Recently government policy in the UK schools' sector has focused on human resource management strategies as the key to the transformation of classroom practice. Continuing professional development (CPD) is seen as the prime mechanism for implementing reform. Given the amount of literature claiming that CPD has little effect (Day,1999) the optimism of the policy makers is somewhat surprising.Current theories relevant to professional learning fail to address adequately the ways in which teachers actually experience and articulate changes in their thinking and practice. In the past twenty years these have evolved away from individualised perspectives inherent in the 'reflective practitioner', towards work-based (Eraut, 2000) and network and community based theories of learning (Wenger, 1998) mainly located within school institutions and practices. Alternative paradigms of collaborative learning have been proposed through the institution of a 'professional learning community (Lingard et al., 2001). Although Fielding (2005) and Leat et al. (2006) provide many pointers for collaborative professional learning and evidence based practice, it is also true that teachers need particular outside support and inputs(Reeves, 2007), which HEIs may be able to supply.The paper draws on data from contrasting projects: a postgraduate masters programme, which aims to enable experienced teachers to gain national recognition in Scotland and, in England, two action research projects focusing on Learning to Learn and Thinking Skills respectively. In all cases teachers collected and analysed evidence about the effect on practice and/or pupil outcomes. The paper proposes a framework for analysis based on social constructivist theory which has been developed on the basis of a number of research studies and which has been described in a number of published papers (Reeves and Forde, 2004, Reeves and Boreham, 2006). By using event and semiotic analysis the complex relational, spatial and temporal aspects of an educating system can be described. . The paper provides a basis for practitioners to design and examine professional development initiatives in new ways which help to surface the links between teachers in classrooms, the provision of professional learning opportunities, ideational systems and 'epistemic objects' (Knorr Cettina 2001). Such objects include ideas, tools and task structures which seem to have inherent characteristics (affordances) that make them attractive in terms of the values and practice of teachers. Day,C.(1999) Developing Teachers: The Challenges of Lifelong Learning. London:Falmer PressEraut, M. (2000) 'Non-formal learning, implicit learning and tacit knowledge in professional work' in Coffield, F. (ed.) The necessity of informal learning Bristol: Policy Press ESRC Learning Society Programme 12-31. Fielding, M. et al. (2005) Influencing Good Practice, London: DfES Research Report RR615. Knorr-Cettina, K. (2001) Objectual Practice, in T. Schatzki, K., Knorr-Cettina, E. von Savigny (eds) The Practice Turn in Contemporary Theory, Oxford: Routledge. Leat, D., Lofthouse, R. & Taverner, S. (2006) The Road Taken: Professional Pathways in Innovative Curriculum Development, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, Vol. 12, pp. 657-674. Lingard B., Ladwig J., Mills M., Bahr M., Chant D., Warry, M., Ailwood, J., Capeness, R., Christie P., Gore J., Hayes D. and Luke, A. (2001) The Queensland School Reform Longitudinal Study Brisbane: Education Queensland. Reeves, (2007) Inventing the Chartered Teacher, British Journal of Educational Studies, Vol 55 No 1, pp. 1 - 21. Reeves, J. and Boreham, N. (2006) 'What's in a vision? Introducing an Organisational Learning Strategy in a Local Authority's Education Service' Oxford Review of Education 32(4). Reeves, J. and Forde, C.(2004) The social dynamics of changing practice. Cambridge Journal of Education, Vol 34 No , pp 85 - 102. Wenger,E (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge European journal