ABSTRACT
This chapter has as its premise that continuing professional development (CPD) is multi-faceted, lifelong, takes place inside or outside the workplace and is influenced not just by teachers’ professional contexts but also by their personal circumstances. Though CPD is often mandated by educational administrators, the chapter argues that CPD is most effective when it is initiated by teachers at the local level, when it is based on teachers’ own needs and when teachers work together in a learning community or ‘community of practice’. However, the chapter also recognizes that conditions of teachers’ work are often inimical to the development of learning communities with increasing demands for ‘accountability’ resulting in less time for teachers to collaborate with each other in tightly scheduled school days. Nevertheless, teachers continue to strive to develop professionally and this chapter discusses successful instances of whole school professional learning, as well as smaller teacher development groups. The potential of technology-mediated CPD is also shown through mobile phones and online communities of practice. The chapter concludes by emphasizing that teachers need to be given time to access and experiment with new ideas in a collaborative working environment if CPD is to have an impact on classroom practice and, hence, student achievement.
