From reading the research literature, it is evident that making the transition from pre-service teacher to beginning teacher is a challenging experience. New to the profession teachers can experience self-doubt and feelings of anxiety about meeting expectations. What is valued at the start of their career is support, especially if it is ongoing…

The purpose of this action research study was to examine the effects of implementing an online professional learning community (PLC) designed explicitly for teachers of gifted and talented (GT) English language arts (ELA) courses. The present action research (AR) is a limited mixed design study, including quantitative and qualitative elements, to…

Teachers' professional development is a key factor to have more reflective educators capable of working on teams to find solutions to problems that arise in their classrooms. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact that the collaborative planning, implementation, and evaluation of classroom projects, developed through collaborative…

Inclusion of education for sustainable development (ESD) in the curricula of universities, and in many forums, has been promoted for over a decade. Despite this apparent enthusiasm, there is little to show that ESD has been implemented in most universities. In Australia, surveys indicate an interest in ESD but it is rarely a part of the…

Although research suggests that professional development for teachers should be contained within a coherent system, recent research indicates that professional development for teachers continues to be provided through workshops of short duration with little or no follow-up and sustained support (Guskey & Yoon, 2009; Kose, 2007). Instead,…

This article draws on recent research in schools as part of the "Rethinking Multiculturalism/ Reassessing Multicultural Education" (RMRME) Project, which involved teachers undertaking professional learning framed by these ideas and then designing and implementing action research projects to address issues of concern in their schools. The…

Success in primary and secondary school mathematics is becoming increasingly important to today's teachers, students, parents and employment providers in Australia. Mathematics is viewed as high status and essential for a range of employment opportunities. The Disability Standards for Education [1] and the Australian Curriculum, Reporting and…

Socioscientific Inquiry (SSI) represents one approach designed to target interest and knowledge in science. In this context, students consider scientific issues that have social implications and require a range of trade-offs, concepts, and considerations in order to arrive at informed conclusions (Sadler, 2004). However, inquiry tasks in general…

When it comes to planning for instruction, many teachers may feel an overwhelming need to rely on prescribed curricular resources and when those are not available many teachers may feel lost. While several methods for improving instructional planning exist, research has shown that prioritizing standards, creating assessments aligned to those…

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of seven music educators who conducted teacher research in their classrooms and to document whether the teachers and the local school district considered the project as professional development. Research questions included: (1) How do these music educators describe the experience of planning…

This paper elaborates on a number of key criticisms of Mezirow's transformative learning theory as well as providing arguments that validate it. Our paper exemplifies how Mezirow's theory can help adult educators and prospective school teachers understand that social structures and belief systems can influence student learning, that learners make…

This project examined the practices of professional development in one Lebanese private higher education institution. The purpose of this project was to identify faculty perceptions regarding their professional development in order to clarify the areas in which improvements are needed. After extensive reading, the topic was identified and a…

This paper used the data collected from reflective diaries, semi-structured interviews and surveys to identify and examine common themes identified in the roles required and/or perceived for teacher educators by both teachers and teacher educators. Collaboration, discussion and critique enabled personal reflection as teacher educators worked as…

Idiomaticity is central to linguistic theory. Despite the pervasiveness of idioms in language, pedagogical articles in professional journals have yet to pay attention to the benefits of idiom instruction in the second language (SL) classroom. Addressing this concern, this article reports the results of an exploratory qualitative research study…

This study was designed to improve general education teachers' attitudes and perceptions towards inclusion. The target population teaches prekindergarten through fifth grade at an Academy Charter School in Atlanta, Georgia. This population consisted of 11 teachers who participated in the study. The study was based on interviews, surveys, and…