784,049 research outputs found
Guidelines for Selecting Professional Development for Early Childhood Teachers
Engaging teachers of young children in effective in-service professional development is a critical component of establishing high quality early childhood education. However, not all professional development offerings are effective in imparting new knowledge, enhancing teacher practice, or improving child outcomes, making it difficult for teachers and directors to select professional development that will benefit their centers. This paper critically reviews the research literature on professional development for early childhood education to identify what features of professional development make a difference for teacher interactions and childrenâs learning and development. Guidance is provided for selecting professional development opportunities which meet the needs of children and teachers. Recommendations for how to create an ongoing professional development program within an early childhood center by creating a professional learning community are also made. Such an approach supports the center to become a place that values learning and continued education for all professionals
Reflecting Theories in Three Themes of Professional Development
There are three themes of professional development will be discussed in this paper; a commitment to professional development, a commitment to collaborative reflection on practice, recognizing context and culture in professional development. All Themes are elaborated respectively and relate the professional development theories to the Indonesian education system, and as a result, develop any potential understanding. All themes seem to support each other. the succeed effort of a teacher will contribute positively to their profession, in collaborative work or in the context and culture. The progress of the teacher professional development should come from the all parties' effort. As we all know that education does not only stand alone but it is strongly influenced by the present context of politics, social, culture, or religious. In, Indonesia the advancement of this sector would strongly rely on government action rather than grassroots or professional organization initiatives. Based on the reflection, the paper proposes narrowing gaps between the universities and the schools. Implementing this direction is believed to some extent would reach certain advancement in teacher professional development in Indonesia
Challenging the orthodoxy: union learning representatives as organic intellectuals
Teacher education and continuing professional development have become a key areas of controversy in England since the period of school sector restructuring following the 1988 Education Reform Act. More recently teacher training and professional development have often been used to promote and reinforce a narrow focus on the governmentâs âstandards agendaâ. However, the emerging discourse of ânew professionalismâ has raised the profile of professional development in schools, and together with union learning representatives, there are opportunities to secure real improvements in teachersâ access to continuing professional development. This paper argues however that union learning representatives must go beyond advocating for better access to professional development and should raise more fundamental questions about the nature of professional development and the education system it serves. Drawing on Gramsciâs notion of the âorganic intellectualâ, the paper argues that union learning representatives have a key role as organisers of ideas â creating spaces in which the ideological dominance of current policy orthodoxy might be challenged
Development of a cadre of teacher educators: some lessons from Pakistan
This article is based on an educational innovation, the creation of a cadre of teacher educators, in the developing world. Professional Development Teachers were trained in an in-service two-year teacher education programme leading to a Masters of Education Degree. The Professional Development Teachers were expected to play three roles in their home schools upon completion of the Degree Programme: (a) Exemplary Teachers; (b) Teacher Educators; and (c) Change Agents within their home schools to effect improvement
Changing Roles and Identities in a Teacher Driven Professional Development Community
In a climate where teachers feel deprofessionalized at the hands of
regulations, testing, and politics, it is vital that teachers become empowered
both in their own teaching and as agents of change. This physics education
research study investigates the Streamline to Mastery professional development
program, in which the teachers design professional development opportunities
for themselves and for fellow teachers. The research reported here describes
the process of teacher professional growth through changes in roles and
identities. Videos, emails, and interviews were analyzed to glean insight into
practice and participation shifts as these physical science teachers formed a
community and engaged in their own classroom research. Implications for the
role of PER in teacher professional development and teacher preparation will be
discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Physics Education Research Conference 2011
Proceedings, Finalist in the PERC 2011 proceedings paper awar
Preparation and Professional Development of Teacher Educators in Tanzania: Current Practices and Prospects
Teacher educators play a key role in teacher education and education in general. Worldwide, little is known about preparation and professional development of teacher educators. This paper critically examined teacher educatorsâ preparation and professional development in the context of educational reforms and mushrooming of teacher education institutions in Tanzania. The document review method was used to analyze and review relevant literature. The analysis of findings indicates that the preparation of teacher educators in Tanzania receives considerable attention and focus in undergraduate programmes with little attention in postgraduate programmes. The professional development of teacher educators is limited and characterized by few professional development activities. It is suggested that the preparation of teacher educators should be well structured and enhanced with effective professional development activities and opportunities. Various recommendations to improve the preparation and professional development of teacher educators are also provided. Keywords: teacher educators; preparation and professional development; teacher education programmes; Tanzani
Report on argumentation and teacher education in Europe
This document will ultimately form part of a comprehensive package of materials for teacher education and professional development in argumentation. The initial deliverable from Kaunas University of Technology described the rhetorical basis of argumentation theory for preâ and inâservice teachers, whilst this state of the art report sets out the current and rather unsatisfactory status of argumentation in curricula, initial teacher training/education and teacher professional development, across the fifteen SâTEAM partner countries. We believe that this is a representative sample and that the report can be taken as a reliable snapshot of the situation in Europe generally
Librarians as Teachers: A Qualitative Inquiry into Professional Identity
This study explores the development of ???teacher identity??? among academic librarians through a series of semi-structured interviews. Drawing both on the idea of teacher identity from the literature of teacher education and on existing studies of professional stereotypes and professional identity development among academic librarians, this study explores the degree to which academic librarians think of themselves as teachers, the ways in which teaching has become a feature of their professional identity, and the factors that may influence academic librarians to adopt a ???teacher identity??? as part of their personal understandings of their role on campus.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe
Studentsâ views on HE learning environments for professional teacher education
There is a national debate about the connection between the physical environment and learning (McGregor, 2004) and the importance of designing the physical space to enhance the quality of learning (DfES, 2004, 2006, 2007; JISC, 2006; SMG 2006). This 2 year research project considers the views of 174 higher education students, who have undertaken professional initial teacher education programmes, on what makes an effective higher education learning environment for professional development and their evaluation of their current experience. Students views on enhancing the physical learning space for professional teacher education is explore
Part II: Professional Development Activities and Professional Learning Community in the Mid-America Region of the Association of Christian Schools International
Current trends in the education literature currently point to school leadership as responsible for the professional growth of the faculty (Fullan, 2010; Reeves, 2006) leading to the desired academic growth of the students. The Christian school community, however, has limited resources compared to those in the public sector. Unfortunately, the literature rarely includes the 400,000 teachers or the school leaders who have chosen to work in private education and their influence on the lives of over 5 million children (Broughman & Swaim, 2006). By examining effective professional development and its relationship to the development of professional learning communities specifically for Christian schools, this studyâs findings provide much needed research for leadership in the private school community. Because participating in professional development is important to continued teacher growth and quality as well as student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2004; Haycock, 1998; National Commission on Teaching and Americaâs Future, 1996), it is hoped this study will lead to improved teacher and student performance under the guidance of school leadership. While Headleyâs (2003) work surveyed 60 ACSI schools, providing an overview of professional activities most commonly provided for teachers in those schools, additional knowledge is needed about which activities are of most value to professional learning community development, leading to teacher growth and student success
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