IPDA Bulletin January 2017

Happy New Year! In this first bulletin of 2017 we bring you information about:

• Report on the 2016 conference
• Save the date for our 2017 conference
• Membership update
• Membership webpages and benefits
• Advert for tenders for our website review
• Advert for new International Committee member
• IPDA Fellow 2016
• IPDA 2016 prize winner
• PDiE Best Article 2016 Prizewinner
• An opportunity to apply for an IPDA Research Scholarship 2017
• IPDA England event
• IPDA Cymru event

Remember IPDA is your organisation so if you have any ideas please do not hesitate to get in contact.

The international committee look forward to seeing you at one of our events.

Report on the 2016 conference

On 25-26 November 2016 the IPDA International Conference 2016 ‘Learning across the professions’ took place at the Stirling Court Hotel, University of Stirling.

The keynote speakers offered thoughtful, provoking and challenging ideas for everyone to consider. This included questions about the cognitive processes of professional learning as well as the philosophical and sociological frameworks that help us to describe and understand inter-professional learning. Delegates presented a range of engaging papers and workshops addressing the conference theme. Feedback from delegates was very positive and the interactive nature of the conference once again proved to be a strength. Details of the keynote speakers can be found on the conference web page and conference proceedings will be posted later in the new year.

Save the date for our 2017 conference

We are delighted to announce that our IPDA Conference in 2017 will be at The Vale Hotel, Glamorgan in Wales on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 November. Save the dates. Remember our conference fee includes accommodation, all meals and refreshments, conference dinner, IPDA membership as well as the conference itself, so it is a real bargain. More details to follow.

Membership Update

Now is the time to renew your membership (unless you attended both days of the 2016 conference). Details on individual and group membership can be found on the membership pages. Reminder letters will be sent out in the next two weeks.

Membership webpages and benefits

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Online IPDA Member Portal. Members have been issued instructions for setting up their accounts (for support email communications@ipda.org.uk). Please add your professional information to the member directory. This new area of our website gives you access to several features including:

• Full online access to the following journals made available by Routledge, Taylor Francis exclusively for IPDA members:
  • Professional Development in Education
  • Globalisation, Societies and Education
  • International Journal of Lifelong Education
  • Journal of Education for Teaching
  • Critical Studies in Education
  • International Journal of Training Research
  • Review of Education, Pedagogy and Cultural Studies
• Member notifications and updates.
• A member directory for contacting and collaborating with fellow IPDA members.
• Minutes and documents from IPDA committee meetings and AGMs.

Advert for tenders for our website review

The International Committee at their November meeting agreed to put out a tender to review the IPDA website. Click here to download the Invitation to Tender.

Advert for a new International Committee member

If you would like to stand on the IPDA International Committee to work together to support high quality professional learning and development internationally, we currently have one vacancy. You need to find an IPDA member to nominate you and to second your nomination. If you would like to nominate someone, please ask them before sending the nomination form. Elected committee members serve for three years. Any ordinary member of IPDA is eligible for election as a member of the International Committee. Click here to download the nomination form. Please send completed nomination forms to secretary@ipda.org.uk by Friday 10 February 2017.

IPDA Fellow 2016

We are delighted that Dr Balwant Singh, the Principal of Partap College has been awarded the IPDA fellowship, acknowledging his distinguished achievements with IPDA India. Balwant collected his well-deserved award at the 2016 Conference Dinner in Stirling.

IPDA 2016 prize winner

The IPDA prize is not only a recognition of high quality work and impact in the area of professional development and education, it is also a stepping stone to deeper development through the IPDA network, journal, regional events and conference. This year it has been awarded to Samantha Jones for her dissertation for an MSc in Learning and Teaching at the University of Oxford entitled ‘How and how far to identities and pedagogies affect the impact of Continuous Professional Development in a Further Education College?’. Congratulations, Sam!

PDiE Best Article 2016 Prizewinner

The Professional Development in Education Best Article Award is for the best article published in the current volume. This year the prize-winning article for Volume 42, 2016, is: Conceptualising the research-practice-professional development nexus: mobilising schools as ‘research-engaged’ professional learning communities. Vol 42.1 February 2016, p36-53. Author:  Clive Dimmock. Well done, Clive! This article has been made available for free access until the end of the year.

An opportunity to apply for an IPDA Research Scholarship 2017

The International Professional Development Association (IPDA) offers two scholarships per year of up £2,000 to allow IPDA members to undertake original, creative and innovative research that furthers IPDA’s key aim to support, develop and promote good professional development practice in national and international contexts. Proposals will need to be led by an IPDA member and demonstrate collaboration between at least two different countries. Projects can be undertaken over a maximum period of twelve months. Do visit the scholarships page where there are details of the IPDA research scholarship and how to apply. Deadline noon on 24 February 2017.

IPDA England event

IPDA England will be hosting an event designed for school practitioners for you to invite your school partners to attend: ‘Teaching teachers in school – enriching your practice.’ On Saturday 11 March at the University of Cumbria in London, 58 East India Dock Rd, London E14 6JE. Further information available from Pete Boyd (pete.boyd@cumbria.ac.uk) and shortly to be on the IPDA England webpage with the link for booking.