Welcome to the fifth volume of the International Journal of Process Education. In this issue, we present an intriguing collection of scholarship from authors that have collaborated across different disciplines, organizational types, and geographical regions from across the globe. Their research explores the transformation of education, the relationship of Process Education to the mainstream media, and the utilization of rubrics in different contexts.

• From the Editorial Board

  A macro-level exploration of the transformation of education is examined by Gathumbi, Mungai, and Hintze in, Towards Comprehensive Professional Development of Teachers: The Case of Kenya. The authors examine what governmental and institutional support is necessary to ensure continuous growth in the professional development of in-service teachers by examining the case of Kenya. The transformation of higher education is explored at a micro level in Putting It to Practice: Hands-On Learning Activities for Transforming Education by Hintze, Burke, and Beyerlein. Through a presentation of classroom activities the authors help faculty and students with the processing of knowledge and internalizing of best practices associated with individual aspects in the Transformation of Education.

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• Towards Comprehensive Professional Development of Teachers: The Case of Kenya

  by Agnes W. Gathumbi, Njoroge J. Mungai, Denna L. Hintze

  Abstract

  The quality of the teacher is vital in any country as the teacher not only embodies the sociocultural ethos of the country, but, in practices within the classroom, ensures its continuation and potential improvement. It is also said that no people can rise above the level of its teachers. Developing countries like Kenya peg their development agenda mainly on the provision of quality education. One approach to improving education is through in-service training of teachers, both novice and experienced. Ideally, in-service training programs are professional development programs committed to improving educator practices and growing their facilitation skills. It is through in-service training that educational institutions realize multiple goals, ranging from training teachers in the use of the latest technology, to helping them grow their skills in implementing pedagogical best practices, and sometimes even aiding educators as they innovate in pursuit of improved educational outcomes. This level of professional development requires the support not only of educational institutions, but of cultures and governments as well. For this reason, this paper supports the institutionalization of in-service training as a method of implementing a comprehensive policy for promoting ongoing professional development for educators. This is a position paper drawing largely from literature and the professional development experiences of teachers, which highlights key challenges worthy of attention by policy makers in order to create a comprehensive policy institutionalizing in-service training in Kenya. It is our stand that a comprehensive policy addressing these challenges would transform in-service training programs from their current ad hoc and local tendencies which generally focus on generic aspects of teaching into highly professional development programs which focus on measures such as student learning outcomes.

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• Putting It to Practice: Hands-On Learning Activities for Transforming Education

  by Denna Hintze, Kathleen Burke, and Steven Beyerlein

  Abstract

  Using the learning object developed in a previous IJPE article (www.transformation-of-education.com) along with the activity design methodology, sample activities have been created for faculty and students to help with the processing of knowledge and internalizing of best practices associated with individual aspects in the Transformation of Education. The activities use cooperative learning to achieve shared understanding and meaningful closure within a single class period using best practices of Process Education. Two complete activities are presented: “Ownership: Taking Responsibility for Learning” and “Transparency: Sharing to Increase Learning.” Facilitation plans are offered for both, including answer keys.

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• What Is Special about Process Education?

  by Melissa Desjarlais, Jim Morgan

  Abstract

  Reflective practice, “the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning” (Schön, 1983), is an important part of a continuous improvement process. As a part of our own reflective practice, the authors read two widely regarded books on teaching; compared these books, using mixed methods techniques, to the principles of Process Education; discovered some interesting things; had many intriguing conversations; and came to the conclusion that Process Education is special. The authors hope that the approach taken in this paper, that “examining practice … leads to developmental insight” (Bolton, 2010), will stimulate interesting discussions, and encourage others to explore the many tools of Process Education, as well as those presented in our two comparison readings: What the Best College Teachers Do (Bain, 2004), and How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, Norman, & Mayer, 2010). Enjoy!

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• A Process Model of Judging and Deciding

  by Cy Leise

  Abstract

  Ethical, professional, and research judgments and decisions are often made quickly, inconsistently, and in contexts that make time pressure, perception of risks, and invalid assumptions unduly influential, even for experts. Decisions are specific to situations in which choice is a possibility or opportunity but in which there also are constraints such as legal requirements, published moral or ethical principles, problem-solving or research standards, and longer-term consequences. Selected theory and research will be highlighted in this article with the purpose of establishing main factors that operate when judging and deciding are used; it is argued that judging and deciding are “meta-processes” analogous to assessment because of their universality. Key insights about applied decision making include the importance of slowing down the process to make it possible to discern biases, recognizing that avoidance of potential losses is highly motivating in most contexts, and that individual judging and deciding must advance to a new level of wisdom when group or organizational changes are the focus or aspiration. The process model presented includes background theory and principles, criteria for effective judging and deciding, description of common biases, the DADA Loop decision-making methodology, the holistic Judgment and Decision Making Rubric, and illustrations of how process educators might improve the quality of their judging and deciding processes by using these tools when faced with complex decisions.

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• Five Years of the International Journal of Process Education: A Brief Retrospective

  by Kathleen Burke

  Abstract

  At the formational meeting of the Academy of Process Educators at Brevard Community College in Florida, the spark that became the International Journal of Process Education was lit. Under the direction of Dr. Jacqueline El-Sayed from 2008 – 2012 and Dr. Kathleen Burke from 2012 – present, the IJPE has come from an idea spoken at a meeting to an international journal.

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