We not only live in an age of uncertainty, but in obviously dangerous times. It is nearly a hundred years since Antonio Gramsci wrote ‘the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear’ (Gramsci, 1971, p. 276), but these words seem as relevant as ever. It is not a time of crisis, but an age of many crises that often combine and collide in ways that amplify their impact.

Educators are at the sharp end of these developments: having to keep abreast of rapid change, manage increasingly complex environments and preparing learners with both the skills and dispositions that will help them navigate these turbulent times. 

Supporting educators in this work is the task of professional learning and development (PLD), but as the task of the educator becomes more complex, so too must the purposes and forms of PLD adapt.  Historically much professional learning has been focused on developing the technical skills required to ‘perform’ the task of teaching, and much PLD research has been concerned with establishing ‘what works’ - where and in what circumstances.

If such an approach was ever appropriate, it is clear that it is not appropriate now. Old models and traditional practices appear unable to cope with the world as it is and much professional learning, and professional learning research, appears no longer fit for purpose in an age of crises (Stevenson, 2023). 

This symposium seeks to explore these issues, with a particular focus on the implications for professional learning research and those engaged in such research. The intention is to ‘look forward’, to reflect on the professional learning of the future and the research that will be required to support it.

The approach adopted is to examine critically three recent Special Issues of Professional Development in Education (PDiE).  PDiE is now in its 50^th year, and for all that time it has provided a focus for research in this important sub-field within the wider Education discipline. As with other scholarly journals, PDiE publishes Special Issues and these publications can be significant for what they say about a field and its future trajectory.  Special issues are intended to bring together a range of contributors with a specialised focus to construct new knowledge and deepen collective understanding. As such they perform an important ‘agenda setting’ role by identifying new issues and charting new directions.

This symposium will focus on three special issues Leading Professional Learning to Navigate Complexity (vol 49:6), Beyond Reproduction: the Transformative Potential of Professional Learning (vol 49:4) and The Place of Professional Growth and Professional Learning in Leading Socially Just Schools (vol 47:1).

Each individual contribution will be presented by a PDiE editorial board member closely involved with the curating of the relevant SI, and presentations will be framed around a set of common questions:

1. What are the key issues that emerged from the contributions to the SI? Where were the similarities and differences?
2. What questions were addressed by contributors? Are there questions that were not raised, but which need to be addressed? 
3. What are the implications for future research in PLD – theoretically, methodologically and empirically?

The intention is to use the Special Issues to raise critical questions about current and future trends in professional learning research. The session will be constructed to maximise discussion.  Presenters are located in Ireland, the USA and England.  The discussant is from Scotland.  Articles in the SIs are drawn from a wide range of European and non-European contexts.

Antonio Gramsci (1971) Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci (Q. Hoare & G. Nowell-Smith, Eds.). Lawrence and Wishart. Howard Stevenson (2023) Professional learning and development: fit for purpose in an age of crises?, Professional Development in Education, 49:3, 399-401, DOI: 10.1080/19415257.2023.2207332