An Integrated Approach to Professional Development: Creating a learning community through focusing everyday practice on the learner

The most significant challenge for schools is to create an environment in which worthwhile change can take place. Many ideas are presented that describe the nature of problems, suggested solutions and provide wonderful expectations of achievement. However, there is a cultural resistance to change within our institutions, reinforced by a conservative and concerned society that is focused on success for individual children. The goal of a Professional Development School (PDS) is to facilitate meaningful, long-term change within a school through supporting teachers as they assimilate new knowledge and structure implementation processes. The PDS established at Delsea Regional School District, Franklinville, NJ in cooperation with Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ has illustrated how a sharpening of the focus on understanding the learner in the classroom can cause a fundamental change in the language of teachers. This leads to a different perspective on the learning activity within the classroom and the relationship between teacher and student.