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Professional Development.
Abstract:.
In this article it is been tried to understand the concept of professional development. The professional development is a process of enriching teachers to their higher extent with the utmost knowledge. There are organisations, institutes, firms and individual depend on the professional development. Teachers needs to understand the necessity of growing professionally and maintaining it. Teachers are the basic pillars of the society. Teachers can create a new world. Teachers profession can be uplifted to the highest extent and maintain it's status. Therefore, it is highly recommended to develop themselves professionally. There are many ways for teachers to develop like academic writing, creative writing, reflecting, group discussion, enrolling in online courses, observation of different individuals and institutes.etc., so here is little effort made to understand what? how? and why? Professional development is...
Introduction:
The professional development is a process, developing skill, handing tools, using techniques, generating new ideas, problem solving, creative thinking, presenting innovative ideas, changing the present scenario of the society and also includes personal development. It is very necessary to understand the meaning and importance of professional development. The institutional growth depends on professional development of the staff. An organisation needs to give ample opportunity for developing staff professionally. Professional development ensure quality enhancement in an institution.
In many countries, the role and functioning of schools are changing.. Teachers are asked to teach in increasing order multicultural classrooms; to place greater focus l on integrating students with special learning needs in their classrooms; to make more effective use of information and communication technologies for teaching; to participate more in planning within evaluative and accountability frameworks; and to do more to involve parents in schools. No matter how good pre-service training for teachers is, it cannot be expected to prepare teachers for all the challenges they will face throughout their careers. Education systems therefore needs to provide teachers with opportunities for in-service professional development in order to maintain a high standard of teaching and to retain a high-quality teacher work. 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.
Objectives:
1. To understand the concept of profession.
2. To understand the concept of teaching.
3. To make list of characteristics of profession and professional teaching.
4. To understand how important teaching as profession.
5. To understand the teacher and professional teaching.
6. To understand the different ways of professional development as teacher.
Definitions of the professional development:
A profession is something a little more than a job, it is a career for someone that wants to be part of society, who becomes competent in their chosen sector through training; maintains their skills through continuing professional development; and commits to behaving ethically, to protect the interests of the public.
"Professional development is a process of continual intellectual, experimental and attitudinal growth of teachers" said by Dale L. Lange.
"Professional development creates opportunity to impart quality education, for systematic learning, for better cooperation, for best performance, for achievement and to make society skilled".
Meaning of the professional development.
Profession is an occupation which will help you to frame your skills and enhance your expertise in a field which you are interested; to keep learning, be challenged and stay up to date with the latest developments in your chosen area;to solve problems, do good work, and be involved in making decisions which help to improve people’s lives.
Professional development has been the most important factor in creating new opportunities for a teacher. It ensures the quality of a teacher in teaching. The teachers award and rewards for his achievements in his profession and professional efficiency depends on skills acquired, techniques used and tools handled. It can also be an experiment for the growth of an institution or organisation. The teacher has to do many experiments in his career for achieving efficiency in profession. But it is also the responsibility of an institution to create opportunities for the professional development of teachers. Professional development includes life skills, techniques, tools, enriched intellectual, criticizing, creativity, problem solving, innovative thinking, logical thinking, social cooperation, self reliability, performance, award and rewards, communication, motivation, etc.,
Characteristics of a Profession
1. Delivers good service based upon advanced specialized knowledge and skill, and dealing with its problems primarily on an intellectual understanding rather then on a physical or a manual labor.
2. Is charged with a substantial degree of public obligation by virtue of its profession of specialized knowledge.
3. Involves a confidential relationship between a customers.
4. Includes common knowledge, skill, and status to the cumulative store of which professional men are ought to contribute through their individual and collective efforts.
5. It is distinctive ethical code in its relationships with customers.
Teaching:
Teaching, the profession of those who give instruction, especially in an elementary or a secondary school or in a university.
Measured in terms of its members, teaching is the world’s largest profession. In the late 20th century it was estimated that there were 30 million teachers throughout the world. Though their roles and functions vary from country to country, the variations among teachers are generally greater within a country than they are between countries. Because the nature of the activities that constitute teaching depends more on the age of the persons being taught than on any other one thing.
The entire teaching fraternity, wherever its members may be located, shares most of the criteria of a profession, namely , a process of formal training, a body of specialized knowledge, a procedure for certifying, or validating, membership in the profession, and a set of standards of performance—intellectual, practical, and ethical—that is defined and enforced by members of the profession. Teaching young children and even adolescents could hardly have been called a profession anywhere in the world before the 20th centurry. The university professors and possibly a few teachers of elite secondary schools would have merited being called members of a profession in the sense that medical doctors, lawyers, or priests were professionals; in some countries even today primary-school teachers may accurately be described as semiprofessionals. The dividing line is unprecise. It is useful, therefore, to consider the following questions: (1) What is the status of the profession? (2) What kinds of work are done? (3) How is the profession organized?
Teaching as profession:
Teaching helps to uplift the standard of people and shows the students the right path to follow. The teacher creates future which will bring happiness and prosperity for the country, society and a particular family.
Teaching, the noblest of all professions not only helps to work for the welfare of others but also provides a good window to earn a living. For some, the teaching profession holds more appeal because of the stability and fine work-life balance it offers. Due to such reasons, teaching profession now attracts more young talent than ever before.
The belief that teaching is only for those who do not get a professional job is long gone and now teacher is one of the most well paid, and revered professional. Top educational institutions are fighting for the best teachers, which creates a demand for extraordinary talent and hence the best of the best from top colleges are recruited in institutes. With shorter working hours and more holidays than most white collar jobs. Moreover, the new trend is that once you get some good experience as a teacher in a good institution you can open your own tuition classes and earn handsomely, without putting much efforts.
Characteristics of Professional Teaching:
“Characteristics of highly effective teachers of English’. To present it we need toI ask our students and fellow teachers to list the qualities of a good teacher of English. Definitely we can list number of characteristics an English language teacher should have. As a teacher he or she needs to pass 5is.
1. Imagination
2. Innovativeness
3. Interaction
4. Independent thinking
5. Interdependence Imagination
Imaginative;
A teacher who is imaginative can do wonders in the any class. Their new ideas break monontony and make students take lively participation in the class. Albert Einstein says that imagination is more important than knowledge.
“Human progress is possible only through education. Without imagination, education becomes a kind of intellectual recycling of the same knowledge passed from teacher to student and back to teacher on the test. Education should do more than simply transmit information; it should develop skills such as imagination that evolve our knowledge and move us forward as a species.”
Teachers who are imaginative can teach any language skill interestingly and effectively. They can develop students' creative self-expression. Teachers who are imaginative explore and create new things.
Students enjoy being guided by imaginative teachers.
Innovativeness:
An innovative teacher dares to go off the track in order to be on the track. Students like teacher who are innovative. Innovativeness meansIntroducing changes and new ideas, Daring to be different and being unique, Going off the track in order to be on the track, Experimenting new things, Being fresh always.
Interaction
A teacher who promotes interaction in the any class does justice to their profession by empowering learners and helping them develop their communication skills. They motivate their students, create opportunities for them to interact with one another through commutainment activities such as roleplays, groups discussions, mock interviews, etc.
Independent thinking:
Independent thinking is the process of being able to think on your own, without someone else guiding you. "In a world where knowledge is doubling every few years and what once was a fact can become out of date so quickly equipping young people with the mental tools to succeed in such a world is vital." Teachers can help their students develop their independent thinking only if they are independent. Independent thinking implies, Thinking on your own, Being critical of what you see and hear, Questioning information and irrational assumptions. An independent thinker helps students develop the desire and ability to think on their own. An independent thinker contributes a lot to the team. Language learning tasks should aim at developing students’ thinking skills.
Interdependence:
Interdependence is essential for a successful person. Taking students from dependent stage to independent stage and then to interdependent stage is very important. Man is a social animal and interpersonal relationship is the key to success in today's competitive world. The one who knows how to relate with others can climb up the ladder of success. Those who are interdependent use positive language and win people. They are polite, pleasant, practical, persuasive and powerful.
A teacher of any subject who is imaginative, innovative, interactive, independent and interdependent can be successful in the field and can lead the students from dependent stage to independent stage and then to interdependent stage.
Review on Teacher Professional Development.
The earliest studies of teacher efficacy defined it as “the extent to which the teacher believes he or she has the capacity to alter student performance” (McLaughlin & Marsh, 1978, p. 84).
Since then, a considerable amount of research has been done over the years, yet very basic questions still persist. Educators have failed to reach agreement on answers to questions like:
• What is effective teaching?
• How is it defined?
Many researchers in the field believe that consensus on the above-mentioned questions is not possible.
What the research has found, however, is that the overall expectations of a “good teacher” have not changed drastically over the years but how they are manifested in the classroom has (Larsen-Freeman, 1986). Much of the research conducted has sought to identify characteristics, factors, traits and/or classroom behaviors of “effective teachers.”
Development of teacher profession and its ways.
How can a teacher grow professionally? How can a teacher reach a goal in his profession? How can a teacher be skilled? What all steps a teacher needs to follow for the professional development? These are questions which can help us to make our own way to reach our goals.
Professional development depends on the need of a teacher in respect of his society and it's environment. The learners attitude, culture, philosophy, social status, aptitude and basic skills would definitely help us to make a framework for the professional development. Besides these needs, one can identify the necessary steps which can help to grow individually.
Academic writing:
A teacher reacts to the burning issues of the society. He is aware of situations, events, problems...etc., as he is more concerned about the effects of the social evils. So it is necessary for a teacher to understand the ways of reaching society. Hence he is needed to cultivate himself by showing his views on the facts through paper writing, article writing by giving public speeches, presenting on radios. A teacher can also explore the new ideas of higher education. He can also introduce the new techniques which were used by him to the other teacher fraternity. The situations which he faced in his classroom could be more helpful for other teachers.
Creative writing:
Creative writing is process in which one can inculcate basic concepts, complicated concepts and different means of writings. Creative writing is expression of feelings and facts of a person in different means of literatures. The writer can express his or her own experiences. Therefore to enhance the quality of a teacher is necessary for participating in different forms of creative writing. Creative writing includes writing poems, short stories, novels, dramas and many more. Creative writing can be the best way for professional growth and development of a person or a teacher. Creative writing is not a God gift or a hidden talent. It is thus very essential for a person to identify his creativity in writing and produce the best. A teacher can be a motivation for child, if he or she indulges in creative writing. It is not only helpful for the learners but it can also create an international stage for a teacher.
Observation
The professional growth of an institution or an individual depends upon the peer observation. Many institutes get on well educated qualified and hardworking individuals. Generally in an institution employees or staff perform many actions. The actions which are done by the people in an institution reflects in the staffs performance. Best app which is already been recruited with its best qualities. The quality of a teacher can be improved and enriched. The teacher needs to observe his or her colleagues working in different conditions. It would definitely help a teacher to interpret different situations and experiment. Professional development is done through observation of different aspects in an individual.
Reflection:
It is good practice for any teacher to reflect on his or her performance once in a month. Reflection on his teaching method methodologies social cooperation, communication processes, various techniques used in a real classroom. Reflection plays an important role for an teacher to understand his or her standard of teaching. One should reflect on himself without any prejudice, should not restrict on a particular topic.
Teacher development forums
It would be a good practice for all the institutions to make teachers to participate in forums.sometimes it is highly impossible for a teacher to explore himself to a particular intellectual. He or she can hesitate to approach himself and gain the necessary knowledge. Therefore, teachers must attend forums related to the subjects, converse with fellow teachers, put forth their own innovative ideas in front of all and many positive things can also be done in such forms.
Courses Offered:
There are many institutions offering courses for professional development. A teacher needs to enroll himself to the particular subject offered, then committee further studies. He can also continue his or her education for the professional development. Teachers can also study through online, there are many institutes offering closes online, they are long term , short term courses and online seminars.
Conclusion:
Overall professional development had become part and parcel of professional life. It is understood that skills, efficiency, progressive accidents, positive results and quality education is possible. The professional development has become mandatory for institutes also. The generations has already shown the necessary of it. If there are no opportunities, then he himself needs find the ways for his professional development. Teacher also needs to be very active in all fields of professional development. Teacher has to understand the necessity of developing professionally.
" There will be Obstacles. There will be Doubters. There will be Mistakes. But with Hard Work, There are no Limits"
