We introduce and reflect on "Images of Teaching", an ongoing web documentation research project on preschool teaching in Singapore. This paper discusses the project's purpose, methodological process, and our learning points as researchers who aim to contribute towards inquiry-based professional learning. The website offers a window into…

An advocate for professional learning believes deeply that it is essential for educators to not only learn throughout their careers but to use their learning to become increasingly proficient over time. The advocate buttresses this belief with knowledge of specific processes and practices that constitute effective professional learning. Some…

This article, based on a presentation at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association Annual Conference, March 29, 2012, provides concepts, terminology, and financial models for establishing and maintaining successful institutional partnerships. The authors offer it as a contribution to developing a wider understanding of the…

This article addresses the professional dimension of the model for e-learning sustainability developed by Trentin (2007) and, in particular, the associated professional learning of teachers. It is set against a background context informed by the EU policy agenda for Improving Teacher Quality, which is considered specifically in relation to the…

Nationwide, there is an emphasis on the performance and accountability of principals. School districts are looking at the use of principal evaluation as a tool for improving the performance of principals, planning professional development, and school improvement. The development of the Alabama Professional Education Personnel Evaluation (PEPE)…

This dissertation is about a group of African American inner-city public librarians who, over the course of 16 months, read the literary genre Street Lit in an inquiry-based book club for the purpose of professional development. I explore their literary responses to Street Literature to learn what it means to be an educated, African American…

This study explores teacher thinking through collaborative reflective dialogue. Research on teacher thinking is not new but there is little research available on the use of language as a socially-mediated tool to examine changes in teacher thinking over time. The work of Lev Vygotsky and John Dewey offer some guiding principles in this research.…

Common sense tells us that when it comes to learning, time matters. An individual simply cannot become more proficient in any given area without committing a certain amount of time to grasping new content, practicing and honing skills, and then applying knowledge and skills to realizing specific aims. Think of the chess master who plays match…

Merrill (2002a) created a set of fundamental principles of instruction that can lead to effective, efficient, and engaging (e[superscript 3]) instruction. The First Principles of Instruction (Merrill, 2002a) are a prescriptive set of interrelated instructional design practices that consist of activating prior knowledge, using specific portrayals…

The purpose of this study is to examine the professional standards and competencies that California community college student government advisors perceive as important, their confidence level in those professional standards and competencies and the role that they believe professional organizations can play in developing those skills. This study…

The importance of leadership is critical with current accountability for student performance. The increased accountability for school leaders has caused a change in leadership roles to incorporate collaboration and shared leadership. Assistant principals are included in the concept of distributive leadership. A review of the literature shows…

The 2012-2013 school year represents a pivotal juncture for DC Public Schools. Last spring, Mayor Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson introduced "A Capital Commitment," their ambitious plan to dramatically accelerate student achievement in the district over the next five years by providing all of their students with a safe, academically…

The author is a site manager employed by a small community-based organization (CBO) that provides afterschool programming at a number of school-based sites scattered throughout southern King County in Washington State. As such, he belongs to one-half of the afterschool youth development (AYD) workforce: the (for the most part) full-time, salaried…

Across the country, with tight budgets and constant pressure to upgrade in the name of "21st century learning," school boards are struggling to put technology in its place. In British Columbia, two boards with different profiles have come to the same conclusion--that effective integration of technology in the classroom requires…

Teaching qualitative research methods (QRM), particularly early on in one's academic career, can be challenging. This paper describes shared peer journaling as one way in which to cope with challenges such as complex debates in the field and student resistance to interpretive paradigms. Literature on teaching QRM and the pedagogical value of…