Opportunities and Challenges of in Servi
Opportunities and Challenges of in Servi
Opportunities and Challenges of in Servi
benefit the millions of children who are the real destiny of our nation.
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Continuous professional development (CPD) is the hallmark of success in any profession of
today’s world. As learning is believed to be a life- long process, its quest may motivate a person
towards exploring ways for continuous professional development. One such way can be enrolment
in a professional course or joining a professional learning community. Enhanced knowledge and
skills through CPD may lead a person towards better career growth. It impacts an individual as
well as organizations. Therefore teachers as professionals and their workplace i.e. schools are also
influenced by CPD. It’ll be pertinent to explore different aims of continuous professional
development. National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (2010) has placed aims of
CPD under various broad categories, in which teachers are expected to-
Explore, reflect and develop their practice
Deepen their knowledge and update their academic discipline or other areas in school
curriculum
Research and reflect on learners as well as their education
Understand and update on educational and social issues
Prepare for other roles professionally linked to education/teaching, such as teacher
education, curriculum development or counselling
Similarly, in the U.K., the Association for Science Education (ASE), drew up a framework for
continuing professional development because it is considered as a neglected area. It classifies
seven areas for development forming a professional development matrix. It contains-
Subject knowledge and understanding
Pedagogical content knowledge
Development of teaching and assessment skills
Understanding teaching and learning
The wider curriculum and other changes affecting teaching
Management skills: managing people
Management skills: managing yourself and your professional development (Banks,
Mayes, Oakes, & Sutton, 2001)
Many researchers have found that success of professional development among teachers is linked
with change in their classroom practices and improvement in student learning. (Meiers, 2007)
However it requires strong connect with schools. Teacher professional development by teacher
educators is linked with their regular school visits and classroom observations. (Prasad, 2013)
In-service Teacher Education
In-service teacher education is considered as one of the most important paths of continuous
professional development of teachers. The term ‘in-service teacher education’ connotes to any
programme provided to teachers already working in schools. Its explicit purpose is updating and
renewing their knowledge and technical skills. Teaching, being creative and individualistic,
requires periodic rejuvenation of teacher attributes and upgrading of their technical know-how.
(SPO, 2016)
In-service Teacher Education in India
With the mandate to provide in-service training to primary school teachers in learner-centred
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pedagogic methods and school based support to teachers, the District Primary Education
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Programme (DPEP, 1995-2003) set up Block Resource Centres (BRC) and Cluster Resource
Centres (CRC) across the country. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA, 2001) mandated 20 days of
training every year for each elementary school teacher as part of in-service teacher education.
However many studies on impact of in-service teacher training reveal that most of them are devoid
of interesting feature and usefulness of the teacher. Therefore it’s important to look seriously about
relevance of content of training programmes and delivery system adopted by the resource persons.
(Miyan, 2003)
Issues and Concerns
In almost all the policy documents on education, in-service teacher education in post-independence
India has found mention with hope and despair. The various commissions and frameworks over a
period of six decades have clearly articulated views on it. Some of them are briefly highlighted
here.
The Education Commission (1964-66)
The Education Commission (1964-66) recommended large scale programmes of in-service
education of teachers by universities and teacher organizations at all levels to enable every teacher
to receive at least two or three months of in-service education. Training institutions were supposed
to work on 12-month basis and organize various in-service training programmes like refresher
courses, seminars, workshops and summer institutes.
National Commission on Teachers (1983-85)
The Report of National Commission on Teachers (1983-85) echoed concerns for absence of clear
policy and priority for in-service education and lack of systematic identification of needs. Its
recommended that for in-service education of teachers, planning ahead of time and closer scrutiny
of methodologies should be adopted. It also recommended that strategies used for in-service must
be ‘imaginative, bold and varied’. It advocated for study leave to teachers for furthering their
professional competence at advanced centres of learning.
National Policy on Education (1986)
The landmark National Policy on Education (1986) chartered a new course to the teacher education
in the country. Laying emphasis on continuous professional development of teachers, it resulted
into establishment of District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET) all over the country. Its
mandate was to organize pre-service and in-service courses for elementary school teachers and for
the people working in non-formal and adult education.
A centrally sponsored scheme of restructuring and strengthening of teacher education was evolved
and implemented from 1987. The scheme visualized the establishment of DIETs in each district,
up-gradation of 250 Colleges of education as Colleges of Teacher Education, establishment of 50
Institutes of Advanced Studies in Education (IASEs) and strengthening State Councils of
Educational Research and Training (SCERTs). Till December 2009, as many as 31 IASEs and 104
CTEs were sanctioned and all of these were functional. Of the 599 districts of the country, DIETs
were set up in 571districts, of which 529 are functional. (Siddiqui, 2010)
Ramamurti Committee (1990)
Reinforcing the ideas of NPE-1986 on strong teacher education endeavor in the country, the
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Ramamurti Review Committee (1990) stated that in-service and refresher courses should be
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related to the specific needs of the teachers. In-service education should take due care of the future
needs of teacher growth; evaluation and follow up should be its integral part. (Ramamurti, 1990)
National Curriculum Framework (2005)
But fifteen years later National Curriculum Framework (2005) lamented that the most of the
training programmes are not organized according to the needs of the teachers and the resources are
not utilized properly. (National Curriculum Framework 2005 Abridged, 2009)
National Knowledge Commission (2009)
National Knowledge Commission (2009) noted that training of teachers is a major concern at
present, since both pre-service and in-service training of school teachers is extremely inadequate
and also poorly managed in most states. (Pitroda, 2009)
National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (2010)
The National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (2010) states that piecemeal in-
service training courses have become an integral part of state provisioning for elementary
education. (Siddiqui, 2010)
Justice Verma Commission (2012)
Justice Verma Commission on Teacher Education in India (2012) expressed deep concerns on in-
service teacher education. It says that, while in-service programmes have been conducted under
the DPEP, SSA and the teacher education scheme, a holistic policy framework on in-service
teacher education- its nature, content, duration, periodicity, modality, institutional responsibility,
incentives for participation, etc. has not been developed. Even while training has been made
compulsory for every teacher (at elementary stage), there exists lack of clarity on the basis of
teacher selection for a particular programme. As a result, very often a teacher undergoes training
in areas which are either not relevant or divorced from his/her needs; resultantly, the needs of the
teacher remain unaddressed. (Verma, 2012)
Uttarakhand- a State in the lap of Himalayas
Uttarakhand is a state in northern part of India. It is located in the foothills of Himalayan mountain
region. It was carved out of northern Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000 as 27th state of India.
Popularly known as devbhumi for religious and cultural reasons, it is a state with area of 53,483
km2 and population of 10,116,752 according to 2011 census. The entire state is divided into two
divisions namely Kumaon and Garhwal. Out of total 13 districts, 6 districts belong to Kumaon
divisions and 7 to Garhwal divisions spread over 95 blocks. It has international boundaries with
China (Tibet) in the north and Nepal in the east. (State Profile, 2017)
Education scenario and In-service teacher training (ISTT)
The literacy rate in the Uttarakhand is 79.63% as per 2011 census. According to DISE-2014-15
data, there are total 24,029 schools in the state and number of school teachers is 99,574. (NUEPA
& GoI, 2015). All government teachers of elementary level i.e. grade 1-8 are mandated to
participate in in-service training under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. During 2005 to 2011, teacher
participation in in-service training has been almost consistent but a decline in their participation is
observed in the period of 2012-2015 (Figure-1).
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TEACHERS' PARTICIPATION IN IN -SERVICE TRAINING IN
UTTARAKHAND (%)
54.3
51.9
50.3
48.3
46.3
43.6
30.9
24.5
23
19.2
2005-06 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
Literacy % of
Upper
Primary
Area Population Teachers
District Block Cluster School
(Sq.km) (in 000's) receiving
Male Female
ISTT
(Previous
Year)
Pauri
5329 15 130 2694 687 93.2 73.3 60.3
Garhwal
Rudra
1984 3 46 985 237 95 70.9 46.8
Prayag
Tehri
3642 9 115 2461 616 89.9 61.8 37.4
Garhwal
Udham
2542 7 67 1089 1648 82.5 65.7 43.6
Singh Nagar
Module Development
Team
Master Trainers
Teachers
selected teachers of block represent as MTs who train teachers in their respective blocks. In all
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these trainings, non-governmental organizations, working in the field of teacher education, also
participate.
Training Need Analysis
In the entire cycle of in-service teacher education, Training Need Analysis (TNA) plays an
important role. TNA is a tool provided by DIETs to teachers through BRCC (Block Resource
Centre Coordinator). Teachers are expected to genuinely write about difficulties in their subjects
during teaching-learning process.
Figure-4-TNA Cycle
Like Language and Mathematics, a Science teacher teaching in grade 6 to 8 writes in detail theme
and sub themes of textbooks of their classes which poses challenge in content or pedagogy in a
specified format provided by DIET. The filled form is submitted by teachers to Cluster Resource
Centre Coordinator (CRCC). CRCCs collect all these forms and submit it to BRCC in their
meeting. Now all these forms are compiled by BRCC for submission to their DIET. Finally, DIETs
compile subject wise TNA from each block of the district and sent it to SCERT. Thus, completing
a TNA Cycle (Figure-4).
Module Development
The compiled TNA report of all DIETs are analysed at SCERT, mostly at the beginning of module
development. Based on TNA analysis, various themes for module are selected and content writing
begins. The module development team comprises of SCERT and DIET faculties as well as some
school teachers. Resource Persons from NGOs also partner in this process. Under the leadership
of subject coordinator, generally a senior faculty member of SCERT, content writing and editing
begins.
In the last three years, Science modules for grade 6 to 8, developed by SCERT, Uttarakhand
(Figure-5) have focused on Activity Based Learning (ABL). In the module, various themes of
Physics, Chemistry and Biology are captured from science textbooks of Grade 6-8. During
conversation with many science teachers and personal school visits, it has been found that these
modules have positively impacted school learning environment of science.
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Figure-5- In-service science modules for upper primary school-2014-15 to 2016-17
The chapters of module indicates many examples of ABL. This shift can be seen through different
chapters of module (marked bold, in the table below) in the period of 2014-17 (Figure-6).
Scientific Registration,
Temperament and its Introduction and Pre- Training Need Analysis in
4 Development Test Science
Teaching-Learning in
6E based lesson Science as per 6E Making a Personal
6 planning in Science Lesson planning Microscope
Teaching-Learning in
8
Activity based
11 Science Teaching-2 Science as a subject Solar and Lunar Eclipse
Experience from
surrounding and
Science Teaching in Teaching-Learning in Modification in Root and
12 the light of NCF-2005 Science Stem
Teaching-Learning in the
17 Self-made activities light of NCF-2005 Floating and Sinking
Evaluation with
Teaching-Learning in Self- developed Scattering and Dispersion of
19 Science activities Light
Understanding of hard
spots in science and their Understanding of Living and
20 Pre/ Post Test solution Non-Living
Evaluation of Teaching-
21 Feedback Learning in Science Use of Science Kit
22 Cleanliness Feedback
Academic
Name of Module Module Development Team Composition
Year
Manthan 2014-15 2 3 2 6 13
Manthan-2 2015-16 2 1 3 4 10
Arjan 2016-17 1 4 5 2 12
Apart from teachers, educational institutes are also giving reasons of hope. One such institute is
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DIET, Udham Singh Nagar. Here, a new format on TNA was developed by a faculty using Excel
software program (Figure-8) which analysed training needs of 45, 00 teachers of the district within
a short span of time.
Challenges
In spite of many positive developments in the state of Uttarakhand, there are some challenges
which needs to be addressed. Some of them are briefly discussed here.
The TNA compiled by different DIETs are non- uniform, which makes analysis difficult.
Uniformity and clarity of themes and sub themes in TNA will be helpful in analyzing needs of
teachers to a greater accuracy. It will further help in designing even better module and better in-
service training.
The module writing cycle is short. From analysis of TNA to content writing and editing finishes
in a week’s time. Such a short duration impacts quality of work and open windows for typos and
content specific errors.
Another challenge is of short duration between KRPs getting training and facilitating in their
districts. As soon as KRPs are trained at SCERT, KRPs are expected to train MTs in their
respective DIETs and arrange printing of hard copy of the module for MTs. Sometimes, MT
training starts next day of their arrival in the district. It seriously impacts resource management
necessary for effective facilitation in in-service science training.
The challenge in training gets repeated at block level training. As soon as MTs complete their
training, they start training of teachers in their block which starts most likely from the next day.
Here again resource management for science activities and experiments gives sleepless nights to
MTs, many of them facilitating for the first time.
Follow up of training is another great challenge. When a teacher completes training at block level,
one day follow up is planned for five months at their Cluster Resource Centre. But at a cluster
level, less number of science teachers are placed. As a consequence sometimes, only one teacher
attends follow up meeting.
There is a challenge in subject alignment with CRCC and teachers also. A CRCC of Arts
background may feel challenged in rating a Science teacher due to different subject understanding
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and non- participation in training. Many a times, such judgment ruins the objectives of effective
follow up.
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Block level mechanism to meet and open dialogues with Master Trainers is non-existent. While
doing some experiments in school and working with students, they need some support but gets
only a few. Then, they have to rely only on some friends or colleagues placed at a far off distance.
Some Recommendations
During conversations, a number of thought provoking ideas and suggestions came from officials,
teacher educators and teachers across thirteen districts of state on in-service teacher training of
science in Uttarakhand. Some of them are shared here in six broad categories, with the hope that
they may also be relevant for other states of India and help making in-service teacher education as
effective as it was meant to be, for the continuous professional development of teachers-
Training Need Analysis
Teacher should maintain a diary to note down their content and pedagogical challenges.
Field mentors should obtain a list of hard- spots from teachers every six months.
Hard spots can be collected during each training without asking teachers to write their
name to respect their confidentiality.
Under a research design, a tool should be developed to understand difficulties of a
teacher.
DIET leadership should take proper interest in TNA.
Module Development
Module Design team, KRPs and MTs should meet before module preparation to have
clarity of objectives as it can bring them to a common understanding for effective
training.
The content of module should be less to accommodate pre-test, post-test, TLM
development and project.
There should be clear pathway to show integration of activities in the module and
classroom processes.
Present module is learner centred, activity based and have scope for dialogues that is
based on logical thinking, exists in present module. It should continue in the same format.
There should be piloting before module based training after seeing the impact on content
on school children.
Suggestions on module development from different forums like DRG should be taken.
Subject matter expert must be chosen at district level, based on their qualifications and
interest.
Module development should be decentralized, as it should be developed at district level.
Training Content
Training should connect with day to day life experiences.
It should include excursion to scientific laboratories and institutions to observe and
understand various scientific tools and processes
Training for 5 days in a year is insufficient, it should be of 10 days.
There should be provision of model teaching exercise around a concept.
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Training should be customized, may be at block level, as per training needs and number
of participants.
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Participants of training should be informed about topics before training date so that they
come prepared with content knowledge and bring questions and also share their
experiences. This way content elaboration time can be reduced and more time can be
given to various activities and experiments.
Available local resources should be used in doing experiments.
Science teachers should be trained first to understand nature of Science. Observation
experimentation and inference making should be in focus during classrooms discussion
Presentation in training should be rotated to give chance to less active participants
Training should be residential with proper facility
Resource Person
A resource person should have thorough content knowledge and preparation before
facilitation.
S/he should have sharp eyes on all the activities of the participants, so that the objectives
of the training can be fulfilled with due sensitivity.
Follow up Mechanism
One day block level or a group of clusters meeting should be organized periodically in
the presence of MT or subject matter expert to support teachers after in-service training
instead of CRCC level meeting
Follow up should not be done by CRC in its meeting but it should be in school.
Master Trainer or BRG member should see teacher’s work at school. Date of visit should
be communicated in advance.
Teachers should make and present project on what they have understood in training.
Monitoring should be done by a person who is aware about objective of the training and
have content knowledge.
We should not have mechanism to hassle a teacher. We should trust and motivate a
teacher to do better.
Teachers located at distant places in hills should be prompted to make and sustain
learning groups using technology like Whatsapp.
A toll free number for teacher’s support should be dedicated for help in science content
and pedagogy.
Impact measurement on learning of children
Students’ ability to answer questions other than text book questions
Students’ logical thinking ability
Patience is required to see impact of in-service teacher training as education is a slow
process.
Conclusion
This paper has attempted to understand continuous professional development from the practices
of in-service teacher education in the state of Uttarakhand. It has also tried to know the reasons of
less participation in in-service teacher training in the state. However focus has been on training
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cycle in the state, in which science teachers of upper primary schools participate. Beginning with
cascade model of training, it has described teacher need analysis and training module development
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mechanism. In the process, a shift has been noticed in science content of module from theoretical
concepts to activity based learning. Paper has cited some examples of upcoming professional
learning communities. Then some serious implementation challenges are highlighted. In the last,
many recommendations that include a few suggestions on impact measurement on learning of
children are collated which has been output of discussion with a number of educational
functionaries, teacher educators and teachers.
References
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Acknowledgements
While attempting this paper, about thirty five educational functionaries, teacher educators, teachers
and colleagues placed in different districts of the state have supported me with their experiences,
suggestions and reading materials. Heartfelt thanks to all of them for enriching this document and
helping me to understand in-service teacher education in Uttarakhand.
Appendix