This paper proposes a novel theoretical perspective on the nature of online learning. Taking a socio-cultural perspective, an argument is offered for the theorisation of peer to peer learning as a variety of "assisted performance". Using this theoretical lens, a case study is then offered which uses this model to frame an analysis of the…

Towson University was honored to host the 13th Annual Conference of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities in Baltimore's Inner Harbor in October 2007. More than three hundred faculty, staff, and senior level administrators representing approximately eighty institutions, national and international, came together for three days to…

Background/Context: The type of professional development provided for teachers has been undergoing change from a one-time workshop approach to a more embedded, long-term, reflective, and collaborative structure. Although findings on the impact of new forms of professional development (PD) are beginning to emerge in the literature, there is little…

Workplace learning circumscribes processes leading to the development of competencies and skills through daily work. It is of increasing importance for many modern enterprises, which consider themselves as being learning organisations, to make use of the potential of their employees in order to be competitive within global markets. Dealing with…

Meaningful professional development (PD) for correctional educators is not frequently addressed, though they work with students who are most at-risk in terms of academic success. In addition to the challenges that the students themselves face, there are obstacles inherent in administering educational programs in correctional facilities whose goals…

Many public schools currently have organizational structures that form barriers for dealing more effectively with students' challenging behaviors even though positive school-wide approaches exist and provide empirical support for their use. Nevertheless, resistance to change occurs at both institutional and individual levels. Improving student…

Supporting Teachers as Action Researchers (STAR) explores how school improvement initiatives may be sustained over time. It represents stage one of a broader investigation into how teachers' professional learning may be enhanced by positioning teachers as practitioner researchers and professionals who are capable of generating change from within…

Communities of practice challenge the traditional notion of learning as receiving knowledge which is essentially disembodied from practice. A community of practice is grounded by two central tenets: essentially that learning is situated, and that practice is made meaningful through reflection with others who engage in the shared experience. In…

One of the perennial challenges for academics working in the area of professional experiences (practicum) is how to negotiate the constantly moving and contradictory boundaries around their work. A number of questions arise. Firstly, how do they cope with the "shifting, changing landscape" (Clandinin, 2008) of the university and at the…

Use this handy guide to get your PLC engaged, energized, and ready to implement formative assessment. Everything you need to organize and run your PLC--including agendas, schedules, handouts, and background readings--is included. With enough materials for seven sessions total, you can focus your PLC on all of the critical issues related to…

The current round of basic education curriculum reform in China is considered by many to be the most radical and wide-reaching. However, very little is known about education reform at the school level. Here we document and discuss some of the challenges and opportunities that the reform programme is providing for teachers and schools. We describe…

A mixed-method study was carried out to investigate how teacher attitude and professional development influence learner-centered Information Communication Technology (ICT) integration. A questionnaire, interviews and observations were used to gather data in a school district in Nova Scotia, Canada. Teacher data were categorized by grade level,…

The purpose of this reflexive action inquiry was to explore the perceived authenticity (or lack thereof) of doctoral-level research methods instruction. The idea for a collaborative self-study emerged organically as a byproduct of a voluntary, year-long research apprenticeship in which two of the authors were engaged, following coursework in both…

The general assumption that once the hardware is introduced in schools, ICT integration will automatically follow is not necessarily true. Teachers need to be supported and factors responsible for teachers' failure to integrate ICT into the classrooms identified and rectified. The paper proposes an online model based on the Improvement Quality…

With the introduction of free primary education throughout Africa over the past 20 years, the demand for more qualified teachers has grown tremendously (Nilsson, 2003). Mainstream teacher education programs, typically consisting of 1-3 years of residence in teachers' colleges and some form of practice teaching, are unable to meet this…