The idea of joining a conversation through reading and writing is not new; in his 1941 book "The Philosophy of Literary Form: Studies in Symbolic Action," Kenneth Burke suggests that the acts of reading and writing are like entering a parlor where others are already conversing. The author explores the place of professional debate within NCTE and…

Professional development (PD) of teachers comprises a major challenge in many countries. The empirical relations between teaching-learning processes and student achievements occupy educators who construct teachers' in-service training programs. Student achievements serve as a measure for testing improvements in learning. Many investigators view…

Today's undergraduate students are interconnected in more ways than ever before. Cell phones, text messages, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace all make it possible for individuals to connect with one another in seconds. The interconnectedness among this generation of students makes this demographic ideal for participation in the professional…

Like many school districts across the nation, Solon (Ohio) City Schools is committed to improving the quality and depth of student learning while simultaneously fostering the growth of leadership in the district. To achieve these goals, the district is investing in sustained professional learning designed to build leadership among faculty and to…

In this rejoinder, the authors respond to the comments, feedback, and suggestions offered by Hatcher, Miville, and Nutt. The authors clarify a possible point of confusion, reaffirm their contention that the crux of sound psychology practice rests on therapists' ability to facilitate change with their clients, and acknowledge both the progressive…

The term "sheltered instruction" (SI) has become a widely used metaphor representing a common pedagogical intervention intended to help English language learners simultaneously gain English proficiency and academic content knowledge. While existing research places considerable emphasis on observable pedagogical techniques that characterize SI,…

This article presents the results of a study on the project "Teacher Educators Study Their Own Practices". Nine teacher educators participated and conducted a self-study into their own practices. The leading question of this article is whether their self-studies contributed to the development of their professional identities. Data…

Professional development (PD) workshops designed to help faculty move from teacher- to learner-centered science courses for undergraduates are typically evaluated with self-reported surveys that address faculty's satisfaction with a workshop, what they learned, and what they applied in the classroom. Professional development outcomes are seldom…

As part of a large research and professional development project funded by the Catholic Education Office Melbourne (CEOM), called "Contemporary Teaching and Learning of Mathematics," the ACU team has been leading demonstration lessons. There is certainly not universal agreement on the worth of demonstration lessons in the mathematics…

Since 1987, nearly 82,000 teachers nationwide have become National Board certified (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards [NBPTS], 2009a). National Board certification is a voluntary process that recognizes teachers who demonstrate accomplished teaching practice as defined by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards…

In recent years, educational technologists have advanced the construct Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) to describe teachers' knowledge related to effectively integrating technology. In this paper, I use the TPACK framework to examine elementary school teachers' experience in a year-long professional development program,…

At Emory University's Goizueta Business School, eportfolio serves as the foundation for a sequence of assignments in our core "Communication and Professional Development" course. Our philosophy underlying the use of eportfolio is influenced by narrative and sense-making theory. At the beginning of the semester, students record their…

This article presents an interview with Karen Glover of Georgia Tech, a key person behind the planning of the Access Services Conference held last fall, and now going into its second year. Glover started working in libraries as a part-time library assistant at her local public library during her high school years. She later became a Circulation…

There is no doubt that education services and welfare policy are now seen as key drivers within the high-priority social policy arena of Children's Services that has become the dominant reform of local authorities throughout England. This article considers questions surrounding the issue of how an effective continuing professional development…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges and benefits that arose from the implementation of an innovative example of employer responsive provision, i.e. of a postgraduate programme that is work-based and designed specifically to meet the needs of the organisation. Design/methodology/approach: The approach is to outline the…