Distance learning and CPD: special education and knowledge management

Abstract

The field of special education has undergone major transformations in the recent past. UK Government legislation has focused practice on inclusive education which has shifted the focus for meeting special educational needs in ordinary schools away from professional/pedagogical models towards bureaucratic/organisational models. The shift in paradigm has required a shift in the development of teachers away from models of 'knowledge-in-action', towards an understanding of 'organisational knowledge' which is contextualized and dynamic. The paper presents a view that 'organisational knowledge' can be supported through coherent research-based continuing professional development for teachers and educational leaders, which uses ICT to develop 'knowledge management' through supporting 'hyperlearning'.