CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
2.2 Professional development
Various literature defines professional development in schools as any form of empowerment aimed at supporting the teaching staff, including the principals, to perform their duties optimally (DoE, 2007). It should be seen as a platform where teachers view themselves as change agents and act as such when it comes to executing their duties (Dean, 1995). PD allows for reflection, is internally coherent and vigorous and is sustained over a long period of time (Little, 1993; Renyi, 1996;
Sparks & Hirsch, 1997). Professional development is the continuous life-long process by which teachers acquire new knowledge, through a wide range of activities, attitudinal changes and the knowledge upgrade and skills that are of importance for good teaching practice throughout the teaching career (Panther, 1984). In professional development the teachers should engage “in learning activities that are supportive, job-embedded, instructionally focused, collaborative and ongoing. With these characteristics in place, teachers are more likely to consider
25 professional development relevant and authentic, which makes teacher learning and improved teaching practice more likely” (Hunzicker, 2011, p.178). Professional development plays a major role in the new agenda of transformatively developing teachers within a framework that will re-write the education system (Maistry et al., 2009).
According to Dean (1991), PD is a career long process, starting with initial training and continuing until retirement and it happens because of teachers’ actual engagement in their own development. This means that teachers know better what kind of development would be relevant for a specific gap and that development is not static, hence, it has to be continuous and informed by what is current at the time”.
Whenever teachers go for any form of PD they are expected to share that with their colleagues and apply that in their workplaces when they get to the class.
Experiential involvement by a teacher is key in the process of growing, thus, taking the lead in their own professional development, as they know better what is happening in their classrooms. There has to be commitment on the part of the teacher, for the intervention to be successful. Imants (2002, p. 717) defines PD as
“the chain of formal and informal learning experiences from the start of the initial training to career exit”. This assertion suggests that PD has to be continuous, with all the new policies being introduced. Whenever a new administration takes over, teachers should be kept abreast of what is happening and their skills sharpened on a continuous basis. These regular training interventions will also ensure that what and how the teachers teach is relevant to global needs. In support, Shulman (2004) views teaching as one of the most challenging professions, with perceived exhausting activities that are carried out on a regular basis and teaching is characterised by change: teachers are faced with challenges regarding the subject content and pedagogic content knowledge and are to move towards expertise (Kelly, 2006).
Teachers are expected to be subject specialists and this can only be made possible by participating in learning activities, among other things, whether formal or informal.
The DBE in its initiatives has started involving the teachers’ professional body, the South African Council for Educators (SACE), through their division that is responsible
26 for the professional development of teachers. The collaboration between the DBE and SACE is meant to skill the teachers to be able to engage in their professional development activities individually and as a collective in order to master the content of the curriculum and learning mediation, to develop a better understanding of their professional needs, to engage in meaningful communication with the broader community and to obtain a deeper knowledge of educational ethics. In the process of correcting imbalances created by apartheid and improving education so that there is global alignment the Department of Education sometimes introduces policies that nullify the existing ones and teachers are expected to keep up; hence, the importance of continuous development.
Samuel (2008) and Maistry (2008) argue that Professional Development is an ongoing activity meant to address the development needs of teachers in various contexts that they work in. These contexts may vary from global, national and local trends, teachers’ specific needs, contextual issues and/or administrative issues.
All these definitions imply that professional development can be viewed in various ways and applied to help teachers to become good at what they are doing. It also suggests that there cannot be one approach to achieve a different set of objectives, but various strategies should be explored as well. Whether the approach is formal or informal the outcome must be to ensure that development of professional knowledge and skills takes place. All these attributes are not achieved in a once-off event: it happens over a period of time and is also dependent on what is relevant at the time.
Instead of looking at other avenues to enhance teacher skills, teacher development initiatives, including workshops, seminars and train the trainer workshops an enabling environment should be created to tap into existing resources, such as peers, peer reading, documentation to inform sustained enquiry and reflection on activities as a way of promoting teacher learning (Cochran-Smith & Lylte, 2004;
Hobson, 2001; Witterholt et al., 2012).
Wayne et al. (2008) further suggest that professional development is more beneficial if it addresses the immediate and precise needs of the school, rather than mainly focusing on individuals. Wayne et al. (2008) argue that more benefits will be reaped if the pressing needs of the school are addressed with immediate effect. This means
27 professional development has to be continuous, with all the new policies being introduced whenever a new administration takes over. Teachers have to continuously change as they keep abreast of curriculum changes. This is usually carried out through different forms of professional development.