relate to their proteges in ways that establish good working rapport; assess how the mentoring is progressing and make necessary adjustments; coach proteges…

Experiential learning, or learning by doing, fits newer conceptions about the process of learning. John Dewey's emphasis on experience as the key to real learning, Paulo Freire's criticism of the "banking concept" of education, and David Kolb's description of the cycle of experiential learning have changed the conception of learning.…

A lesson study initiative was implemented in 25 high schools/learning centers in the Jefferson County, Kentucky, school district. The lesson study initiative is a professional development process in which teachers collaborate to systematically examine their practice and to improve the effectiveness of the experiences they provide to their…

This book presents a set of stories that focus on what teachers learn from talking to one another about their practice, presenting a case for how the ordinary talk among teachers is a potent medium for teacher learning and professional development. Drawing from the work of eight groups of teachers in the United States and Israel who met in…

This paper shares ideas from a research project involving more than 75 teachers in five states. The teachers participated in groups of 12-18. They received support as part of the research project. The groups met with a facilitator every 2-3 weeks to have conversations about teaching and learning. They learned from and with each other as they…

In March of 1999, the Professional Development Laboratory (PDL) of the New York University School of Education conducted an Evaluation Forum to address the issue of evaluating professional development. The Forum engaged PDL stakeholders, educational leaders, and community supporters in generating and responding to critical questions related to…

This paper describes a self-study research collaborative involving college faculty members. It began when members of a dissertation writing group decided to continue working together, focusing on self-study as a way of teaching and learning. In 1999, the group experimented with using teaching portfolios in their graduate education classes to…

This paper discusses how experienced teachers can keep their teaching fresh. Though professional development can help teachers stay current with educational techniques and practices, it is often not prioritized. Instructional changes that can recharge teachers so they provide students with optimal learning include: providing regular teacher…

This study examined a fifth year teacher, who had participated in an original project assessing the effectiveness of metaphor within collaborative reflection to help prospective teachers define, explain, and challenge their beliefs about learning and teaching science. Results found that using metaphor as a tool for reflection helped the teacher…

This study examined the influence of participation in school-based professional study group activities on both general and personal teaching efficacy. It also examined teachers' perceptions of changes that occurred in their teaching performance as a result of participation in the study group sessions. Participants were elementary teachers who…

This report addresses how literacy teachers can teach everything that their students need to develop the foundational skills and strategies of literacy, without sacrificing a focus on higher-level thinking about substantive content and good literature. It also addresses the impact on student learning when teachers use a literature-based reading…

Embedded in the framework of a Professional Development School (PDS) culture, this paper explores how interns in a learning community experienced collegial interactions, conversations, and collaborative reflection. The PDS intern community was a transformative learning forum in which empowered novice teachers articulated and examined their beliefs…