Commencing a professional development pathway in studies of Asia : three teachers' stories

![CDATA[This paper aims to provide an in-depth picture of three participants who undertook a major professional development program in South Australia in 2000. The program was the 'Including Studies of Asia in Curriculum Professional Development Program'. This program was developed initially by the Asia Education Foundation and then adapted for delivery in most states and territories. The initial delivery in South Australia had occurred in 1995 and since that time two courses had been delivered each year. A ‘Participant Profile’ administered to all participants undertaking the two courses in 2000 provided some statistics which enabled a general overview of the nature of the cohort to be formed. For example, there was a strong emphasis on the acquisition of individual knowledge as a reason for teachers wanting to undertake the course. To some extent, this seemed to fly in the face of the prevailing attitudes towards professional development by schooling sectors, whereby the emphasis tended to be on promoting system priorities and policies, improving pedagogical skills and raising teacher ‘standards’. Based on hour length interviews, this paper traces the ‘story’ of each of the three selected participants – Louise, a primary LOTE teacher in her mid-forties operating across three schools, Michele, a primary teacher in her early forties with some general and some LOTE responsibilities, and James, a primary teacher in his early thirties with general classroom duties. The stories provide a salutary reminder that while there can be surface level similarities between teachers in terms of their attitudes and approaches to teaching, their underlying personal values, motivations, experiences and desires impact continually and substantially upon their lives and careers.]]