Abstract:
Zayed University's Center for Professional Development (CPD) assists UAE K-12 teachers, and educational administrators to develop their practice so that they may, by example, participate in the reform of the UAE educational system, the Center operates outreach programs and research agendas focused on educational improvement to accomplish this goal.
The Center is currently working with a number of partnerships and this paper will discuss the development of four very different communities of practice and their approaches to curriculum leadership, partnership relationships, and the maximization of social and human capital. The presenter will compare outcomes, successes and challenges that impacted each partnership. Some of the issues that arose include the role of the project manager, the value of distributed leadership, levels of decision making, work relations and processes, and training versus education. The initial findings indicate that the individual and collective learning as a result of these developing learning communities contributes to a new, evolving and organic model of professional learning which encourages a focus on long-term solutions for educational leadership in the UAE.
The Center is currently working with a number of partnerships and this paper will discuss the development of four very different communities of practice and their approaches to curriculum leadership, partnership relationships, and the maximization of social and human capital. The presenter will compare outcomes, successes and challenges that impacted each partnership. Some of the issues that arose include the role of the project manager, the value of distributed leadership, levels of decision making, work relations and processes, and training versus education. The initial findings indicate that the individual and collective learning as a result of these developing learning communities contributes to a new, evolving and organic model of professional learning which encourages a focus on long-term solutions for educational leadership in the UAE.