Vivienne Collinson, PhD, has served as a professional educator for close to 45 years in Canada and in the United States and she is a well-known expert in the field of professional development. Her publications focus on the professional learning of teachers and educational leaders. Certified as a teacher, principal, and superintendent, she served as a teacher and in numerous leadership roles in education before beginning to teach principals in Canada and the US. Her work, research and service have frequently taken her to Europe and Asia, where she has lectured on organizational learning and professional development.
Vivienne Collinson served the EERA’s Network 01 as convener and link convener from 1999 to 2012. She worked very closely with the other conveners of the Network 01, especially with Ene-Silvia Sarv and Maureen Killeavy. The conveners’ team made considerable efforts to build up a wider group of reviewers, and the review process and program scheduling was developed in collaboration with other networks and the EERA office. During this period, new collaborative and interactive methods were introduced, such as interactive workshops and symposia. Much attention was paid to supporting early career researchers and having business meetings on a regular basis. The theme of the network was also broadened from individual learning into educational leadership and organizational development. As a result, the volume of the network activities has grown threefold; the average number of presentations has grown from about 30 papers to 100 - 130, and the number of parallel sessions has increased from about 10 to 30 - 40.