A teacher union's collaborative research agenda and strategies

The paper will consider these three projects in the context of the current literature on Professional Development, networking, and collaboration, and identify ways for teacher unions to support teacher inquiry and Professional Development in partnership with external organizations as an option in supporting the Professional Development of teachers. [...] Hargreaves (2000) outlines four stages of teacher professionalism and professional learning: • The pre-professional age, in which teaching was considered technically simple, with common-sense principles and parameters; • The age of the autonomous professional, in which teachers had the right to choose how they taught the students in their charge; • The age of the collegial professional, in which e [...] This ‘tapestry’ notion of and sustaining a professional development support for teaching and learning is center begin with the teachers’ association at quite different from the concept of the state or local level, and include the state ‘alignment’, top-down control or one- department of education, the district or upmanship that has characterized districts in the area to be served, public and educa [...] Union leaders need to be able to develop partnerships and strategic alliances with the district and other organizations, and to work collaboratively to raise funds and develop programs around improved professional practice.” (p15) Thus the AFT has produced one of many recent reports stressing the need for unions to find and build networks and collaborations. [...] In summary, the recent writing on the actual and potential roles of teachers unions with a professional focus explores consideration of the changing demographics of the teaching population, teacher unions’ internal capacity and resource allocation for a focus on 12 professional issues, and collaboration with external agencies.