Learning about professional learning: Case studies of schools at work in NSW

Year: 2004

Author: McCulla, Norman, Gereige-Hinson, Josephine

Type of paper: Abstract refereed

Abstract:
The extent of the human and financial resources that teachers have access to for their professional development, and the extent to which they have the capacity to determine when, how and with whom learning takes place, are key factors in determining the quality of professional learning that results.

The NSW Department of Education and Training is the largest employer of teachers in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2004 it introduced a four-year, $144 million program supporting teacher professional learning and a new policy framework for the area in response to needs teachers and research have identified.

This paper tells the stories of how 12 schools in a variety of locations throughout the state are going about interpreting the policy framework, the changes it is making to their practice, the implications the schools see for the immediate future of their professional learning programs, and the policy and research implications that arise.

Back