Describes different forms of professional development for cooperative learning and shows how the use of cooperative learning in professional development is leading to new insights into teaching and professional growth in schools. Cooperative/collaborative learning procedures increasingly attract great attention in school and higher education settings. This book has two main purposes: first, to enable educators to make informed decisions and choices about selecting, implementing, and evaluating cooperative learning models with respect for the differences and diversity of goals among professionals in school communities, and second, to consider the goals of teachers' professional development in the context of organizational reforms that foster systemic school change, such as the development of learning communities. The authors encourage professional development that goes beyond inservice workshops to include multi-year development and support for teachers. They advocate that schools be administered under collaborative principles so teachers can "live the experience" that they are trying to create in their own classrooms. Professional Development for Cooperative Learning describes what works for professional development in cooperative learning and how difficult it is to bring about lasting change in school settings. Brody and Davidson focus the dialogue on the nature of professional development linked to systemic changes and the successes, failures, and challenges encountered in the process.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Begin with the Teacher: Focusing Professional Development for Cooperative Learning Introduction: Professional Development and Cooperative Learning Celeste Brody and Neil Davidson 1. The Significance of Teacher Beliefs for Professional Development and Cooperative Learning Celeste Brody 2. Creating Sustained Professional Growth through Collaborative Reflection Carole Cooper and Julie Boyd 3. The Role of Staff Developers in Promoting Effective Teacher Decision-Making Carol Rolheiser and Laurie Stevahn 4. Staff Development That Makes a Difference Patricia Roy Part II: Lessons from the Field: Approaches to Cooperative Learning and Implications for Professional Development 5. Staff Development and the Structural Approach to Cooperative Learning Spencer Kagan and Miguel Kagan 6. Beyond the Workshop: Evidence from Complex Instruction Rachel Lotan, Elizabeth Cohen, and Christopher Morphew 7. A Social Constructivist Approach to Cooperative Learning and Staff Development: Ideas from the Child Development Project Marilyn Watson, Sylvia Kendzior, Stefan Dasho, Stanley Rutherford, and Daniel Solomon 8. Preparing Teachers and Students for Cooperative Work: Building Communication and Helping Skills Sydney Farivar and Noreen Webb 9. The Cognitive Approach to Cooperative Learning: Mediating the Challenge to Change James Bellanca and Robin Fogarty 10. Professional Development for Socially-Conscious Cooperative Learning Nancy Schniedewind and Mara Sapon-Shevin Part III: The Learning Community: Cooperative Learning and Organizational Change 11. Effective Staff Development in Cooperative Learning: Training, Transfer, and Long-term Use David Johnson and Roger Johnson 12. Mutually-Sustaining Relationships between Organization Development and Cooperative Learning Richard Schmuck 13. Faculty Development Using Cooperative Learning Susan Ellis 14. Developing a Collaborative Environment through Job-Embedded Staff Development: One District's Journey Linda Munger Part IV: Return to the Vision of Community 15. Cooperative Learning Communities: Expanding from Classroom Cocoon to Global Connections Liana Forest 16. Afterword: Promising Practices and Responsible Directions Celeste Brody and Neil Davidson Notes on the Contributors Index