This study offers a theoretical framework for professional development in higher education and examines the priorities for teachers' careers in the 1990s. It may be used as a companion volume to the author's work, "Action Research in Higher Education".

This book provides a contemporary view of the characteristics of expertise for teaching in higher education, based on the strong foundation of research into expertise, and empirical and practical knowledge of the development of teaching in higher education. Taking key themes related to the characteristics of expertise, this edited collection delivers practical ideas for supporting and enabling professional learning and development in higher education as well as theoretical constructs for the basis of personal reflection on practice. Providing an accessible, evidence-informed theoretical framework designed to support individuals wishing to improve their teaching, Developing Expertise for Teaching in Higher Education considers teaching excellence from an expertise perspective and discusses how it might be supported and available to all. It invites a call to action to all policymakers and strategic leaders who make a claim for teaching excellence to consider how professional learning and the development of expertise can be embedded in the culture, environment and ways of working in higher education institutions. Full of practical examples, based on scholarship and experience, to guide individual teachers, educational developers and policymakers in higher education, this book is a must-read text for those new to teaching in higher education and those looking to improve their practice.

Part-time teachers have become an increasing part of the workforce in universities throughout the world. They work in a sector undergoing enormous change and debate about the purposes of the university for individuals, societies and economies. As part-time employees, however, they are not necessarily offered the same level of support or recognition as full-time lecturers. This book, drawing on the voices of part-time teachers and the expertise of those who support them, considers whole-institution strategies to promote individual and collective professional development. Utilising real action research undertaken by expert practitioners from Australia, New Zealand and the UK, this book explains: What motivates part-time teachers; Developing effective policy and practice to support part-time teachers; What part-time teachers’ voices tell us about the content and delivery of induction programmes and ongoing support; The implications of change and future directions of Higher Education and part-time educators; How to build sustainable frameworks for the professional development of part-time staff. Developing Effective Part-time Teachers in Higher Education explores the extent to which part-time staff are utilised, the effectiveness of their teaching, their integration into the broader teaching environment, and their training and development. This international text will prove an invaluable source for anyone involved in academic and educational staff development in Higher or Further Education, and is essential reading for Human Resources directors and managers, senior academics and all part-time teachers.

Concerns about the quality of teaching and learning in higher education have given rise to teacher development programs and centers around the world. This book investigates the challenges and complexities of creating instructional development programs for present and future academics. Using case studies from a variety of countries including Estonia, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom, it examines issues that are important for higher education researchers as well as higher education managers. The book includes international responses to the need to improve teaching in higher education. It demonstrates many different ways success may be understood, and investigates what factors may influence the results of instructional development. Contributors use these factors to explain program success through theoretical frameworks. This book also provides input for higher-education managers by pointing out how the local context and both institutional and national policy-making may help or hinder the effective preparation of professors for their teaching responsibilities.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

This volume, Professional and Support Staff in Higher Education, is focused on the issues and experiences of professional and support staff in higher education. The 29 chapters of this book span a broad range of topic areas, ranging across professional practices and identity, leadership and inclusion in higher education, professional development, and how the current higher education landscape impacts on their work, careers, aspirations and performance. The broad aims of this book are twofold: to contribute to the limited body of knowledge regarding professional and support staff in higher education, and to explore the key issues facing these professionals today through their own contributions. Professional and support staff are one of the universities’ most valuable assets, as they hold much of the corporate knowledge required to ensure that universities operate efficiently and effectively. The increasing professionalization of university professional staff has impacted on the roles they currently perform, as more professionals now occupy senior executive positions within universities; positions there were previously occupied by senior academics. Similarly, the boundaries between some professional and academic roles have blurred, creating a sub-category; the para-academic staff. Given the contribution professional and support staff make, and the increasing importance of the roles they perform within their institutions and to the society as a whole, it is surprising that their work, impact, careers, and aspirations remain largely unexplored in the literature and research to date. We hope readers find this book useful and insightful, that it enables greater and deeper insight among and between professional staff and their institutions, and that it contributes meaningfully to the growing body of knowledge and scholarship regarding professional and support staff in higher education globally. We also hope that the book assists in raising awareness about the professions that are part of our educational institutions, and the contributions that they make not only to their organisations, but to society as a whole.

This comprehensive handbook synthesizes the best current knowledge on teacher professional development (PD) and addresses practical issues in implementation. Leading authorities describe innovative practices that are being used in schools, emphasizing the value of PD that is instructive, reflective, active, collaborative, and substantive. Strategies for creating, measuring, and sustaining successful programs are presented. The book explores the relationship of PD to adult learning theory, school leadership, district and state policy, the growth of professional learning communities, and the Common Core State Standards. Each chapter concludes with thought-provoking discussion questions. The appendix provides eight illuminating case studies of PD initiatives in diverse schools.

Story is everywhere in human lives and cultures and it features strongly in the processes of teaching and learning. Story can be called narrative, case study, critical incident, life history, anecdote, scenario, illustration or example, creative writing, storytelling; it is a unit of communication, it is in the products of the media industries, in therapy and in our daily acts of reflecting. Stories are 'told' in many ways - they are spoken, written, filmed, mimed or acted, presented as cartoons and in new media formats and through all these, they are associated with both teaching and learning processes but in different ways and at different levels. As a result of growing interest and simultaneous confusion about story, it is timely to untangle the various meanings of story so that we can draw out and extend its value and use. Using Story aims to clarify what we mean by story, to seek out where story occurs in education and life and to explore the processes by which we learn from story. In this way the book intends to ‘bring story into the open’ and improve its use. Building on her wealth of experience in the field, Jenny Moon explores the theory of story and demonstrates both its current uses and new ways in which to enrich and enliven teaching, learning and research processes. Ideal for anyone involved in education, personal or professional development or with a more general interest in story, the book begins by considering the range of what is meant by story, and then considers the theory behind the meanings. In the large final part of the book, Jenny provides a rich patchwork of different uses of story in education that cut across forms of story, story activities, disciplines and applications all of which will aid the use of story.

As educational standards continue to transform, it has become essential for educators and pre-service teachers to receive the support and training necessary to effectively instruct their students and meet societal expectations. However, there is not a clear consensus on what constitutes teacher effectiveness and quality within the education realm. The Handbook of Research on Professional Development for Quality Teaching and Learning provides theoretical perspectives and empirical research on educator preparation and methods for enhancing the teaching process. Focusing on teacher effectiveness and support provided to current and pre-service educators, this publication is a comprehensive reference source for practitioners, researchers, policy makers, graduate students, and university faculty.