Professional Development of Outstanding Secondary School Physics Teachers—Analysis Based on the Personal Life Histories of Special Class Secondary School Physics Teachers

Abstract

Special class secondary school physics teachers represent outstanding secondary school physics teachers in China. This paper analyzes the personal life histories of 13 outstanding secondary school physics teachers. We coded and analyzed the sample materials and summarized the laws of professional development of outstanding secondary school physics teachers. The study shows that cultivating outstanding secondary school physics teachers takes a relatively long time. Their professional development can be divided into five stages: the pre-service learning period, the initial adaptation period, the exploration and skill-developing period, the maturing innovation period, and the excellence and advancement period. Individuals’ own efforts and continuous learning, guidance from master teachers and experts, and support from family and school play an important role in the professional growth of outstanding secondary school physics teachers. Outstanding secondary school physics teachers can apply lifelong learning, do educational research, and develop their own distinctive physics teaching styles.