Sustaining Communities Of Practice With Early Career Teachers

This book focuses on sustaining communities of practice in primary and secondary schools in Australia and internationally for the professional learning of all teachers, and particularly, early career teachers. Informed by the communities of practice research of Wenger-Trayner, it shows what factors are conductive to the sustainability of communities of practice, drawing particularly on a case study of an Australian regional secondary school, and explores how it has sustained support particularly for early career teachers over a three-year period. The first chapters of the book provide longitudinal perspectives using qualitative data and include perspectives from a variety of stakeholders, including the principal, the professional learning coordinator and the early career teachers who have experienced the school’s Communities of practice over three or more years. It offers practical suggestions on how to implement and improve communities of practice in schools and highlights the increasing importance of online communities to support early career teachers. Policy-makers, school principals, teacher educators and teaching practitioners find the book useful for implementing and sustaining communities of practice in schools. Subsequent chapters explore the value of online communities, such as Twitter communities; the role of collegial support networks in supporting early career teachers in Flemish primary education; and professional learning in Northern Ireland pre- and in-service teacher networked communities.

This edited book brings together teachers and education academics who are committed to education about, for and through democracy. It presents a diverse range of viewpoints about the challenges facing educators working across different sectors and discusses ways to challenge issues like neoliberalism, excessive managerialism and accountability and privatisation. It also engages with the times that education has, and continues, to fail students. This book outlines both logistical and ideological challenges which educators committed to democracy face and describes innovative approaches they have adopted, including networking, the use of social media and digital tools and extending their reach beyond their local communities to international audiences. It encourages conversations about how educators and academics might re-commit to education for democracy and generate further avenues for discussion and action by educators and academics.

How Schools Transform explores the process of transformation. This book moves beyond the why of transformation to consider how it is achieved by a range of schools around the world. Each chapter showcases a school-based example of transformation. Assessment, pedagogy, curriculum, leadership, values and learning are explored before considering the key principles required across schools to make transformation a reality. Bringing together examples from around the world, the contributing authors give relatable insights into the mechanics, approaches and principles that drive authentic and sustainable transformation of all sizes. These chapters include teacher voice, student voice, embedded cases, emerging themes, resonances and reflections and ways forward. How Schools Transform weaves real stories and authentic approaches that make transformation the reality and not just rhetoric.

Recent evolutions, such as pervasive networking and other enabling technologies, have been increasingly changing human life, knowledge acquisition, and the way works are performed and students learn. In this societal change, educational institutions must maintain their leading role. They have therefore embraced digitally enhanced learning to provide increased flexibility and access for their students. The Handbook of Research on Redesigning Teaching, Learning, and Assessment in the Digital Era provides insights into the transformation of education in the digital era and responds to the needs of learners of any context and background through relevant studies that include sound pedagogical and content knowledge. Covering key topics such as hybrid learning, media, remote learning, and social media, this major reference work is ideal for administrators, policymakers, academicians, researchers, scholars, practitioners, librarians, instructors, and students.

Based on research and consultations with influential school middle leaders, Middle Leadership in Schools presents ideas and actions designed specifically to stimulate and enhance educators leading from the middle, as a catalyst to enable them to do what they do with greater influence and impact.

As e-learning has evolved into a global change agent in higher education, it has become more diverse in its form and applications. Now that many institutions have implemented e-learning programs as part of their course offerings, it is essential for these institutions to fully grasp how best to facilitate continued improvements and accessibility in online education. The Handbook of Research on Building, Growing, and Sustaining Quality E-Learning Programs highlights several significant elements of e-learning, including program planning, quality standards, and online course development, as well as institutional, student, and faculty support. Serving as a critical resource for online and hybrid learning programs, this publication is designed for use by administrators, educators, instructional designers, and doctorate-level students in the field of education.

In this book about communities of practice in the international, higher education sector, the authors articulate the theoretical foundations of communities of practice (CoPs), research into their application in higher education, leadership roles and how CoPs sustain and support professional learning. Research demonstrates that communities of practice build professional and personal links both within and across faculty, student services and administrative and support units. This book describes how community of practice members may be physically co-located and how social media can be used to connect members across geographically diverse locations. It positions higher education communities of practice within the broader community of practice and social learning literature, and articulates the importance of community of practice leadership roles, and the growing focus on the use of social media for community of practice implementation. The multiple perspectives provide higher education leaders, academic and professional staff with the means to establish, or reflect on existing CoPs, by sharing insights and critical reflections on their implementation strategies, practical guidelines and ideas on how community of practice’s theoretical underpinnings can be tailored to the higher education context.

Teachers in their first few years of their teaching career require high quality, structured support to begin the journey towards becoming experts. Establishing research-based best practices and working habits set up early career teachers for a fulfilling and successful career. The requirements of teachers are constantly changing, and teachers need to continually adapt their knowledge and practices to fit schools’ changing demographics. Having a toolbox of research-based best practices to draw upon can support early career teachers as they move from theory to practical application when the learning curve is the steepest. Strengthening the system of support includes increasing teachers’ influence over their day-to-day work and developing positive and supportive cultures of learning. Supporting Early Career Teachers With Research-Based Practices presents both theoretical and practical research to support the conceptual understanding of educational praxis for common areas with which early career educators may require additional expertise or support. This book is intended to be a valuable contribution to the body of literature in the field of education by supplying research-based teaching practices for modern education. Primary topics covered include professional learning, classroom management, student-teacher relationships, teaching diverse students and inclusive educational practices, and teacher self-care strategies. This book is a valuable reference tool for early career teachers of all subject areas and grade levels, school administrators, teacher mentors and guides, education faculty in higher education, educational researchers, curriculum developers, instructional facilitators, practicing teachers, pre-service teachers, professional development coordinators, teacher educators, researchers, academicians, and students interested in teaching practices and support for the early career teacher.