Importance of Professional Development

The purpose of professional development is to help teachers develop and apply the knowledge and skills that is necessary to help students learn. The intended outcomes of teacher professional development are defined in terms of improved professional practice, but the long-term goals should always focus on improved student outcomes. "The purpose of staff development is not just to implement instructional innovations; its central purpose is to build strong collaborative work cultures that will develop the long term capacity for change (M.Fullan).” “The general purpose of training is to improve the performance of individuals and organizations (Peter Cole)” . In public schools, professional development has a great impact on student learning. Student learning and achievement increase when educators engage in productive and effective professional developments that are focused on the skills educators need in order to address students’ major learning challenges. Ongoing professional development aligned with the school’s common focus and high expectations to improve the performance of all students is critical in high-performing schools.  These professional development offerings are focused and informed by research and school/classroom-based assessments.  Appropriate instructional support and resources are provided to implement approaches and techniques learned through professional development. Attributes of Effective Professional Development is result-driven, standards-based, job-embedded, differentiated, linked to learning needs for both the student and the teacher, collaborative in nature, sustained over time, discipline-focused, content rich, reflective and evaluated.Professional development generally refers to ongoing learning opportunities available to teachers and other education personnel through their schools and districts. Effective professional development is often seen vital for school success and teacher satisfaction, but it has also been criticized for its cost, often vaguely determined goals, and for the lack of data on resulting teacher and school improvement that characterizes many efforts. With schools today facing an array of complex challenges—from working with an increasingly diverse population of students, to integrating new technology in the classroom, to meeting rigorous academic standards and goals—observers continue to stress the need for teachers to be able to enhance and build on their instructional knowledge. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the vast array of programs that profess to invest in teachers’ knowledge and skills continues to be a challenge. Today, professional development activities include formal teacher induction, the credits or degrees teachers earn as part of recertification or to receive salary boosts, the national-board-certification process, and participation in subject-matter associations or informal networks. Historically, administrators have favored the workshop approach, in which a district or school brings in an outside consultant or curriculum expert on a staff-development day to give teachers a one-time training seminar on a garden-variety pedagogic or subject-area topic. Criticized for their lack of continuity and coherence, workshops have at least in theory fallen out of favor. The federal act of No Child Left Behind of 2001, serves as a prime example and defines all professional development funded through the law to include activities that are not short-term workshops and/or conferences. There is little evidence to suggest that states and school districts adhere to this directive. Variations of site-based professional development include the Japanese practice of lesson study, in which a teacher creates and teaches a model lesson. The lesson is observed and sometimes videotaped so that colleagues can analyze the lesson’s strengths and weaknesses and determine how to strengthen the lesson (Viadero, 2004). Hard data on which professional-development models lead to better teaching are difficult to come by. In essence, professional development relies on a two-part transfer of knowledge: It must inculcate in teachers new knowledge and skills such that they change their behavior, and those changes must subsequently result in improved student mastery of subject matter. Unsurprisingly, the complex nature of those transactions renders the field of professional development a challenging one to study. Much of the research conducted on professional development continues to be descriptive rather than quantitative (Sawchuk, 2010). “Successful professional development focuses on concrete classroom applications of general ideas; it exposes teachers to actual practice rather than to descriptions of practice; it involves opportunities for observation, critique, and reflection; it involves opportunities for group support and collaboration; and it involves deliberate evaluation and feedback by skilled practitioners with expertise about good teaching (Richard F Elmore)”.Continuing professional development is important, because it ensures you continue to be competent in your profession. It is an ongoing process and continues throughout a professional’s career. The importance of continuing professional development should not be underestimated – it is a career-long obligation for practicing professionals. Sometimes it is mandated by professional organizations or required by codes of conduct or codes of ethics.  However, at its core it is a personal responsibility of professionals to keep their knowledge and skills current so that they can deliver the high quality of service to the students and meets the expectations and the requirements of their profession. Great teachers help create great students. In fact, research shows that an inspiring and informed teacher is the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement, so it is critical to pay close attention to how we train and support both new and experienced educators. The best teacher-preparation programs emphasize subject-matter mastery and provide many opportunities for student teachers to spend time in classrooms under the supervision of an experienced mentor. As a school leader, my job is to promote learning for all the students. Most educators agree that the quality of a school’s teachers is the key variable in determining the learning that happens within the school. But for students to learn, teachers must be learning too. And that is where we see a disconnection. Many teachers are simply not getting the professional development that they want and need in order to help their students learn. Effective principals support instructional activities and programs by modeling expected behaviors and consistently prioritizing instructional concerns day to day. They strive to become a learner among learners. Involvement in curriculum, instruction and assessment are crucial to the idea of instructional leadership.