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.
