School-Based Continuous Professional Development: Schools Leaders' Responsibilities.

Three main areas related to the school leader's responsibility for continuous professional development are discussed. The first of these is the necessity for school leaders to have an understanding, or a theoretical framework, for how professionals learn. Serving as basis for discussion is the Kolb's Cycle of Learning Experience which has four movements: concrete experience (problem finding), reflective observation (question asking), abstract conceptualization (answer seeking), and active experimentation (portrayal of knowledge). The second part of the paper asks the question, "Is it fair or ethical to attempt to balance needs when planning for professional development?" The paper explains and challenges John Adair's set of three overlapping circles, (team, school, individual) as a means of initiating discussion about fairness when attempting to distribute professional development. Orthodox management of balancing needs is offered as an alternative approach. In part 3, the author encourages educational professionals to make their own suggestions for strategies for continuous professional development in busy schools. (JMD)