Against Professional Development

This paper raises questions about the sort of knowledge which has come to count as professional development knowledge. The author interrogates the curriculum and pedagogy of academic professional development programs in Australian universities, drawing parallels with Third World development programs. She argues that professional development knowledge is privileged over disciplinary knowledge in setting lifelong learning agendas for academics, and notes some problematic consequences of this for academics engaged in professional development programs

Professional Development On-line

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is making increased use of the Web to develop and support communities of professionals. This paper outlines the factors driving the adoption of CPD and highlights areas where the Web can aid in the development of successful professional communities. Current work to provide on-line support for approximately 500 teachers of computing is then presented, highlighting those aspects of the Web site designed to foster and engage participants in the professional development activity

Reclaiming professional identity through postgraduate professional development: Career practitioners reclaiming their professional selves

Careers advisers in the UK have experienced significant change and upheaval within their professional practice. This research explores the role of postgraduate level professional development in contributing to professional identity. The research utilises a case study approach and adopts multiple tools to provide an in-depth examination of practitioners’ perceptions of themselves as professionals within their lived world experience. It presents a group of practitioners struggling to define themselves as professionals due to changing occupational nomenclature resulting from shifting government policy. Postgraduate professional development generated a perceived enhancement in professional identity through exposure to theory, policy and opportunities for reflection, thus contributing to more confident and empowered practitioners. Engagement with study facilitated development of confident, empowered practitioners with a strengthened sense of professional self

Professional Development\u27s Complex Ecology: Examining a Whole-School Balanced Literacy Professional Development

This descriptive study reports on the structure and implementation of a school wide professional development model in a southwest public elementary school. The professional development effort was designed to support educators’ understanding and teaching of balanced literacy. The paper reports on the components of this professional development and discusses the strengths of this model in relation to educational research and findings on professional development. We conclude by discussing this model from the perspective of involved administration, facilitators, and teachers, as they consider the process of crossing the borders from professional development into their classrooms. The study is strengthened by teachers’ opinions about the model in their school

Professional Development for Novice EFL Lecturers: Policy and Practices at University of Muhammadiyah Malang

Higher education institutions tend to recruit experienced lecturers instead of novice lecturers because experienced lecturers guarantee the quality of teaching and learning process as well as effective management since it does not take time, more money, and special programs to make them qualified. In contrast, Language Center (LC) of UMM prefer recruit novice lecturers. This paper, therefore, aims to explore the policy, practices as well as the challenges of professional development for novice English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturers. In-depth interview and document analysis were applied to investigate the problems. It was found that the policies of LC are to be the center for professional development which should recruit novice lecturers and most of the lecturers are alumni of English department of UMM. The practices for the professional development are in form of workshop on teaching and learning English especially ESP, workshop on writing ESP book, workshop on writing articles, induction program, religious speech. Meanwhile, the challenges that the institution face to run this program are divided into internal and external challenges