Professional Development

1. Articles & Documents
   Both .pdf and other documents relating to teacher professional development.
• 16 Ways to Be a Smarter Teacher
  Can be slow to load.
• A Review of Standards of Practice
  [For Beginning Teaching]
• Building a Learning Profession
• Education World®
  [Professional Development Centre]
• Excellent Teachers
  [Exploring Self-Constructs, Role, and Personal Challenges]
  Paper presented at an AARE Conference in Sydney.
• Policy Briefs, ACER
• Professional Development Articles
• Professional Development Research Articles
• RE Professional Readings
  A couple of years old, but covers books and websites.
• Using The Internet …
  [To Provide Authentic Professional Development For Beginning Teachers]
  .PDF.
2. Associations - Links to Professional Associations
   Professional associations involved in teacher professional development.
• Council of Professional Teaching Associations of Victoria
  [Previously JCSAV]
• Association of Independent Schools PD
  Click on AIS Professional Development [top, right]. Check their Literacy Professional Development site for example.
• Professional Guidelines - Careers & Employment
3. Australian Links, Other :
• ACER
  [Australian Council for Educational Research]
  Discover available workshops, many having world renowned speakers to address or present them. Part of the ACER Professional Development Unit.
• Curriculum Corporation
  There are a number of links through the professional developments section of this site. They include the following :
• Asia EdNet, Welcome to
  ‘Welcome to Asia EdNet, a national collaborative project for all educators interested in studies of Asia and Asian languages.’ Includes an online tutorial, discussion group, guest experts, directory of resources, newsletter.
• Curriculum Communities
  ‘Supports the development of Information and Communication Technologies literacy for teachers in the following key learning areas – English, Visual Arts and Science. It provides professional development for educators through an online tutorial that uses resources relevant to each learning area.’
• Curriculum Leadership
  ‘An electronic journal for leaders in education.’ Also has a weekly email alert, to which you can subscribe for Free.
• Learning Federation The
  ‘The aim of this website is to keep stakeholders, education organisations and educators, content developers and the general public informed about the progress of the Initiative. The site includes information about the project, key documents and resources, forums and other specialised services. The Le@rning Federation is a curriculum initiative of State and Federal governments of Australia and New Zealand.’
• Professional Learning
  ‘Curriculum Corporation develops, manages and delivers teacher professional development, with models ranging from online communities of practice to train-the-trainer programs … ’
• Video Research Project
  ‘The Curriculum Corporation Video Convergence in the Classroom Project consists of a series of whitepapers and sample video clips to be used as professional development resources.’
• Division of Professional Learning, The
  ‘The Division of Professional Learning operates from within the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney, delivering innovative, affordable professional development courses, workshops and conferences for teachers, school executives and others in the education community. We are endorsed by the NSW Institute of Teachers to provide professional development for the maintenance of accreditation at Professional Competence [All Elements of the Professional Teaching Standards].’
• EdNA Online Search …
  [Professional Development]
  100+ papers and research documents relating to professional development for teachers. Many Australian based.
• Education.au Blog - Prefessional Development
  A range of entries cover a myriad of topics in this area.
• Infectious Smiles
  ‘We believe the teachers are the locus of change. Subsequently we also offer to work with teachers to develop inspiring curriculum programs that match their student’s needs. The school leadership team is a fundamental part of the process as they seek to support and inspire staff with their expertise.’ Check their wide range of professional activities & courses. Based in Victoria.
• Learning Place
  The Education Department of Queensland. Four areas - online learning, communication, communities and online resources. Well worth a look. Check both Professional Communities and Curriculum Exchange.
• Links for Professional Development
  Professional development for Australian teachers. Online activities, resources and groups via specific link pages.
• Australian Principals’ Associations
  Professional Development Council [APAPDC].
• Curriculum Corporation - PD Links
• Gifted Education Professional Development Package
  ‘All modules in the Package contain a pre-test for teachers to determine what they might already know. Both the Core Modules and the Extension and Specialisation modules contain practical components with case studies and tasks for teachers to demonstrate that they have understood the module before moving on to the next one. The modules contain an overview of current research about particular areas of gifted education. This research, in plain language, is illustrated by cartoons, case studies and examples of how it can be applied in the mainstream classroom.’
• Literacy and Numeracy - Professional Development
• New South Wales CAP Teachers’ Links
• Online Professional Development
• Queensland College of Teachers - Links
  Primarily Queensland.
• Teacher Development, Beginning
• MindMatters
  ‘A resource and professional development program to support Australian secondary schools in promoting and protecting the social and emotional wellbeing of members of school communities.’
• Staff Bullying in Australian Schools
  This is an online, research survey being carried out by the University of New England. All teachers can be involved if they wish. Details are provided on the site about confidentiality, procedures and the dissemination of results. Open till October 1, 2007.
• Teacher Learning Network
  ‘An innovative, statewide cross-sectoral network offering curriculum and professional development support to teachers and schools’ in Victoria. ‘TLN is inspired by the desire to enhance a learning community in schools’.

1. General Sites & Portals :
• Concept to Classroom !
  ‘A series of Free, self-paced workshops covering a wide variety of hot topics in education. Some of the workshops are based in theory, some are based in methodology - but all of the workshops include plenty of tips and strategies for making classrooms work.’
  Excellent !
• PDpoint.com
  Part of the SchoolKit group. ‘The complete professional development solution for schools and school districts that are focused on technology integration, quality teaching and sound pedagogy.’ Fee-based.
• Teachers Without Borders
  An international organisation that helps build partnerships designed to create up-to-date educational understanding for practitioners in developing countries.
• TeAchnology : Professional Development
  24 sections are covered, ranging from Burnout & Stress Management via Ideas that Worked for Other Educators and Teaching Portfolios to Waldorf. A mix of articles, resources, strategies and more accessed through annotated links.
2. Leadership Development
   Also check the State/Territory listings for specific leadership development programs. Included here are associations, groups and other programs and information regarding leadership development.
• ACER Leadership Centre
  ‘The ACER Leadership Centre has a national focus on providing practical support to the professional learning and work of current and aspiring educational leaders throughout Australia.’ It has multiple areas of focus.
• Australian Council for Educational Leaders
  ‘ACEL is a leader in professional development and offers the opportunity to participate in leadership programs, topical seminars and workshops hosted at the national, local affiliate and association level. ACEL draws its membership from all sectors of education in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the rest of the world.’
• Centre for Leadership for Women
  To ‘empower women to recognise and develop their own leadership potential in a work, community or personal context.’
• Leader to Leader Institute
  An American based leadership institute. The Knowledge and Tools sections should prove of greatest value.
• Leadership Management Australia
  ‘LMA will improve the productivity of your organisation by improving its people, making them better organised, better communicators, better equipped to resolve issues and therefore better managers and leaders.’ Provider of courses in a range of development areas including leadership.

1. Magazines & Journals :
• Teacher Development
  ‘Teacher Development is a peer-reviewed international journal focused on research which addresses models and views about the processes of teaching and learning, recognising the dynamics of evolution within these areas.’ Fee-based.
2. Research & Reviews :
• Evaluating Professional Growth and Development
  [Critical Issue, NCREL]
  ‘Issue : The ultimate worth of professional development for teachers is the essential role it plays in the improvement of student learning. That means that educators must pay attention to the results of professional development on job performance, organizational effectiveness, and the success of all students. Each professional development effort should be accompanied by a well-designed evaluation plan for determining its effectiveness.’ Extensive review from an Overview through to Effective Planning, with both information and links to further information.
• Making Better Connections
  ‘This is the report of a study into ways in which teachers, teacher educators and educational leaders are being supported to acquire the skills and knowledge they need to ensure effective use of ICT in the school setting. The report examines existing models of pre-service education and in-service professional development, both in Australia and overseas. It identifies barriers and critical success factors, and provides advice and recommendations which will help inform decisions by school systems, teacher professional associations and university teacher education faculties’.
• National Information Exchange on Quality Teaching
  ‘For sharing information about best practice in teacher professional development. In particular it is for sharing information about professional development activities funded through the Commonwealth’s Teachers for the 21st Century initiative and its major component, the Quality Teacher Programme [QTP]’.
• Project Pillars
  ‘Aims to provide a summary of research and good practice in the management and delivery of online curriculum projects at the school level.’ In addition to the core paper, there are conclusions, a reference list and more.
• Quality Leadership in Australian Schools
  ‘Quality leadership in schools provides direction, involves a process of influence with intention, and is value-based and vision-driven. While it is common to equate leadership with principals and faculty heads, the research reviewed in this report recognises the variety of leadership roles within a school.’
• Teacher Research Site Directory
  [TeAchnology]
  ‘The links grant you access to more than 240 000 reviewed education web sites. The reviews are sorted by audience.’ These range from Professional Development to Administrators. There is also a range of Hot Topics.
3. Resources & Programs :
• Full-Text Books
  ‘These ASCD books are available to read online in full text. To purchase the print versions of these books, visit ASCD’s Online Store.’ You should also check the ASCD Study Guides which ‘are offered to all ASCD readers to encourage individual reflection and group discussion of book content. Each study guide provides questions, prompts, and suggested activities to help educators relate the author’s message to their own situation.’.
• MyRead
  Federal program to ‘support teachers of underperforming students in the middle years [Years 4-9].’ Covers beliefs, the who, what and how of the process, explicit teaching practices, monitoring, assessment, classroom organisation, specific professional development, further readings. An excellent resource for language and professional development.
• oz-TeacherNet Overview
  ‘This project provides teachers with the infrastructure for using the Internet to support professional development and curriculum’.
• Queendom - The Land of Tests
  There are a vast array of tests covering many fields, including a range relevant to professional development. Such tests include Leadership Skills & Style and Management Skills & Style. You can search for others in the various listings. Requires Free Registration.
• Teacher Magazine
  [Professional Development Directory]
  ‘Welcome to the most complete interactive directory of K-12 PD products and services. Whether you’re looking for yourself, or an entire school district, the Teacher Professional Development Directory can help you identify accredited programs, supplemental materials, software, workshops, and more to help you meet your continuing education needs.’ US based, so some will not be available or relevant here.
• Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook
  Linked to Teacher Magazine [see above], it has News & Notes, Feature Stories, Research, Data Snapshot and more. Some is peculiarly US-oriented, but much is also applicable worldwide.
• TeachersFirst
  ‘TeachersFirst is a rich collection of lessons and web resources for K-12 classroom teachers’. It includes a section on Professional resources which is extensive.
• Teacher Training Videos
  ‘These videos were created for teachers to help them to incorporate technology into their teaching. Simply click on a topic and a page will appear with a large menu on the left hand side. The videos will start playing straight away or you can click on a specific topic to know about it. My suggestion is that you open up the tool you want to learn so you can jump between using the tool and watching the videos.’
• Teacher Workshops
  [Session Materials - Literacy]
  A considerable listing of Workshop topics covering reading [and writing]. Each has a descriptor for the topic, plus downloadable files for the presentation and the various handouts that were used. These are distributed by the US Department of Education. Worth considering. [There are also links to other Teacher Workshops in different academic areas.]
• Tech-Ease for Windows
  ‘Tech-Ease for Windows is your source for just-in-time answers for classroom technology questions. A companion Tech-Ease for Mac site is also available.’
• Tools for Teaching
  ‘A compendium of classroom-tested strategies and suggestions designed to improve the teaching practices of all college instructors, including beginning, mid-career, and senior faculty members.’
  Not all sections are available online, but 18 sections are included.

1. Specific Areas & Programs :
• Australian Montessori Teacher Education Foundation
  If you are interested in the Montessori method [for several levels] then this is the Australian site which can help your training.
• APAPDC
  [Australian Principals’ Associations Professional Development Council]
  Resources, projects, conferences, newsletters. Links to relevant sources of professional development for Principals and schools.
• Beginning Teacher Tips
• Dhinawun Consultancy
  Consultancy in Aboriginal Education, culture and learning. Fee-based consultancy but not beyond the scope of a school who wished to access this expertise level. Development from an hour to a day or longer.
• Jenny Mackay Cognitive Skills Training
  [For Teachers & Managers]
  Provider of cognitive skills training aimed at teachers and managers as well as seminars and workshops suitable for a wide range of areas for teachers, interpersonal skills and client management. Courses, seminars, etc. are Fee-based.
• Parsifal College
  Offering adult education based on the work of Rudolf Steiner.