Principals are instrumental in sparking professional dialogue amongst teachers and encouraging critical self-reflection within the minds of individual teachers. All of these elements of reflection and reflexiveness are essential during staff meetings, for a true Professional Learning Community to function as it should.
A good principal is willing to provide an honest evaluation as to how the school is progressing in its mission and not allow the school's reputation to rest upon its past laurels. A principal functions as the strategic planner who determines the long-term goals of the school, and the short-term goals or benchmarks the school must reach to achieve those goals. By setting goals and helping generate a collective sense of mission for all persons at the school, principals create the necessary atmosphere at the school for more effective practices.

Principals also play an important role in facilitating professional development, as the ideal of teachers continuing to learn…...

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Works Cited

Dufour, R, Eaker R.E., & Baker, R. (1998). Professional Learning Communities at Work, Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement. Alexandria: Solution Tree.

The director of the assessment program must sit down with each teacher one-on-one as the teacher establishes goals for the year. These goals should be formal and written out, rather than merely established privately by the teacher. Then, at the end of the year, there can be a debriefing of the teacher participants, as well as an assessment of the growth of the class. This method of investing in teachers and allowing teacher more input into the structure of the assessment program on an ongoing basis is a transformational model in the manner in which it fosters change as a collective process. Teachers will also feel a greater sense of investment in a school which contributes to their growth as professional educators through mentoring.
Despite the resistance shown by the teachers to goal-setting, the school feels that this approach is fair, given its focus upon improving teacher quality and its…...

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References

Fenstermacher, G.D., & Richardson, V. (2005, January). On making determinations of quality in teaching. The Teachers College Record, 107(1), 186-213.

Le Fevre, D.M. (2010). Changing TACK: Talking about change knowledge for professional learning'. In H. Timperley, & Parr, J. (Eds.), Weaving evidence, inquiry and standards to build better schools (pp. 71-92), Wellington, NZCER Press.

Santamaria, L. & Santamaria, a. (2012). Applied critical leadership in education. Routledge.

Women in Film Noir
Teaching is in many ways a solitary profession: A teacher in his or her own classroom spends hours in contact with students but often relatively little time talking to other teachers and educators. Administrators are also in many ways isolated from the teachers. Perhaps because of this fact, the administrators interviewed for this project emphasized the personal importance of collaboration with other members of the professional and the necessity of providing support for each other. This section summarizes the findings of this research concerning how education professionals defined and evaluated different aspects of cooperation within the profession.

Subject Population and Research Design

This study was conducted at a kindergarten through eighth grade school in the district where I am employed. I conducted six interviews with administrators who ranged in experience (in administration) from one to eight years. Five were women and five were former teachers in the district. The…...

Professional Development in the Nursing Field
Attached File

Describe the nurse leader's role as advocate for the nursing profession

As the nursing profession advocate, the nurse leader will ensure that there is unity amongst the nurses within the health care facility. This unity will allow the nurses to work together and share responsibilities. With unity, the nurses can be able to coordinate and advice one another, and this would improve the quality of health care provided Dall'Alba & Sandberg, 2006.

The nurse leader will also advocate for better working hours for the nurses. Nurses work long hours and fatigue can affect the quality of service they provide. The nurse leader will come up with duty rosters that are considerate of the nurses working hours. The nurse leader can also advocate for the nurses specialization. With each nurse having specialized in a specific field, the nurse leader can push for the nurse to be based…...

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References

Dall'Alba, G., & Sandberg, J. (2006). Unveiling Professional Development: A Critical Review of Stage Models. Review of Educational Research, 76(3), 383-412.

Webster-Wright, A. (2009). Reframing Professional Development through Understanding Authentic Professional Learning. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 702-739.

This program experience, concurrent with my faith-based experience developing an additional residential treatment program provided the core of my personal and professional learning of both direct patient care and cemented my belief in the need for such programs to exists and grow to better meet the needs of the growing drug problem in my community and many others.
Upon completion of the position of Director of Residential Programs for the Jefferson County Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, I sought out in 2006 another position that would further my learning as a community service provider. My new task would be based around not the management of one county facility but the development of regional programming needs in the are as a member of the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission -- Quality Management-Substance Abuse Division. I currently hold this position which includes a variety of tasks and learning opportunities: Conducting organizational…...

Differentiated instruction offers the possibility for all students to meet their own personal and optimal potential in the learning environment of the classroom.
ILIOGRAPHY

ellai, Mariann (2008) Professional Development Plan. Schenectady City Schools. Online available at: http://www.schenectady.k12.ny.us/ProfessionalDevelopment/ProfDevPlan08.pdf

Corley, Mary Ann (2005) Differentiated Instruction: Adjusting to the Needs of All Learners. Focus on asics Vol. 7 Issue C. March, 2005. National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy.

Differentiated Instruction (2007) Council for Exceptional Children. News & Issues. Arlington, Virginia. Online available at http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Differentiated_Instruction&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=24&ContentID=4695

Empowering Students to Succeed (2007) Title II Professional Development Plan. Dekalb County School System 2006-2007. Online available at: http://www.dekalbk12.org/TitleIIplan.doc

Heacox, D. (2002). Differentiating instruction in the regular classroom: How to reach and teach all learners, grades 3-12. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Moore, etty (2008) Using Assistive Technology, Differentiated Instruction and Professional Learning Teams. CODE Chronicles, Issue No. 1, 2006 November.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of…...

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bellai, Mariann (2008) Professional Development Plan. Schenectady City Schools. Online available at: http://www.schenectady.k12.ny.us/ProfessionalDevelopment/ProfDevPlan08.pdf

Corley, Mary Ann (2005) Differentiated Instruction: Adjusting to the Needs of All Learners. Focus on Basics Vol. 7 Issue C. March, 2005. National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy.

Differentiated Instruction (2007) Council for Exceptional Children. News & Issues. Arlington, Virginia. Online available at  http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Differentiated_Instruction&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=24&ContentID=4695 

Empowering Students to Succeed (2007) Title II Professional Development Plan. Dekalb County School System 2006-2007. Online available at:  http://www.dekalbk12.org/TitleIIplan.doc

According to Carr, "It is good for the development of young people to undergo some dress discipline, and only right for teachers to set pupils an appropriate example in this respect" (emphasis added) (p. 218).
There are some common sense rules that can be followed by middle school teachers in determining what will be perceived as "professional attire" by others, especially their students. For example, in his essay, "Transition to Teaching: Putting Your Best Foot Forward," Senne (2004) recommends conservative attire and jewelry for both male and female middle school teachers. According to this author, "Female teachers should choose to wear a conservative dress (appropriate length), blouse and skirt, or blouse and dress slacks. Male teachers may opt for a dress shirt, dress slacks, tie, and suit coat. Shoes should be consistent with selected attire" (p. 46). While these are the typical choices for professional attire, they certainly do not…...

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References

Bryant, L.E. (2003). Becoming a better teacher: Learning from our mistakes. Communication Studies, 54(2), 130.

Carr, D. (2000). Professionalism and ethics in teaching. London: Routledge.

Cooper, P.M. (2003). Effective white teachers of black children: Teaching within a Community. Journal of Teacher Education, 54(5), 413.

Diez, M.E. (2007). Looking back and moving forward: Three tensions in the teacher dispositions discourse. Journal of Teacher Education, 58(5), 388.

This will be accomplished by studying the following problem:
What specific tools and tactics can be the most successful in helping field psychologists to maximize their total amounts of learning comprehension?

Once this query has been answered, is when actuaries can find data that will identify the best approaches and how they can be applied (in a real world environment) by mental health professionals.

esearch Methods

The research method that will be used is the mixed approach. This is when there is a focus on specific tactics that will look at previous studies (i.e. The quantitative method). At the same time, actuaries are collecting specific samples from field psychologists (i.e. The qualitative methodology). These techniques were selected, because they can provide everyone with a background of key concepts. This will be used to establish a foundation of what processes are the most effective. ("Mixed Method esearch," 2011)

The Expected esults

The expected results will be…...

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References

Mixed Method Research. (2011). Diversified Topics. Retrieved from: http://diversifiedtopics.com/tag/mixed-methods-research-definition/

Helms, J. (2011). Majoring in Psychology. Chichester: Wiley.

Mumford, a. (1997). Action Learning at Work. Aldershot: Gower.

Given the capriciousness of the human condition with respect to continuing redefinitions of personal and professional success, human resource managers are faced with some difficult choices in formulating recommendations for best practices. Therefore, the learning journal would undergo a series of draft versions that would be used to solicit feedback from experts in the field who could point out flaws and areas that required additional research or support to be valid and trustworthy. The solicitation of feedback process would follow the guidance provided by Neuman (2003) who recommends having a manuscript reviewed by knowledgeable individuals who possess the requisite credentials to provide informed feedback. This feedback would be carefully reviewed and the collaborative process would result in changes and additions where they were deemed necessary and appropriate.
4)

Outcomes and New Learning

Some of the overriding themes that emerged from the learning episodes outlined above was that the more researchers learn about…...

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References

American Psychological Association. (2002). Publication manual of the American Psychological

Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Cheverton, J. 2007. 'Holding our own: Value and performance in nonprofit organizations.'

Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 427-428.

Learning Needs Assessment and Analysis
The University of San Diego Counseling Center (USDCC) has been established to provide enrolled students with access to quality counseling and healthcare services. Employing a diverse selection of the university's most accomplished psychiatrists, psychologists, medical doctors, registered nurses, and other healthcare professionals, the USDCC operates a high-volume Critical Intensive Care Unit with the assistance of a 50-member nursing staff. Although the USDCC has built a reputation for delivering competent and qualified critical care services across a number of years, the organization's management structure has become concerned that educational priorities have not been updated to reflect modern advancements in the field. To that end, the USDCC recently elected to conduct a comprehensive Learning Needs Assessment and Analysis to identify the paramount educational needs in place, and the institutional forces working to facilitate or impede the implementation of these needs. Empirical research on the efficacy of various instructional…...

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References

Lewin, K. (1939). Field theory and experiment in social psychology: Concepts and methods.

Journal of Sociology, 44, 868-896. Retrieved from  http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2769418?uid=3739552&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=7 

0&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101323864143

Morrison, G.R., Ross, S.M., Kalman, H.K., & Kemp, J.E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Judgment, however, should be suspended long enough to try to determine why someone does something a certain way. If this can be determined, it is another lesson worth having. This is true of the student that is just learning about business, and true of the established businessperson.
Unlike that student learner, the businessperson that has already been working in the world for a while will be much harder to teach. Once someone has gotten used to doing something a particular way, it becomes more difficult to change that person's behavior. However, those that lead others in business, such as human resource personnel, can take many of the suggestions in Vaill's book and use them to show others in their company how they can change only small things and still be more self-directed learners.

As they become more self-directed, their desire for knowledge will rise and they will begin to try to…...

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Works Cited

Vaill, Peter B. (1996). Learning as a way of being: strategies for survival in a world of permanent white water. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Professional Association
American Nurses Association (ANA): Become a Member Today!

Member Benefits:

Discounts on products and services

Discounts on online degrees

Discounts on certification exams

Career center access

Professional liability insurance products

Subscriptions to periodicals

And more!

Mission of the ANA: "Nurses advancing our profession to improve health for all,' ("About ANA," 2012).

Interested in public policy reform and political activism related to healthcare?

You've come to the right place!

One of the express functions of the ANA is "lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public," ("About ANA," 2012). "Through ANA's political and legislative program, the association has taken firm positions on a range of issues including Medicare reform, patients' rights, appropriate staffing, the importance of safer needle devices, whistleblower protections for health care workers, adequate reimbursement for health care services and access to health care," ("Statement of Purpose," 2012)

Facts at a Glance:

The ANA is:

"The only full-service professional organization" in the United States ("About ANA,"…...

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References

"FAQ's," (2012). Retrieved online:  http://www.nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/FAQs#member 

Nursezone (2012). Retrieved online:  http://www.nursezone.com/Advancing-My-Career/professional-organizations.aspx 

"Statement of Purpose," (2012). AMA. Retrieved online:  http://www.nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/AboutANA/ANAsStatementofPurpose.html

This study investigates how ESL students' perception affects the teacher-student interaction in the writing conferences. The multiple-case study explores: ESL students' expectations of the writing conference and factors contributing to the expectations, participation patterns of ESL students in the conferences, and ESL students' perception of the effectiveness of teacher-student conferences. A questionnaire, distributed to 110 (65 NS and 45 ESL) students enrolled in the first-year composition classes, examines students' previous writing experience and expectations of the writing conferences. Pre-conference interviews with 19 focus students (8 NS and 11 ESL) were conducted to verify the survey results. Students' participation patterns were investigated via the video-recorded writing conferences of the 19 focus students. Students' perceptions of the conference were investigated through the post conference interviews with the 19 focus students and follow-up interviews with six Chinese students.
esults of the research that Liu (2009) conducted determined that ESL students and NS students…...

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References

Beare, K. (n.d.). ESL Writing Workshop 2. Retrieved from http://esl.about.com/od/writinglessonplan/a/l_wwshop2.htm

Bitchener, J., & Knoch, U. (2009). The value of a focused approach to written corrective feedback. ELT Journal: English Language Teachers Journal, 63(3), 204-211. doi:10.1093/elt/ccn043.

Liu, Y.. ESL students in the college writing conferences: Perception and participation. Ph.D. dissertation, The University of Arizona, United States -- Arizona. Retrieved September 06, 2010, from Dissertations & Theses: Full Text.(Publication No. AAT 3359771).

Matthews-Aydinli, J. (2008). OVERLOOKED AND UNDERSTUDIED? A SURVEY OF CURRENT TRENDS IN RESEARCH ON ADULT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS. Adult Education Quarterly, 58(3), 198. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier database.

Learning Platforms -- K-12 and Beyond
A Comparison of Learning Platforms that Focus on the K-12 and Higher Education Learning Environments

Many of the educational initiatives in recent years have focused on improving the delivery of services by incorporating learning platforms that focus on the K-12 and higher education learning environments, such as WebCT or Blackboard. To determine how these learning platforms are being used today and for what learners, this paper will provide an overview of the features of learning management systems (LMS) that have assumed increasing importance for a wide range of corporate and government-sponsored learning environments. A comparison and evaluation of these platforms and their applicability to the different learning environments is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

eview and Discussion

Background and Overview. In their book, Handbook of Distance Education Technology, Anderson and Moore (2003) suggest that it just makes good sense to use the technological…...

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References

Anderson, W.G., & Moore, M.G. (2003). Handbook of distance education. Mahwah, NJ:

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Carlivati, P.A. (2002). E-learning evolves. ABA Banking Journal, 94(6), 49.

Granger, D., & Bowman, M. (2003). Constructing knowledge at a distance: The learner in context. In W.G. Anderson & M.G. Moore (Eds.). Handbook of distance education.

Learning Centers
"In a developmentally appropriate classroom, the teacher's role is that of facilitator and enabler," (Crosser). The physical and spatial design of the classroom directly reflects this core philosophy of placing students at the center of their learning environment. However, the learning environment must be a diverse, modular, and highly interactive space that encourages change and flexibility. Teachers are cast in a role of "facilitator and enabler," as well as supervisor to ensure safety and comfort. The design of the classroom and its learning centers is important for study because of the need to strategize, organize, and plan the way the environment looks and feels for both students and the teacher.

This paper addresses four learning centers that are ideal for a classroom composed of four-year-olds. These learning centers will encompass the gamut of needs of preschoolers. Creative enterprises, play, and social interactions are key components of the preschool environment. Therefore,…...

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References

Crosser, S. (2008). . The Butterfly Garden: Developmentally Appropriate Practice Defined. Early Childhood News. Retrieved online:  http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=115 

Kostelnik, Marjorie J., Soderman, Anne K., Whiren, Alice P., Contributor, John Q (2012). Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum: Best Practices in Early Childhood Education [5] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved from  http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9780558706111/id/ch05fig02