Lesson Study is a rapidly growing and increasingly popular teacher professional development approach and is valued for its cyclical, classroom-based and collaborative nature. Mostly used in primary and secondary education, Lesson Study has only recently been applied to the context of initial teacher education focussing on pre-service teachers'…

Purpose: This case study aims to explore the outcomes of two Lesson Study (LS) cycles involving four teachers of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in the Netherlands, focusing on task-based language pedagogy. Design/methodology/approach: Using LS, teachers engaged in a Plan-Observe-Analyse-Evaluate cycle to address the unique needs of highly…

In this paper, we describe the underlying mechanisms that both facilitate and limit the formation of successful educational leadership of participants of the 'Senior Fellow Programme': a professional development programme in conjunction with a career track leading up to a teaching-focused full professorship. Based on an analysis of the…

We hypothesise that warm bounded learning communities (WBLC) contribute to social and academic integration of students. Eleven students facing study delay participating in a WBLC to write their bachelor thesis were interviewed. They described important episodes in their graduation process, prior to and during their participation. Results indicate…

Background: There is a strong need for evidence based, effective continuous professional development (CPD) for physical education teachers. This need includes CPD aimed at impacting student motivation. Existing CPD on teachers' motivating style often takes the form of singular events such as a workshop or training session. Research shows that in…

This article looks at how membership of a community impacts learning for individuals. Community membership and learning have received much attention from scholars and practitioners alike (for example, in Wolfensberger, 2012; Inkelas, Jessup-Anger, Wawrzynski, & Benjamin, 2007; Wenger, 1998). Specifically, many studies have focused on learning…

Purpose: This study sought to identify those approaches used by coaches that enable teachers' moral learning in professional learning communities (PLCs). Coaches who support moral learning focus on questioning values, beliefs and bias, which is in contrast with learning only (new) knowledge or skills. Design/methodology/approach: This was an…

Teacher professional learning is considered crucial for improving the quality of education. Teacher collaboration in professional learning communities can contribute to the effectiveness of professional development efforts. In the past decade, there has been a shift from within-school to between-school professional learning communities. However,…

This article examines whether a mixture of virtual and real-life interaction--in contrast to purely virtual interaction--among some members of online communities for teachers is beneficial for all teachers' professional development in the whole community. Earlier research indicated that blended communities tend to face fewer trust and free rider…

A considerable amount of current research on teaching and teacher education focuses on teacher collaboration. Teacher collaboration is presumed to be a powerful learning environment for teachers' professional development. However, empirical research about how teachers actually learn in collaborative settings is lacking. In this study, learning…