A collaborative approach was developed to support the professional development of teacher candidates, collaborating teachers (CTs) and teacher educators in learning to use technology for professional and pedagogical uses. Collaboration with K-5 teachers was undertaken to build the teachers' capacities to use technology in meaningful ways in their…

The Online Academy (HO29K73002) was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to develop research-based online instructional modules in the content areas of reading, positive behavior support and technology across the curriculum. Targeted to preservice teacher education programs in Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), but also…

In the close to 20 years since the Holmes Group first introduced the term professional development school (PDS), PDSs have grown in the United States from a concept to become a cornerstone of serious attempts to simultaneously improve teacher education and public schools. In the course of this maturation process, PDSs have come in from the margins…

In this paper, the authors describe a cost analysis framework and approach that can be easily understood by a range of relevant audiences and that has been successfully used to estimate the costs of a range of professional development initiatives. The paper illustrate its use by drawing on the authors' experience applying the framework in three…

This paper describes research undertaken for the design of an Online Learning (OL) Module using a Problem-based Learning (PBL) approach in an in-service teacher training course, namely, a Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching. This qualification is offered to lecturers from a range of higher education institutions in the…

This article describes and reports evaluation results for five key elements of the Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project's inservice professional development program. The five elements are: (a) Technology Learning Coordinators (a mentoring system), (b) Minigrants (small local grants tied to a planning process for teachers), (c) Partnerships…

This article explores the effects of the integration of diversity, service learning, and professional development school partnerships in preparing preservice teachers to understand and address discriminatory practices in school settings. Background information, challenges, and successes of this professional development school partnership between a…

Environmental adult education (EAE) is a viable solution to the world's mounting environmental problems. EAE is a new and emerging field that is faced with constant changes and challenges. While this change presents practitioners with options for dynamic research possibilities, EAE is such that theory and practice in the field face a potential for…

Within a constructivist philosophy of learning, teachers, as students, are introduced to different perspectives of teaching with robotic technology while immersed in what Papert called a "constructionist" environment. Robotics allows students to creatively explore computer programming, mechanical design and construction, problem solving,…

It is well known that society is currently experiencing great technological momentum and that technology has found its way into our classrooms. Yet, many teachers have not demonstrated an adoption of such advances and their instructional practices do not reflect the integration of instructional technologies. This article examines Trek 21, an…

This article considers the background to the development of training schools in England and examines some of the impact that these schools have had on the initial training programmes of teachers. It also considers some of the effects this initiative has had on the professional development of teachers in such schools. The article is based on work…

Research and practice in human performance technology (HPT) has recently accelerated the search for innovative approaches to supplement or replace traditional training interventions for improving organizational performance. This article examines a knowledge management framework built upon the theories and techniques of case-based reasoning (CBR)…

The institution of professional standards for Adult ESL is one of the most influential developments in Canadian second language teacher education in recent years. As a major innovation in practice and values, this initiative has interesting implications not only for the content of the standards themselves, but also for the process by which the…

This paper traces some of the ways that IT has changed and continues to change our lives, and how information and communication technologies or ICT are changing learning in schools. The real potential of ICT is the way it changes learners and the major focus of the paper is on e-learning, a term that combines pedagogy and technology. For this…

The accreditation systems of higher education institutions and/or programs are becoming a policy measure used to find a balance between their autonomy and public assurance concerning the quality of the qualifications they award. This article analyses, from the point of view of this balance of power, the process of development of the Portuguese…