The relationship between master's thesis work and teachers' professional development has rarely been explored empirically, yet. Drawing upon a larger study, this paper investigates how teachers who were studying for or who have recently graduated from Master of Education programmes offered in five countries -
In the face of mass education, the need to seek individualized methods of students' teaching-learning is increasing. That causes academic tutoring to become more and more popular in higher education all over the world. The article presents the theoretical background of tutoring, the results of research in that regard and the benefits of its practical application. Furthermore, the reality of higher education in Poland is presented here: the context and basic problems constituting the background for possibilities and limitations of application of academic tutoring in Polish conditions. The last part of the article includes examples of application of tutoring at Polish universities. Besides, some areas are indicated in which the use of tutoring may still be considered if the economic, social and cultural conditions in Poland are taken into account.
This study examines teachers' perceptions of the specific factors and conditions which shape international communities of practice into successful vehicles for their professional development. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with thirteen teachers in Poland who have extensive experience working in a wide range of international professional development settings. The findings indicate that teachers perceive international communities to be a unique platform for their professional development because they: offered multi-layered topographies for professional growth; created space for the collective organisation of development activities in diverse, autonomous teams working on challenging topics; and allowed for sharing teaching stories, reflecting on practice, as well as feeling affirmed and affirming others. Based on the results, recommendations are made for future research and policies which enrich communities within and across schools by providing teachers with the flexibility to discover and build international communities.
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