Teachers’ in-service training as such is not a new thing in Oman, but
due to the national effort put in re-organising and systematising
in-service training programmes in the past few years, a whole new phase
has emerged in teacher professional development (TPD). The article
describes how TPD is responding to the challenges of improving the
quality of teaching and learning in Oman. The article also describes the
tools used to examine the impact of the provided in-service training.
Change in skills of teachers is necessary but not sufficient to make
practices and pedagogies change. Results from interviews reveal that
teachers encounter a variety of obstacles in schools when trying to make
use of what they have learned in TPD programmes. Applying new skills
and pedagogies often implies a radical change in established practices
and ways of thinking in school culture with unquestionable elements due
to long traditions.