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The study used the Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002) model on teacher professional growth to investigate the changes and the transition of professional identity when a deputy head teacher was appointed as an acting head teacher in a small rural primary school in Cyprus. The head teacher had no previous experience in headship, and did not receive any training or followed an induction course to the job. The goal of the study was to identify ways to support novice acting head teachers for effective leadership in the complexities of small primary schools. Data was collected through diary notes and semi-structured interviews using thematic analysis of qualitative data. The analysis revealed the importance of the interaction between the external stimuli and information through informal professional learning in the role set and the personal knowledge and previous experience. Feelings of isolation as the main outcome of this experience enabled changes in leadership practice through enactment and reflection. The teacher’s suggestions for a professional learning program could be the contribution of her personal experience on the educational context.

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The purpose of this study is to describe and reflect on the route a teacher followed to implement an inquiry-basedprofessional learning cycle in her everyday practice and form a conceptual framework for teacher professionallearning on resilience. The teacher acted as a researcher and worked with a facilitator to explore the experience ofthree twelve-year-old migrant students with high learning performance in an urban school in Cyprus. Diverse aspectsconsidered as important determinants for their educational success and resiliency were explored through case studyresearch. The data were analysed and three main categories related to resilience were formed: emotional resistance,development of responsibility and sense of belonging. The main findings of the exploratory study were used as thecornerstone for school-based teacher professional learning focusing on methods, approaches and aspects that couldbe applied in order to strengthen all students and enhance positive impact on students’ achievement.