Ongoing Learning

	Children, on-line learning and authentic teaching skills in primary education
	Ongoing Learning

Main Topics

Home
Up
Knowledge Cycle
Learning Cycle
Principles of PL
Pedagogy for PL
Pedagogy&ICT
Share the Load
Ongoing Learning
Collaboration
Collaboration & PL
More on Collaboration
Teacher Confidence
Distributed Cognition
Cost Effectiveness
Home ICT
Activity Theory
Pilot Schools
Case Studies
Collaboration Overview

More information ...

Professional Learning

The notion of professional practice as a prime source of learning and expertise is as appropriate to teaching as to any other profession. Learning must be on going in order to improve current practices, and to acquire new practices that will enable new things to be achieved. It is inappropriate to perceive professional learning as episodic and based on workshops...

On the other hand specific well informed professional learning initiatives may make major contributions to the practices of professionals. Having planned and implemented a professional learning initiative that has resulted in a new practice being used in the classroom, the next step in the process is to...

Share & review the results

Initially this would be best undertaken by the learning group and would include

Evaluation (suitability of the practice, its ease of use, professional learning)
Range of applications: possibilities and limitations
Resolution of issues: troubleshooting

Beyond the learning group

There is considerable value in taking the evaluation beyond the group, including the factor that such a step integrates professional learning into the life and work of the school. It also

Builds knowledge of resources:
- Who knows what …
- Who is using what …
- Who is doing what …and how
Builds links with other members of the (school) outside the learning group
Allows acknowledgment which, more formally, places practices within the school

Revisit & refresh from time to time

Professional learning is ongoing for several reasons, including
Some loss of specific knowledge in inevitable
To belong to a member of a profession is to
- Be a life long learner
- Learn from the one’s colleagues and
- Contribute to the development of profession

Professional learning and roles

Professional learning contributes to developing the professional roles that may be undertaken. This year’s co-learner is next year’s tutor… that is, overtime

Learner becomes a helpful co-learner (buddy)
Co-learner becomes a tutor, as in ‘learning how to…’
Tutor becomes a mentor – ‘what to do and why’

These roles are situational depending on the context and purposes involved