Section archive - Professional Development

The article explores online follow up and peer interaction following a professional development task. School librarians worked on interventions a library program would undertake to address student weaknesses on state mandated test, and three online environments were compared. No difference was found between the completion rates for participants in the follow-up group that did not have peer interaction and those in the Only Solicited Follow-up/No Peer Interaction.

Research suggests effective classroom ICT integration occurs through needs-based, collaborative professional development (Chandra-Handa, 2001; Cuttance, 2001; Figg, 2000; Gibson, Oberg, & Pelz, 1999; Gross, 2000; Haughey, 2002). A community of practice (CoP) (Wenger, 1998; Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002) can be an effective mode of such collaborative professional development. Principles for this research approach are discussed and address the membership of a CoP and teacher/researcher ownership of research goals and design.

Teachers are on the frontline of a changing society, but their teaching has not been appropriate for students who are prepared to solve problems, adapt, and think critically. The purpose of this article is to inform us that teachers need a community of learning in order to achieve professional development, and improve their teaching abilities.

The rationale for the use of Vygotskian framework is provided in the context of describing the various models of professional development. Within this theoretical framework, it is argued that concepts formulated by Vygotsky that are relevant to the education of students in school settings are also applicable to the professional growth of teachers in their work places.Various implications for effective professional development are presented by linking the developmental aspects of professional development and major tenets of Vygotsky's developmental theories.