Abstract: Educators have long considered professional development to be their right— something they deserve as dedicated and hardworking individuals. But legislators and policymakers have recently begun to question that right. As education budgets grow tight, they look at what schools spend on professional development and want to know, Does the investment yield tangible payo s or could that money be spent in better ways? Such questions make e ective evaluation of professional development programs more important than ever.

Abstract: Part One: The Professional Under Scrutiny Part Two: Performing and Negotiating Professional Identity Part Three: Maps And Knowledges for the 'New' Professional

Abstract: This paper describes a theoretical model of the multidimensional relationship between professional development activities for educators and improvements in student learning. It also examines the validity and appropriateness of the model through five in-depth case studies of school-based professional development programs. The model presented extends the work of current researchers and is more comprehensive than other recent models. The premise of the model is that the quality of professional development is influenced by many factors, with the most important being grouped into three categories: content characteristics, process variables, and context characteristics. Quality of professional development, the central component of the model, is linked to teachers' knowledge and practices, administrators' knowledge and practices, and parents' knowledge and practices. Student learning outcomes result from these interactions. The case studies used to test the model came from the National Staff Development Councils Model School Program. Three implications are drawn from the model. First, the model shows that the relationship between professional development and improvements in student learning is complex but not chaotic or random. Second, the model offers guidance to those interested in determining what makes pnofessional development effective. Third, the model illustrates the importance of a systemic approach to professional development and the need to view professional development reform from a systems perspective. (Contains 1 figure and 23 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 1 Linking Professional Development to Improvements in Student Learning

Abstract: (2002). Professional Development Programs for Elementary Science Teachers: An Analysis of Teacher Self-Efficacy Beliefs and a Professional Development Model. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 189-220.

Abstract: This paper raises questions about the sort of knowledge which has come to count as professional development knowledge. The author interrogates the curriculum and pedagogy of academic professional development programs in Australian universities, drawing parallels with Third World development programs. She argues that professional development knowledge is privileged over disciplinary knowledge in setting lifelong learning agendas for academics, and notes some problematic consequences of this for academics engaged in professional development programs.

Abstract: The concept of professional judgment is considered, including its theoretical foundations, how it is developed, and how it may be assessed. Professionals are asked to engage in complex and unpredictable tasks on society's behalf, and in doing so must exercise their discretion, making judgments--decide what is "best" in the particular situation rather than what is "right" in some absolute sense. Inevitably, some of these judgments lead to "error," which is endemic to professional practice. This challenges some current ideologies in health care regarding the primacy of evidence-based practice and the application of protocols. At the foundation of professional judgment is a form of knowledge--called practical wisdom--which is not formally taught and learnt but is acquired largely through experience and informal conversations with respected peers. Wisdom develops through "the critical reconstruction of practice," including deliberation, which is distinguished from mere reflection. Professionals need to engage in the appreciation of their practice--not just to understand what informs their own practice but to consider critically the contestable issues endemic to practicing as a professional.

Abstract: This article examines the concept and philosophy of andragogy (the art and science of teaching adults) and the ways that adults'self-image, experiences, and readiness to learn differentiate adult education from pedagogy (the instruction of children). By creating an enviroment for adult learning and engaging the school staff in mutual planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of professional development learning experiences, school leaders can improve the process of school-based teacher professional development.

Abstract: Preface List of Tables and Figures About the Author Part I: Redesigning Professional Learning for Educators 1. Breaking the Box: New Designs for Professional Learning in Schools 2. Building Beneath the Surface: Footings and Foundations for Professional Development 3. Creating a Professional Learning Community Part II: Creating Learning Spaces In and Beyond Work 4. Professional Development As Work: Essential Work for Educators 5. Professional Development In Work: Continuous Learning in Classrooms and Schools 6. Professional Development At Work: Benefits and Drawbacks to Workplace Learning 7. Professional Development Outside of Work: Creating Support for Off-Site Learning 8. Professional Development Beyond Work: Inward and Outward Learning Journeys Part III: Evaluating and Implementing New Designs for Professional Learning 9. Evaluating the Architecture of Professional Development 10. From Design Studio to School Site: Creating Learning Spaces in Your School References Index

Abstract: Context One of the most pressing requirements for contemporary medical education is to develop a framework for theory and practice of professional development which results in the attainment of professional competencies suitably robust for a lifetime's practice. The proposed content of a professional development curriculum may be reasonably straightforward to establish from policy documents and public expectations, but the process of achieving the desired outcomes is more complex, because professional development is largely based on attitudinal learning. Attitudes are at the interface between the personal and public psyche, relying more on individual experience and the accumulated impact of social and cultural interpretations than on propositional knowledge, and are therefore less amenable to factual or didactic teaching. Aims The purpose of this discussion paper is to develop thinking on the conceptual frameworks which need to underpin curriculum decision-making for professional development, especially in undergraduate medical training where models of good practice are less well-established. It brings together work from educational, sociological and psychological perspectives to elucidate the key principles which are most likely to result in acquisition of desirable professional attributes. Implications The literature suggests that successful professional development needs to be based on explicit values, which are repeatedly demonstrated in the learning environment, and modelled by senior colleagues and tutors; that the curriculum should incorporate a clear model of emotional as well as cognitive development; should be a major component of summative assessment; and needs to include formative mentorship at all stages of training.

Abstract: This comparative case study of two urban high schools surfaced a critical paradox of professional community heretofore obscured in the literature. Although extant literature has focused on school structures, values, and beliefs that engender collective identity, this study brings into focus the importance of both professional autonomy (“I-ness”) and shared identity (“we-ness”) in professional community. Examining the findings through two lenses—professional community and micropolitics—this study explores how, paradoxically, professional autonomy and attention to individual needs are necessary and salient conditions of strong professional communities. Furthermore, this study focuses on the important role that principals play in balancing individual and organizational needs and fostering professional community. Finally, the study reinterprets professional community to include a micropolitical dimension, thus enhancing its conceptual and practical utility.

Abstract: Professional development aims to impact upon teacher knowledge, teacher practice and thus change student outcomes. Some of the most effective examples of professional development have focussed on active involvement of staff and administration in the process and have been extensive and progressive in nature. In this paper, we report on the implementation of a model of professional development in which school reculturing, collaboration between teaching professionals and opportunities for individual teacher learning are core themes. This study, undertaken at a disadvantaged primary school in Queensland, Australia, was a collaborative effort between the school and a university. The case study data were collected within the context of a larger research project. Analysis of the data, collected from focus group interviews with 11 teachers at the school and reflective notes taken from the second author’s research journal, revealed four major themes which focus on reflections of the process of professional develop...

Abstract: In an increasingly challenging tertiary environment where academics need more than ever to be skilled across a range of areas, including that of teaching, understanding what constitutes effective professional development is crucial. This paper reports on what a group of lecturers at an Australian university find valuable in developing their professional expertise by means of work-embedded events and activities. It was considered important to probe lecturers' understandings in line with constructivist approaches that encourage the involvement of participants in the learning or development process. Particularly where participants are highly educated and self-aware, drawing out their knowledge and practice seems a fruitful way of informing approaches to professional development. The study revealed that lecturers found a wide range of strategies useful in developing their professional expertise, with a predominance of those strategies being collaborative in nature. The paper suggests some practical ways in wh...

Abstract: Doctoral education in Australia is currently under pressure to become more industry focused. This report discusses the relatively recent experience of offering doctoral education through professional doctorate programs as a contribution to the improvement of doctoral education in Australian universities. The evaluation focused on the extent to which such programs had developed practices for sustaining closer collaboration between universities and industry, through: • a review of the general literatures relating to the role of doctoral research in contributing to the growth of knowledge and innovation; • a multi-method exploration of the range of practices and relationships associated with professional doctorate programs; and • the development of strategies and policy recommendations for optimising doctoral education in Australian universities in terms of industry-focused outcomes. When set against the 800-year history of the PhD, the professional doctorate is a young doctorate, the first being set up in Australia within the last two decades. The nature and status of professional doctorates remains unclear to many, including a number of university administrators of research training, as well as government and industry personnel. The fact that 61 per cent of professional doctorate programs fall under the classification of ‘research’ higher degrees is not widely understood. Moreover, the 131 programs we found to exist in 35 of the 38 Australian public universities, exhibit a wide range of structures and features. While there is strong evidence of an increase in the number of professional doctorates being offered in Australian universities, and there is some evidence of innovation in a number of professional doctorate programs, it appears that industry-focused doctoral education is still in its infancy. With a few exceptions, neither industry nor universities were engaging in any significant way to develop sustainable partnerships to serve and support the work of doctoral education. While the government White Paper Knowledge and Innovation (Kemp, 1999a) is clearly having an impact on universities in terms of active improvement of the quality and accountability of research training, industry remains to be engaged in any systematic or sustained way. Most operational professional doctorates programs may be characterised as having ‘surface’ level links, in that they exhibit the following features: • A particular industry or group of industries is the source from which most clients come and to which they return; • There is some attempt made to involve non-academic individuals from industry and/or a professional group in course delivery, supervision or assessment (this is likely to be limited and ad-hoc); • Research and research activities are workplace-based; and • Marketing materials stress the value of the program to targeted professions. A few programs exhibited ‘deep’ levels of linkage with professional and industry bodies as indicated by the following: • Their establishment is driven by a particular industry or professional association (eg, peak industry groups define the nature of the training to be undertaken and the skills/attributes that are to be developed); • Industry and/or professions are partners in the delivery and supervision of programs, and this is built into the funding and/or sponsorship arrangements that exist between universities, participants and external bodies; • Industry/professional bodies play a substantial role in the assessment and credentialing process; • Research training outcomes are of a nature and in a form that is recognisable as beneficial to the industry/professional partner; and • The community of learning built around the program includes both academic and industry and/or profession based participants. While the strengths in a number of the ‘surface’-linked programs investigated are impressive, the potential for professional doctorates to offer a context for more innovative and industry-focused doctoral training is yet to be realised. In particular, there are significant possibilities for the design and development of doctoral programs that deliver new types of quality research training. Programs that are deeply linked to industry and/or the professions are needed to achieve this. There is no evidence that surface levels of engagement evolve into deeper ones.

Abstract: Increasingly, students with disabilities are being included in general education classrooms as inclusive school programs are developed and implemented. If inclusive programs are to be successful, teachers must be well prepared to accept new roles and responsibilities. To ensure that teachers support inclusive programs and are well prepared to meet student needs, high‐quality professional development programs are critical. This article provides a description of professional development programs that lead to the development of successful inclusive school programs. Initially, the authors argue that traditional “sit and get” professional development is often not effective. In contrast to this approach, if professional development is to result in significant changes in teachers’ classroom practices, these programs must be tailored to the individual needs of the local school and built into a school‐wide plan for school improvement. Finally, the authors contend that continuing professional development i...

Abstract: During the last twenty years professional people have seen their autonomy being gradually eroded and the decision making process becoming mechanised. Economic and political forces have contributed to this change, transforming the professional person into an operative. The advent of evidence based medicine and clinical effectiveness has propelled the medical profession into a structured protocol approach. The art of being a good doctor is undermined and sidelined. In parallel the only research that is deemed acceptable is that based on groups of patients. The value of what can be learnt from one patient is rubbished as anecdotal. These changes are totally at variance with the uniquely personal response that is necessary in a patient centred approach in the caring profession, where there is a great need to access the world of feelings and fantasy. …

Abstract: Continuing education is generally recognized as one of the most important aspects of professional employment. Common topics and themes at professional conferences (Price & Orman, 2001), in the professional literature (Tarnowski & Murphy, 2001), and among professional leaders (“Topics of Concern,” 1999) indicate concerns about changes in rapidly developing technology, the workplace, local and global communities, and the expectations of professionals across disciplines. Professional educators are particularly concerned about their changing roles from deliverers to facilitators of learning and balancing the need to efficiently use constantly developing technology and research with the need to develop more effective teaching skills.

Abstract: Introduction The current worldwide concern for accountability and ethics in public service and administration has reached a highly critical level, signaling another feature of a growing global crisis in public service and administration. Calibration of this global crisis of confidence in governance and administration requires deep understanding of its possible causes and consequences (Habermas, 1984; Bennett, 1992). Like many other important issues, ethics and accountability transcend virtually all human and institutional boundaries at local, national and international levels. Calibration of the current public service crisis is therefore a task that demands attention from all actors in governance and administration processes around the world (Freedman, 1978; Habermas, 1984; Rosen, 1986; Farazmand, 1989, 2001; Ban, 2000; Brown, 2000; Lewis, 2000). This would involve citizens, policy actors, governing political elites and administrative elites across the globe. Restoration of the public service image is an imperative that needs to be recognized as well. Public service has always been valued as a major feature of human civilization. This has been due to many factors, including the nature of humankind as a social creature with concern for common good and common interests as well as for selfinterest. The state and public sector organizations have played a leading role in providing this common good and public service throughout history. In fact, civilization and administration have been developed together, one promoting the other (Waldo, 1980/1992). This is evidenced by the highly developed public bureaucracy and civil service system, as well as by the proliferating intellectual/ philosophical development concerning public service in the great ancient empires of Persia, Greece, China and Rome, where much of the modern knowledge of public administration originated. The rise and expansion of the modern state has also contributed significantly to

Abstract: Professional communication is a growing component of English departments and other communication programs. Yet, in most cases, the term professional communication is used as a catchall term for var...

Abstract: Professional development is a requirement of every reform effort. Most states in the USA mandate a certain number of days in the school calendar to be allocated for professional development. Other nations often fund professional development for teachers to accompany an initiative to improve student performance. Although assumptions about why and how professional development should be conducted are shared, empirical evidence is relatively slim. Recent research generally focuses on the role of professional development in school reform. This study investigates the characteristics of involvement in professional development at the level of the district-the umbrella organisation for a geographic collection of schools. As part of a larger study, this research examines the professional development activities in school districts in relationship to overall district health. How do healthy and unhealthy districts differ in their approaches to professional development? What is the relationship between district health ...

Abstract: A transformational model of professional identity formation, anchored and globalized in workplace conversations, is advanced. Whilst the need to theorize the aims and methods of clinical education has been served by the techno-rational platform of ‘reflective practice’, this platform does not provide an adequate psychological tool to explore the dynamics of social episodes in professional learning and this led us to positioning theory. Positioning theory is one such appropriate tool in which individuals metaphorically locate themselves within discursive action in everyday conversations to do with personal positioning, institutional practices and societal rhetoric. This paper develops the case for researching social episodes in clinical education through professional conversations where midwifery students, in practice settings, are encouraged to account for their moment-by-moment interactions with their preceptors/midwives and university mentors. It is our belief that the reflection elaborated by positioning theory should be considered as the new epistemology for professional education where professional conversations are key to transformative learning processes for persons and institutions.

Abstract: Although continuing professional education programs are important in general, four specific elements of the context in which professionals deliver services to clients have an especially profound influence on learning in professional practice.

Abstract: The forms that assessment takes are widely recognised as determinants of educational practice. This paper, however, argues that a teacher's professional consciousness is a more fundamental determinant of teaching practice. To explore the issue, this paper examines data from a larger study which set out to examine the relationship between teachers' practice and their beliefs in the context of a mandatory school-based assessment scheme. Using a theoretical framework that advocates an emancipatory approach to educational changes, it was found that some teachers adopted a passive role regarding policy interpretation and implementation while others adopted a more critical stance in interpreting the policy requirements, demonstrating a more proactive approach in its implementation. The emancipatory approach is conceptualised in terms of three key dimensions: professional confidence, professional interpretation and professional consciousness. The findings of the study carry implications for teacher professional ...

Abstract: The proposed code of professional ethics for simulationists covers the following five areas: Personal development and the profession, professional competence, trustworthiness, property rights and due credit, and compliance with the code.