TEACHER LEARNING CIRCLES: READING THEORY IN PRACTICE THROUGH DIALOGUE By Liz Suda

The research suggests that teachers need to keep abreast of new ideas about student learning and effective strategies for enhancing that learning, and that professional learning is an essential aspect of improving practice at the classroom level. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that traditional approaches to professional development, usually delivered away from the school and focusing on teacher needs and development rather than student learning, have little impact on practice unless they are explicitly followed up through application in the classroom.