There is no single form that answers the needs of all educators. Professional development provides opportunities for educators to facilitate their own learning through study and application of new ideas from a variety of sources. It requires opportunities for reflection and conversation with one another in a different kind of school environment known as a learning community. The following core beliefs shape the updated vision. They are not prioritized since they are all important.
Educators improve their practice throughout their careers.
Educators begin their professional learning during their pre-service training at the university. It continues throughout their careers. They remain learners as their students learn. Society's expectations of what its young people need to know change as the world does. Educators must respond to the changing expectations by remaining current on new information and research about how students learn and the content they need.