Abstract
Professional learning is critical to organizational effectiveness. Schools and school districts are composed of individuals, and these organizations learn and change only as individuals learn. Unfortunately, the traditional models of professional development have not really been successful in fostering individual professional learning or in changing individual’s professional practices. This chapter describes the process of implementing a new model that shifts the focus from the traditional approach of professional development where either the “experts” or the formal leaders decide what is important for teachers to learn, to a focus on personal professional learning that assumes that organizations must support individuals as they strive to meet personal goals that are connected in meaningful ways with the organization. It assumes that the organization cannot force meaningful professional learning, but must establish conditions that encourage and support individuals to learn professionally. This chapter traces how this shift occurred and the challenges faced by the school district. It required not only changes in the culture, but also structural changes for district personnel to allow for personal choice.
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Sheppard, B., Brown, J., Dibbon, D. (2009). Professional Development and Capacity Building. In: School District Leadership Matters. Studies In Educational Leadership, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9747-8_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9747-8_6
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