Section archive - Professional Development

The current paper presents the results of an evaluation of the continuing training received by teachers in the preschool educational sector in Spain. The authors examine factors such as culture and motivation, and look into the initiatives taken with respect to training. The authors evaluate the results of training, focussing on satisfaction, learning, pedagogical suitability and the transfer of training.

In the current paper, the author traced an English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher’s professional development by examining her narrative and identifying the transformation of her awareness or kizuki. The term Kizuki in Japanese culture implies a sudden feeling of inner understanding of a phenomenon and can be roughly translated as ‘becoming aware of’, ‘noticing’ or ‘realizing’. To show how powerful and important the concept is for teacher development in the Japanese context, the author studied team‐taught project‐based EFL learning in a Japanese junior high school for nine months.

In this paper, the authors describe how teachers, who enrolled in an advanced master's degree program, expanded their understanding of multicultural education through teacher research. The authors address to the following question: In what ways does 'a graduate-level course with a dual emphasis on culture and inquiry through teacher research affect how in-service teachers conceptualize culture in their educational settings? The authors found that when most teachers had the opportunity to consider a broad view of culture and then apply it to their professional contexts, their understandings of teaching and learning in the classroom was enhanced.

This article reports on a study which sought to understand the experience of teachers who have responsibility for leading professional learning in their schools. The first part of the article describes the Leading Professional Learning program designed by Monash University. The program aimed to build teachers’ capacity to lead professional learning within their school settings. The second part of the article analyses the cases written by program participants. The analysis reveals important facets of the relational and emotional dimensions of leading professional learning in schools.