Facilitating “Gem Moments” of Learning: Reading Research as Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

This purpose of this paper is to deepen our understanding of a relational model of professional development that nurtures teachers’ interest in learning and professional growth through reading. This case study documents the impact of a teacher reading group that was created for the purposes of a larger study between 2005 and 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Louisa, one of the six participants of this larger study, is the focus of this paper. Louisa’s practice of reading, interpreting, evaluating, and utilizing the on-line research she read individually and collectively with the other five participants of the study became a way for her to identify and critique important issues, reframe her experiences as a teacher, question her professional assumptions and beliefs, and begin to develop a new unit of study for her English as a Second Language students.

Keywords

• Teaching
• Learning
• Professional Development