The contribution of curriculum development to teachers' professional development: a Scottish case study

A four-year curriculum development project involving computing teachers from Scottish schools focused on the methods of teaching and assessing computer programming skills at the secondary 3/4 level (14- to 16-year-olds) and the professional development of participants. The article discusses the project setting, background and initial stimulus, aims and broad direction, values and philosophy, evolution, outcomes, and how problematic areas were tackled. Perspectives from the literature and of participants are interwoven throughout. The findings indicate that curriculum development can indeed enhance teachers' professional development. However, the way in which current curricular reforms marginalize teachers prevents this potential from being realized. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.