A clear, well defined policy can help empower school personnel to make informed decisions on how to handle cases of suspected child abuse. This article presents an analysis of (N = 64) school board child abuse reporting policies and procedures in Ontario and explored what training, resources, and support school boards state they will provide to…

Based on a qualitative case study that examined elementary teachers' understandings of a professional development policy, we question the conceptual disconnection between professional learning and professional practices in some conceptualizations of professional learning communities. We analyse the research data using Actor-Network Theory and…

Describes how the public schools in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, worked to empower principals by making them part of the management team, reporting directly to the superintendent. Three factors that have helped principals transition into their new role are described (e.g., separate leadership and training programs for these principals and ongoing…

Reviews the context of Canadian teacher education, highlighting changes in the educational landscape, in the population (e.g., the multicultural nature of society and shifting urban/rural trends), and in how people think about professional education and discussing the professional development of in-service teachers. An overview of formal and…

Critical reflection is an essential element in teachers' efforts to address the social justice issues that are often part of their lived experiences and those of their students. When educators begin to examine how power, privilege, and widely accepted assumptions about their practice may be working against their goals, such as eliminating forms of…

Teacher development is theoretically possible in those instructional supervision settings that emphasize collegiality. The paper reports and analyzes episodes taken from two cases in a larger study which investigated the different outcomes in teachers' classroom development associated with hierarchical and collegial approaches to instructional…

The evidence from research using expectancy theory is synthesized to develop a contingency model of incentives for involving teachers in professional development. Research findings that focused on the administrative challenge of motivating teachers to engage in curriculum development tasks are used to test the model. (MLF)

This article highlights the work of Ontario teachers who use research and inquiry in the classrooms as part of self-directed professional learning. It positions action research within the work of the Professional Affairs Department at the Ontario College of Teachers. It begins with a narrative account of the researcher's work as a program officer…

This paper describes the three types of nonformal and informal professional development provided by teachers' organizations. The first type is a minimal approach, the second focuses on contextual variation and teacher diversity, and the third consists of informal learning opportunities developed by teachers themselves. The article identifies…

Investigated reasons for tensions among stakeholders, such as Ontario's ministries of education, teacher associations, local school districts, and university teacher education programs regarding the meaning and implications of professional development. Interview data clarified stakeholders' perspectives and priorities and noted that effective…

Describes a pilot project in the schools of Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), where the model of teachers-as-researchers encourages teachers to explore aspects of their own teaching and question their practices. It is seen as a form of professional development allowing teachers to develop their own theories and enhance their teaching skills. (MD)

Describes one-to-one peer coaching of teachers in the classroom for implementing the cooperative learning teaching method. (LFL)

This report describes the Beginning Teacher Induction Program (BTIP) in 12 New Brunswick anglophone school districts during 1996-1997. Data come from beginning teachers, mentors, principals and district coordinators who participated in the BTIP and completed a survey. Half of the mentors attended a mentor training workshop, an increase from the…

This paper focuses on Alberta, Canada's 1998 "Teacher Growth, Supervision and Evaluation" policy, examining its origins and adoption along with the significant shift in images of teaching and supervision that it conveys. Both the process and substance of the policy are analyzed within the context of Alberta's larger plan to restructure…

This report summarizes priorities that Ontario teachers assigned to different professional learning activities and the extent to which they had participated in professional learning. Information came from a mailed survey of 599 teachers, randomly selected across the province, in 1999. Teachers read a list of 13 learning activities and rated them…