Teachers in primary schools deal with a wide range of issues every day. This book helps teachers to understand those issues, and how they fit in with recent government policies and initiatives.
Each chapter looks at:
* relevant statements of policy or initiative
* how these statements fit into the context of specific schools
* the challenges they present for those involved in schools
* how schools can respond to these challenges
* learning across contexts
Each chapter has been written by one practitioner and one academic and between them the chapters cover the whole range of Australian primary schools.

Teachers in primary schools deal with a wide range of issues every day. This book helps teachers to understand those issues, and how they fit in with recent government policies and initiatives. Each chapter looks at: relevant statements of policy or initiative how these statements fit into the context of specific schools the challenges they present for those involved in schools how schools can respond to these challenges learning across contexts Each chapter has been written by one practitioner and one academic and between them the chapters cover the whole range of Australian primary schools.

"This is a thoughtful, provocative and important book. Clear, concise, articulate and pulling no punches, Judyth Sachs maps out an agenda for a new 'transformative professionalism' which celebrates the complexities of teacher' identities and work, and acknowledges the tensions between standards of accountability and autonomy. She argues persuasively for a reorientation of policy from managerial to a democratic and radical reconceptualisation of teacher education programmes and notions of teacher professionalism. Her text, richly supported by case studies of practice, will appeal to teachers and teacher educators worldwide who are committed to principles of active participation, trust and community." - Professor Chris W. Day, University of Nottingham
* What forms of professionalism are shaping the teaching profession?
* How can the concept of teacher professionalism be revitalized so that it is relevant to the needs and aspirations of teachers working in increasingly difficult and constantly changing work environments?
The Activist Teaching Profession examines the issue of teacher professionalism as a social and political strategy to enhance the status and activities of the teaching profession. The book is contextualized within current debates, both government policy and scholarly, about teacher professionalism.
Evidence to support the development of alternative forms of teacher professionalism utilizing new structural arrangements with various stakeholders through collaboration and cooperation, is represented using examples from Australia and elsewhere. Teacher inquiry is presented as an initiative whereby teacher professionalism can be developed.
A strategy forre-establishing the moral and intellectual leadership of the teaching profession along activist lines is developed in the last section of the book. Issues surrounding teacher professional identity are examined in the light of the discourses that are shaping teacher professionalism. Rethinking professional identity provides a basis for developing new forms of teacher professionalism. The Activist Teaching Profession is both a wake up call and a call to action for teachers and the community alike.

Susan Groundwater-Smith is one of the most influential voices in the world of educational practitioner inquiry. The convener in Australia of the Coalition of Knowledge Building Schools, she is a staunch advocate of innovative methods of practitioner inquiry with a particular emphasis upon student voice and the use of images in capturing young people's perspectives on their learning experience. So it is more than fitting that this unique text on practitioner inquiry and teacher professional learning is dedicated to her.

Rethinking Education Practice Through Reflexive Inquiry is a compilation of essays that explore contemporary issues in practitioner inquiry and action research from the perspective of both university-based and school-based authors. The essays discuss the practical, political and theoretical dimensions of practitioner inquiry, advancing the argument that the adoption of an inquiring approach to practice is both an integral dimension of teachers' work in the modern school as well as critical to effective and authentic professional learning. And the essays draw on the work of Groundwater-Smith to demonstrate the benefits brought to bear on schools, teachers and learners when the complex nature of the relationship between inquiry and practice is understood and acted upon in pursuit of democratic knowledge interests.

Susan Groundwater-Smith is one of the most influential voices in the world of educational practitioner inquiry. The convener in Australia of the Coalition of Knowledge Building Schools, she is a staunch advocate of innovative methods of practitioner inquiry with a particular emphasis upon student voice and the use of images in capturing young people s perspectives on their learning experience. So it is more than fitting that this unique text on practitioner inquiry and teacher professional learning is dedicated to her.

Rethinking Education Practice Through Reflexive Inquiry is a compilation of essays that explore contemporary issues in practitioner inquiry and action research from the perspective of both university-based and school-based authors. The essays discuss the practical, political and theoretical dimensions of practitioner inquiry, advancing the argument that the adoption of an inquiring approach to practice is both an integral dimension of teachers work in the modern school as well as critical to effective and authentic professional learning. And the essays draw on the work of Groundwater-Smith to demonstrate the benefits brought to bear on schools, teachers and learners when the complex nature of the relationship between inquiry and practice is understood and acted upon in pursuit of democratic knowledge interests."

"Christopher Day and Judyth Sachs have done a remarkable job of pulling together an outstanding collection of essays on professional development that reflect its stunning diversity in different regions around the world. They have done for readers what no one else has accomplished in nearly a quarter century: Combine in a single volume a clear and concise description of professional development's past, present, and projected future internationally." Thomas R. Guskey, University of Kentucky. "an engaging text through out and can be dipped in to or read from beginning to end... The editors and authors of this book have done a great service to teachers and professional development educators worldwide" Journal of Inservice EducationThis Handbook brings together theoretical and empirical research on purposes, policies and practices of teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) over the last twenty years.It provides a unique collection of regional writing from key professionals in different regions of the world, featuring: A review of current CPD literature Discussion of the politics, policies and purposes of CPD Case studies from Europe, USA, Australia, Asia, Africa and South America A synthesis of research and future research possibilities The book comprises a fascinating mix of conceptual framing, accounts of purposes and practices, case studies and analyses of best practice from a range of highly regarded writers in the field. It is an indispensable source book for policy makers and teachers at all levels of the education systems.Contributors: Beatrice Avalos, Ray Bolam, Pam Christie, Marion Dadds, Christopher Day, John Elliott, Susan Groundwater-Smith, Shirley Grundy, Ken Harley, Alma Harris, Geert Kelchtermans, Geoff Lindsay, Judith Warren Little, Agnes McMahon, Daniel Muijs, Alan Penny, Judith Robison, Judyth Sachs, Ciaran Sugrue, David Tripp

This book charts the development of a whole-institution approach to university-community engagement at a modern Australian university, highlighting the pivotal role that curriculum renewal can play in organizational transformation. It describes how Macquarie University's PACE (Professional and Community Engagement) program developed and fostered a culture of learning that has been at the center of academic renewal, differentiation, and institutional change. It details the development of the PACE pedagogical model, the establishment of the network of stakeholder relationships which underpin it, and the embedding of the model across the whole institution. Authored by those directly involved in the change project, this book tells the story of PACE, its achievements, challenges, success factors and future directions. A series of dovetailing contributions by leading international scholars of university-community engagement set the PACE story in its global context. This book adds to the scholarship of learning through community engagement, provides international perspectives on trends and issues in university-community engagement, contributes to a broader understanding of the practice and pedagogy of community engagement, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of implementing and sustaining change in the higher education sector.