What is professional development, how does it occur in individuals, and how may it be used by educational leaders and managers for the purpose of school improvement?

Rafael Mitchell*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

49 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article considers the nature of professional development, how it occurs in individuals, and how educational leaders and managers can facilitate professional development for the purpose of school improvement. Social theories of learning provide compelling explanations of the conditions through which professional development occurs in and among individuals within a community of practice. Research into professional learning communities suggests ways forward for educational leaders and managers to foster environments in which individual and organisational learning is optimised through collaboration and shared leadership.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)387-400
Number of pages14
JournalProfessional Development in Education
Volume39
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2013

Keywords

  • professional development
  • professional learning community
  • school improvement

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