Increasingly, educational reform is linked to the concept of professional learning communities (PLCs). Definitions of PLCs vary, but generally the concept refers to a group of educators who "continuously seek and share learning, and act on their learning" (Hord 1997, 6). Stoll and her colleagues, concluding their review of the current state of…

In this article, the authors describe an interdisciplinary doctoral course via a seminar (one semester, one-and-a-half hours weekly), that students found to be a major awakening and an important part of their professional development. Addressed were separate disciplines, via an experimental "How to be a Professor" course, and…

The four year Teacher Development Program in Ohio features inservice programs which are based on adult learning styles; the learning is self-directed, experiential, job-related, problem centered, and individualized. Staff development activities encourage participants to be actively involved, allow flexibility and freedom of choice, use a variety…

Part I of this brief document outlines seven opportunities provided for Pittsburgh secondary teachers by the Schenley High School Teacher Center. These opportunities include observing exemplary instructional activities in a real setting, practicing new skills and techniques, receiving feedback on that practice, and translating theory into…

Experimental instructional projects and educational programs generated by teachers at the Big Ten universities and the University of Chicago are described. Department-based projects include the following: introductory botany for nonscience students, University of Illinois, Urbana; futuristic and technological approaches to nonmajor biology, Ohio…