The Importance Of Professional Development

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Introduction - Professional development (PD) includes a full range of activities, formal and informal, that engage teachers or administrators in new learning about their professional practice (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999). Three major goals of PD programs are change in the classroom practices of teachers, change in their attitudes and beliefs, and change in the learning outcomes of students (Guskey, 2002). Achieving these goals is dependent on how teacher learning is conceived, and the conditions under which any change is introduced. This paper aims to discuss the factors that determine effective teacher learning in the context of change, by analysing findings from interviews conducted with teachers at Monfort Secondary School (MSS) in their implementation of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme – a school-based initiative conceptualised to meet the desired outcomes of student-directed learning (SDL) and collaborative learning (COL).
Equipping Teachers to Implement Change - When BYOD was piloted in 2013, it required teachers to adopt a mindset and pedagogical shift. In-house and vendor-run workshops were primary means of equipping teachers in being expert navigators and facilitators of information technology (IT) based learning. Subsequently, teachers were expected to adopt pedagogical innovations to promote SDL and COL through the use of the device. They were to rely mostly on the technical knowledge acquired through the workshops, which reflected incompatibility with pedagogical requirements. It is not uncommon for Singapore schools to esteem workshops as a means to effecting change. The assumption is that ideas and concepts presented in a workshop are transferable. Hoban (1992) argued that discrete courses present a...

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...raining plans for teachers, I envisioned equipping key personnel who would translate their learning to the teachers. Sadly, the transference had been weak. Indeed, workshops alone would not suffice. PD needs an interaction-oriented approach that encourages inquiry, broadens perspectives, and inspires change. It must aim to challenge teachers’ minds, engage their hearts and empower their hands. The success of any change understands professional learning and discretion, and embraces a complexity view towards effecting change and ensuring its sustainability. To avoid the danger of being overly focused on the change and neglecting those who effect it, the symbiotic relationship between policy makers/key drivers and teacher agents needs to come into play. Ultimately, it is the teachers’ support that will form a cohesive and coherent base for meaningful change in schools.

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