Leading Transformational Experiences for K-8 Teachers

School and district leaders have recognized that traditional educational practices such as “one and done” professional development and “drill and kill” standardized test preparation are not meeting the needs of adult and young learners. Schools all over the world are now starting to embrace innovative programs that focus on reflection, engagement, and overall well-being of staff and students. This chapter focuses on the role of teacher leaders in launching innovative programs that lead to long lasting positive change in their schools. These educators are also completing a doctoral program in educational leadership at Monmouth University where a key component is the implementation of a transformative learning project (TLP). The four diverse transformational experiences discussed in this chapter stemmed from initiatives focused on global citizenship education, mindfulness, teacher induction training to improve self-efficacy and “open classrooms” for job-embedded learning. These initiatives all intend to improve outcomes for teachers through various types of professional development activities led by teacher leaders and supported by school and district level administrators.

Systems-Focused Equity Leadership Learning: Shifting Practice Through Practice

This article shares our experience using a job-embedded active learning approach to support candidates’ growth as systems-focused equity leaders in the University of Washington’s Leadership for Learning program. We describe how socio-cultural learning theory helped us shift from field-based application projects to job-embedded learning. Our approach involved clarifying systems-focused leadership practices as primary learning targets, centering candidates’ workplaces as the main learning setting, and providing high-quality support consistent with apprenticeships and communities of practice. We conclude with opportunities, challenges, and ways forward for educational leadership programs seeking to design such approaches and develop systems-focused equity leaders.

Middle School Teachers' Sensemaking of Job-Embedded Learning

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss a multi-case study on how middle school teachers constructed understandings of their job-embedded learning experiences. The aim of the study was to explore how teachers made sense of and gave meaning to their learning experiences that occurred during the school day as they engaged in the work of being a teacher. Job-embedded learning experiences referred to any formal or informal learning opportunity that was grounded in the context of the school day and characterized by active learning and reflection. This chapter includes a detailed overview of the literature on effective professional development and the characteristics of job-embedded learning as each relates to the middle school context; the background and significance of the study; a description of the research design, methods, and procedures; a discussion of the research findings and subsequent implications for educators; and suggestions and recommendations for practice and future research.