Improving Professional Learning through In-house Inquiry

(Hardback)

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Improving Professional Learning through In-House Inquiry shows how to identify the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) needs of an individual or team and then to meet those needs through carrying out specific inquiry within the organisation. Middlewood and Abbott demonstrate how the most effective professional learning occurs when the the needs of an organisation are identified at all levels and provide clear support for following this approach. The authors also show that effective student involvement is key because it clearly links CPD with the ultimate aim: to meet students' learning needs. Examples of how this has been achieved successfully in schools and colleges are drawn on throughout, showcasing a variety of settings in various countries. Four extended case studies from different types of educational institutions are provided to illustrate learning journeys.

Reviews

An invaluable resource for all those wanting to learn how make more effective use of professional learning. The book shows that highly effective professional learning has a direct impact upon outcomes for students and helps us understand the crucial link between Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and school improvement. Readers learn what it means to become a learning organisation and are shown how both students and staff can make use of research to develop the effectiveness of their own institutions. We are provided with a practical handbook which offers both a welcome distillation of recent research and practical case studies which demonstrate how schools have made use of practitioner research. The need to put CPD at the heart of school improvement emerges as a consistent and powerful challenge to readers. A timely reminder of the crucial role of CPD in school improvement. * Peter Kent, President, Association for School and College Leaders (ASCL), UK *
This book addresses two major issues facing schools at present. The first is the question about how to provide in-house activities to enhance teachers professional learning, and the second is the place of practitioner research, or inquiry, in achieving this. The authors explanation of how this can be achieved draws from a wide range of literature on the subject, but it is the way that the case studies then go on to provide practical illustrations of how to achieve teacher development through inquiry that marks this text out as being especially useful. In addressing these two pressing concerns for schools, and providing these practical examples, this is a book which many working in education having been waiting for! * Andrew Townsend, Associate Professor in Educational Leadership, School of Education, University of Nottingham, UK *

Author Bio

David Middlewood is Research Fellow at the Centre for Educational Studies, University of Warwick, UK. He has published 17 books spanning people leadership and management (with Tony Bush), practitioner research and creating a learning school. Ian Abbott is Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Educational Studies at the University of Warwick, UK. He has worked extensively with schools and colleges and has wide experience of teacher education and CPD.