Week 1 – Professional Development

TOPIC GOALS

 Learn what constitutes professional development for educators

 Learn the importance and impact of PD

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 1. Introduction

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”

(Albert Einstein, 1938)

2. What is Professional Development (PD)

Development is closely linked with learning, and, although the relationship between
the two is far from clear, it is connected with the fact that humans grow from babies into adults.
There are two kinds of educational development theory. The first is a normative account of
how education should proceed through consecutive stages (cf. Egan 1986; Whitehead 1967).
The second postulates that the human mind grows through distinct stages at which different
kinds of learning take place. […] The first kind of theory prescribes a course of education. As
such it is neither true nor false but persuasive or unpersuasive. To be persuasive a normative
theory needs justification and this is what a psychological theory of development is thought to
provide. […] Those who believe in the real development of mental structures as conditions of
learning need to consider very carefully whether there can ever be a fully developed and
reliable theory of such stages.
(Winch and Gingell, 1999)

The importance of professional development in the profession of an

educator is as important as the Hippocratic Oath is to doctors. Being a committed
and dedicated doctor vowing to save lives is the same as an educator that commits
to teach young minds and share knowledge in their best possible ability. For that
to happen properly and to the extend which is required allot of research and
experiment needs to be performed. ‘… the relationship between doing research

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and developing professionally and to argue that researching classrooms and
school contexts is a vital part of educators’ professional development. It argues
for the evolution of a new perspective on continuing professional development
policy and provision. […] We are also increasingly coming to understand that
developing educators and improving their teaching involves more than giving
them new tricks. We are beginning to recognise that, for teachers, what goes on
inside the classroom is closely related to what goes on outside it. The quality,
range and flexibility of educators’ work are closely tied up with their
professional growth – and the way they develop as people and as professionals
(Hargreaves, 1992: ix)’ (Campbell, McNamara and Gilroy, 2004).
Over the past decade or so, relatively longstanding assumptions about the
broad context of education and the specifics of teacher education have been
undergoing review in several parts of the world. For example, in much of Europe,
North America and Australia we have witnessed a developing critique—
particularly though not exclusively amongst Conservative and right-wing
governments—of educational standards and instructor quality. […] Governments
of various political persuasions across several continents have demanded closer
scrutiny of the management of education, the nature of educator training and the
impact of professional development on classroom success. (Glover and Law,
2005). The term professional development has varied definitions. Showers,
Joyce, and Bennett (1987) stated that the purpose of professional development is
to increase levels of knowledge to sustain and support new practice until it
becomes embedded into the daily practice. The term professional development is
referred to as the cornerstone for reform (Fishman, Marx, Best, & Tal, 2003).
Traditionally, professional development is delivered through the sit and get
approach (McLeskey & Waldron, 2002). The sit and get professional
development relies on an expert in the field to model and disseminate various
information to the audience (Desimone, 2009; McLeskey & Waldron, 2002).

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Generally, it is a onetime in-service where participants listen to the cutting edge
information. This method for professional development relies solely on the
participants to take their new knowledge and implement the information
individually (McLeskey & Waldron, 2002). Professional development in the
form of a onetime event may not sustain or penetrate into the system. With the sit
and get traditional approach to professional development, educators change their
practices individually, causing a varied approach that often does not have a ripple

effect
on the school structure itself (Nishimura, 2014).

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(Zarrow,
2019)

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 A professional educator is always learning and growing their craft. They
are on an endless journey where they are always looking for new ideas or teaching
strategies, ways to improve their skills, or new information that will help their
students to succeed.

Professional Development Tips

1. Promote student growth
2. Make use of your time
3. Improve your performance
4. Don’t be afraid to take risks
(Cox, 2015)

MANAGING YOUR SELF-DEVELOPMENT

In order to achieve self-development, Parikh (1991) showed that the ‘master
manager’ has knowledge, skills, attitudes, creativity and consciousness elements.
1) Knowledge – starts with in-depth insights into the five elements of your own
inner dynamics, your body, mind, emotions, neurosensory system and states of
consciousness. Insights into the inner personal dynamics of other people, into
ideas and current developments in the education service, and wider insights into
environmental forces and trends enhance this.
2) Skills – personal skills enable you
to achieve an inner balance of these
five elements. Team skills involve
motivating the team and linking
individual interests

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and ideas into a common vision. Communication skills are two-way, developed
through active listening and creating clear messages for others. Facilitation skills
enable everyone to perform at their peak level. A skill in managing the cultural
level is about ensuring alignments within the organization and atonement within
the individual.
3) Attitudes – changing from power and problem driven attitudes to vision driven
because of a commitment to purposes and values. This involves a shift to
management based on caring and connection. Your thoughts, feelings and actions
are proactive and self-reliant.
4) Creativity – the capacity for envisioning and understanding intuition; the
capacity for a wider and deeper perception; to see deeper significances and
connections and to be able to break old connections; and to convert such
connections into concrete applications.
5) Consciousness – based on your concept of the self, you develop the capacity
to access the different states of consciousness. This is what, in the subtitle to the
book, Parikh describes as ‘management by detached involvement’. This process
enables you to achieve your potential. This is the sustainable peak performance
which inspires others.
(Tomlinson, 2004)

‘Part of what we understand as critical professional development is to

recognise that we need to actively explore how we as individuals define ourselves

and how we are externally defined as professionals in further and higher

education. Being a professional can provide an individual and collective identity

with agreed values, recognised responsibilities and acceptable or required

behaviour in a particular field of practice’ (Appleby and Pilkington, 2014).

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 3. The importance of PD

Professional development can be used in the form of specialized training

or formal education to professional trainers, educators or other administrators in
order to improve their existing knowledge, skills and competency. Different
workshops and conferences may take place that can range from projecting new
knowledge or just an enrichment to preexisting tactics that can benefit their
profession.
Some common professional development topics and objectives may be:
Furthering education and knowledge in a tutor’s subject area—e.g.,
learning new scientific theories, expanding knowledge of different
historical periods, or learning how to teach subject-area content and
concepts more effectively.
Training or mentoring in specialized teaching techniques that can be used
in many different subject areas, such as differentiation (varying teaching
techniques based on student learning needs and interests) or literacy
strategies (techniques for improving reading and writing skills), for
example.
Earning certification in a particular educational approach or program,
usually from a university or other credentialing organization, such as
teaching Advanced Placement courses or career and technical programs
that culminate in students earning an industry-specific certification.
Developing technical, quantitative, and analytical skills that can be used to
analyse student-performance data, and then use the findings to make
modifications to academic programs and teaching techniques.
Learning new technological skills, such as how to use interactive
whiteboards or course-management systems in ways that can improve
teaching effectiveness and student performance.

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Improving fundamental teaching techniques, such as how to manage a
classroom effectively or frame questions in ways that elicit deeper thinking
and more substantive answers from students.
Working with colleagues, such as in professional learning communities, to
develop teaching skills collaboratively or create new interdisciplinary
courses that are taught by teams of two or more teachers.
Developing specialized skills to better teach and support certain
populations of students, such as students with learning disabilities or
students who are not proficient in English.
Acquiring leadership skills, such as skills that can be used to develop and
coordinate a school-improvement initiative or a community-volunteer
program. For related discussions, see leadership team and shared
leadership.
Pairing new and beginning educators with more experienced “mentor
teachers” or “instructional coaches” who model effective teaching
strategies, expose less-experienced instructors to new ideas and skills, and
provide constructive feedback and professional guidance.
Conducting action research to gain a better understanding of what’s
working or not working in a school’s academic program, and then using
the findings to improve educational quality and results.
Earning additional formal certifications, such as the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards certification, which requires educators to
spend a considerable amount of time recording, analysing, and reflecting
on their teaching practice (many states provide incentives for educators to
obtain National Board Certification).
Attending graduate school to earn an advanced degree, such as a master’s
degree or doctorate in education, educational leadership, or a specialized
field of education such as literacy or technology.
(The Glossary of Education Reform, 2013)

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 All these can help educators improve student learning and meet the
expected standards and quality for performance. High quality teaching must be
achieved as governments are starting to invest in education even more as years
go by and professional development plays a significant role in this transformation
of the educational systems around the world.
‘Generally speaking, professional development is considered to be the
primary mechanism that schools can use to help educators continuously learn and

improve their skills over time. And in recent decades, the topic has been
extensively researched and many strategies and initiatives have been developed
to improve the quality and effectiveness of professional development for
educators’ (The Glossary of Education Reform, 2013).
No matter how good pre-service training for educators is, it cannot be
expected to prepare educators for all the challenges they will face throughout their
careers. Education systems therefore seek to provide educators with opportunities
for in-service professional development in order to maintain a high standard of
teaching and to retain a high-quality teacher workforce.
As OECD’s comparative review on teachers noted (OECD, 2005):

Effective professional development is on-going, includes training,

practice and feedback, and provides adequate time and follow-up

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 support. Successful programmes involve teachers in learning
activities that are similar to ones they will use with their students,
and encourage the development of teachers’ learning
communities. There is growing interest in developing schools as
learning organisations, and in ways for teachers to share their
expertise and experience more systematically.
(OECD, 2009)

Professional development performs four major functions within a school. It

serves to:
1. enhance individual performance;
2. rectify ineffective practice;
3. establish the groundwork for the implementation of policy;
4. facilitate change.

As such, professional development includes personal development, team

development and school development. In addition to developing individual skills,
professional development has a wider importance in promoting shared values and
equality of opportunity.

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 4. Types of PD

(Blandford, 2005)

‘In education, research has shown that teaching quality and leadership are
the most important factors in raising student achievement. For teachers and
leaders to be as effective as possible, they continually need to expand their
knowledge and skills to implement the best educational practices. Educators learn
to help students learn at the highest levels’ (Baporikar, 2015).

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 Continuing Education
o Enrolment in formal degree programs, courses, or workshops
o Pursuing certificates, accreditations or other credentials through
educational programs
Participation in professional organizations
o Attending local, regional, national, and international meetings,
conferences and workshops sponsored by professional organizations
o Presenting papers at conferences and workshops
o Serving as an officer, board member, or committee member
o Coordinating events sponsored by the organization
Research
o Conducting research
o Presenting findings of research to others
Improve job performance
o Keeping up with technology, systems, processes
o Learning about new developments in your field
o Improving existing skills
Increased duties and responsibilities
o Taking on new challenges in current position, projects, long or short-term
assignments

(Buffalo State, 2021)

“Teachers and administrators who routinely develop their own knowledge and
skills model for students that learning is important and useful” (Mizell, 2010).

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Further reading from the Weekly EBooks:

Book: Glover, D. and Law, S. (2005). Managing Professional Development in

Education, ProQuest EBook - 1: Establishing the Framework for Professional
Development, pages 8 - 28

Additional Material:
Additional Reading: Nishimura, T. (2014). Effective Professional Development
of Teachers: A Guide to Actualizing Inclusive Schooling. International Journal
of Whole Schooling, [online] 10(1), pp.19– 42.
Video: Why Professional Development is Important for Teachers

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References:

Appleby, Y. and Pilkington, R. (2014). Developing Critical Professional Practice in

Education. [online] Leicester, England: Niace.

Blandford, S. (2005). Managing professional development in schools. 2nd ed. [online] London
and New York: Routledge.

Buffalo State (2021). Professional Development Examples | Human Resource Management |

SUNY Buffalo State College. [online] Buffalostate.edu.

Campbell, A., McNamara, O. and Gilroy, P. (2004). Practitioner research and professional
development in education. [online] London: Paul Chapman Pub.; Thousand Oaks,
Calif.
Cox, J. (2015). Professional Development Tips for Teachers. [online] Teach HUB.

Glover, D. and Law, S. (2005). Managing Professional Development in Education. 3rd ed.
[online] London: Taylor & Francis.

Mizell, H. (2010). Why Professional Development Matters. 1st ed. [online] USA: Learning
Forward.

Nishimura, T. (2014). Effective Professional Development of Teachers: A Guide to Actualizing

Inclusive Schooling. International Journal of Whole Schooling, [online] 10(1), pp.19–
42.
OECD (2009). Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments: First Results from
TALIS. [online] Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development
Publishing, pp.47–86.

The Glossary of Education Reform. (2013). Professional Development Definition. [online]

Tomlinson, H. (2004). Educational Leadership: Personal Growth for Professional

Development. 1st ed. [online] London; Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.

Winch, C. and Gingell, J. (1999) Key concepts in the philosophy of education. [online] London
UK: London Routledge.

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Zarrow, J. (2019). 5 Strategies for Better Teacher Professional Development. [online]
Teach Thought.

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