Teacher professional development:
It involves a continuous process of reflection, learning and action to further a teacher’s knowledge and
skills, leading to enhanced teaching practices.
Teacher PD aims to improve teachers and their practice by adopting a holistic approach to developing
the teacher as a professional practitioner.
Teaching practice comprises a range of areas, each of which can be targeted by PD activities. Any activity
that supports teachers to reflect, learn and then act to improve their practice can be classed as teacher
PD.
The theory behind Teacher PD:
*The impact of teachers on learners: -Educational research indicates that teachers and their classroom
action play a large role in explaining variation in learner achievement. Effective teacher PD positively
impact teachers’ practice and substantially improve learner outcomes.
*Teachers as learners themselves
*Engaging in reflection
Benefits of teacher PD:
It results in improved learner outcomes, increased teacher motivation and it has benefits for schools as
well.
Despite the benefits there are some misconceptions of the same:
We have this notion that more experienced teachers cannot benefit from PD, but it is continuous
process. PD takes lots of time for little impact. It is expensive. Investing in teacher PD leads to loss of
teachers etc
Practical tips
How can schools support PD?
Provide teachers with the resources that they need to engage in effective PD.
Integrate PD into your teacher’s roles and schedules.
Establish a collaborative learning culture.
Use the research evidence to identify the most impactful areas to focus on for improving teaching
practice.
Remember quality assurance.
