Teacher Professional Development Models

Guiding Questions

1.    How might you define TPD?

2.   What are three common models of professional development?

3.   Which models are currently being used in your school?

4.   What are the needs of teachers in your school, and how might teacher professional development (TPD) address these needs?

5.   Which of the three models of TPD are most appropriate to the needs of your teachers?

Teacher quality is paramount to the success of their students. The pressure for teachers to perform is growing. K-12 teachers are pushed to produce students with higher test scores to comply with government guidelines. Accountability is one of the requirements for The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 even though each child has a unique learning style and learns at a different rate.  At the same time, K-12 teachers are now being asked to perform at high levels with limited resources as budgets are cut and classroom sizes increase. College educators experience a similar burden to provide knowledge for current and future world demands.  The recent change in the economy has also influenced education. New K-12 teachers with recent and relevant education are being laid off leaving experienced teachers with the responsibility of providing progressive education. Business and industry as well as other fields are evolving to conform to economic times. College educators must employ new way to prepare students for these changes. In order to adequately prepare teachers to meet the needs of their students in a progressive world, teachers need to continuously improve their knowledge and skills. Teacher professional development (TPD) is essential for teachers to be effective and successful in the classroom. TPD consists of three common models; standardized, site-based, and self-directed (Gaible & Burns, 2005).

Standardized TPD focuses on rapid dissemination of specific skills and content.  The common applications of this model are through cascade effect or a train-the-trainer approach.  The cascade effect refers to a few teachers (champions) who receive training from a centralized training session and then pass that training on to their peers.  The knowledge cascades through the institution.  The idea is to build awareness and impact the largest number of teacher possible. Unfortunately, the cascade effect tends to weaken as the knowledge is passed to each person in succession.  Another problem is the training sessions are usually a one-time event offering little support afterward (Gaible & Burns, 2005).

Site-based TPD refers to “in house” or locally based training.  There is often a common specific problem that needs to be addressed.  While site-based TPD is often situational, there are occasions when a new focus needs to be fostered toward a common theme.  Site-based TPD can be a single event, but is most often extended over a longer period of time. The training encourages collaboration since it usually impacts a large group of teachers. It also ensures each participant receives the same level of exposure to the concepts. Site-based TPD can be costly.  It is typically difficult to allocate enough time and staff to make the training effective. The training may also require transportation to a local facility and the facilities must have adequate resources. It can also require many facilitators to make it worthwhile (Gaible & Burns. 2005).

Self-directed TPD could be considered the broadest model.  This is when teachers determine there own professional development goals. The development can be in the form of reading a book, watching a video, or receiving advice from a colleague or expert in a specific field of interest. It can also include doing a project, taking a course, or going back to college like I am. Self-directed TPD usually requires few school resources and little guidance from school leadership.  The teacher must be self-motivated and usually make a long term commitment. Schools should not use this model as a primary means of providing TPD. Instead, schools should offer a myriad of different options. Many times this model may require a sabbatical or tuition assistance (Gaible & Burns, 2005).

It is difficult for me to know of all the different TPD opportunities offered by my college since I live five hundred miles away.  However, I am aware of instances of each type of model being offered.  For instance, I am constantly being made aware of development workshops being held on and off campus.  There are numerous development and best practices committees providing a wide range of support. At the beginning of each school year, a week of teacher in-service provides much “in house” training as well as a faculty offsite retreat.  My college also has a yearlong series of teaching best practices workshops offered to new faculty. In addition, a teaching resource library is available.  For online instructors, one-on-one assistance is provided by the distance education department staff.  A faculty professional development committee reviews and makes recommendations for professional development spending.

One professional development activity needed at my college is a mentor program.  The benefits from such a program would be tremendous for creating a strong professional culture. Additionally, very little support is offered for adjunct instructors. A professional learning community approach is badly needed (Schlager & Fusco, 2003).  As an online adjunct instructor, I encourage my students to use information and communications technology to overcome the detachment of distance education. However my college rarely uses these tools for professional development purposes.  More commitment to support distance education faculty is needed.

As an employee, I can take courses offered by my college at no cost.  Full time instructors are occasionally granted sabbaticals and tuition assistance to pursue more education. It is hard to determine which models are the most appropriate for the teachers at my college. Each person has a unique development plan. I would expect the goals and aspirations of each educator to be very personal and distinctive.  My TPD goal is not only to earn an advanced degree so I can expand my teaching, but also to learn about education using emerging technologies. My college is offering little assistance, but the potential outcomes from me earning this degree are substantial. As stated before, TPD is essential for teachers to be effective and successful in the classroom.

References:

Gaible, E., & Burns, M. (2005). Models and best practices in teacher professional development. In Using technology to train teachers: Appropriates uses of ICT for teacher professional development in developing countries (pp. 15-24). Washington, DC: infoDev/World Bank. Retrieved from http://www.infodev.org/en/Publication.294.html

No Child Left Behind Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2001)

Schlager, M. & Fusco, J. (2003). Teacher professional development, technology, and communities of practice: are we putting the cart before the horse? The Information Society, 19 (3), 203–220.