CCEAM 2018 will be held in Malta from 13 to 15 November 2018. The theme of the conference is “Professional Learning: a leadership opportunity and challenge“, which focuses on the central role that leaders and teachers play in creating opportunities to engage critically with the teaching and learning process. Professional learning needs to sit at the core of the communities of practice that are needed to address the various challenges that educators face today. This conference does just that. It will focus on 4 main themes with the intent of giving researchers and practitioners alike the opportunity to share current research and present frameworks and strategies that are being used to successfully bring about improved teaching and learning.

At a time when the Maltese educational system is witnessing major reforms at both compuslory and tertiary education it was deemed approporiate to consider hosting the CCEAM conference in a country that can serve as an ideal platform to discuss and debate various themes related to professional learning and development.

Teaching continues to be a challenging yet rewarding profession.  Today’s teachers and school leaders are caught in a squeeze of conflicting demands. Many argue that virtually all teachers care deeply about children and their learning, and whilst doing their utmost to create classroom environments that are well organised, purposeful, warm and supportive, and intellectually stimulating, they are working in policy environments in which teachers and school leaders are under scrutiny and subject to greater accountability. In many countries teachers lack respect and schools are finding it hard to attract teachers who are willing to work in daunting environments exacerbated by a performativity culture.

In spite of this there are numerous examples of school leaders who are adopting out-of-the-box leadership seeing these solutions as creating opportunities for teachers to engage critically with the teaching and learning process. Professional learning needs to sit at the core of the communities of practice that are needed to address the various challenges we face.

This conference will provide researchers and practitioners alike the opportunity to share current research and present frameworks and strategies that have been/ can be used to successfully bring about improved teaching and learning.

For more information, please visit CCEAM’s website.