Teacher Professional Growth Research Articles

Implementing the “Professional Standards for Teaching Mathenatics”: The Teacher and Evaluation

Evaluation of teaching is usually something done to a teacher. In contrast, the Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics (NCTM 1991) supports evaluation of teaching done by and for a teacher. That is, the teacher participates actively in designing and carrying out any evaluation, and the process contributes substantially to the teacher's professional growth. This vision dramatically changes the roles and responsibi)jties of the teacher as well as others involved in evaluating teaching. To begin moving effectively in this direction, both teachers and supervisors need to understand the rationale for change and to see how this change could occur.

Child Study: A Process for Teachers' Personal and Professional Growth

Experienced elementary teachers reported increased professional expertise and personal satisfaction after participating in a school‐year long child study seminar focusing on a child from each of their classrooms. Case records illustrate the positive effects of this nonintrusive process on professional educators and the children studied.

New nurse faculty: core competencies for role development.

This study originated from the need to define the role competencies for a beginning nurse educator. A survey of full-time faculty and heads of university and community college nursing programs in Ontario showed a high degree of agreement between the two sets of faculty for teacher role, practice, service, personal and professional growth competencies. Significant differences were noted on competencies involving student evaluation, facilitating student's practice, acting as student's advocate, and research. Agreement was noted on the problems created by role ambiguity and role incompetence, particularly for new faculty. This suggests the need for educational preparation and socialization of nurse faculty.

A quantified approach to the evaluation of teacher professional growth and development and professional leadership through a goal-setting process

A quantified approach to the evaluation of teacher professional growth and development and professional leadership through a goal-setting process

Teachers' Preferences for Continuing Education Activities

The need for continuing education (CE) programs is widely acknowledged in the professional arena. Business, government, industry, and education recognize the need for programs that keep pace with today's problems. They also are aware of the potential contributions of CE to the growth of an organization. Perceptions of the dynamics of CE activities are not new, but they have taken on new dimensions, such as teachers' demands for greater involvement in decision-making processes and assessments of the relationship of CE activities to the personal and professional growth of teachers. Therefore, implementing a CE program for teachers within an organization often is a critical and complex task. This is especially true since the professional needs of teachers are diverse. Teachers have sought to improve their professional competence by acquiring new knowledge of the subjects they teach and by keeping abreast of newly developed teaching resources and techniques. In like manner, school administrators seek ways to help teachers grow professionally. A question of growing concern, however, is whether CE activities in which teachers are engaged are actually meeting their professional needs. To address this question, it is important to identify teacher preferences for CE activities at all grade levels in a school system. Teacher participation in the initiating, planning, organizing, and developing phases of CE activities can have a dynamic effect on the implementation phase of such a program. Participatory planning and significant, well-defined objectives should yield overall teacher goals that are compatible with a school system's goals. Efforts to involve teachers in activities that were of direct concern

A Collaborative Approach to Supervision

whose input could contribute to the quality of decision making regarding teacher growth needs. These significant others include (but are not necessarily limited to) professional representatives, management, students, parents, and teacher peers. This article will explore the key components of the teacher professional growth process and will examine how these can contribute to the components outlined. A possible structure for a collaborative approach to supervision and staff development will be presented.

Teacher's Centers and Professional Growth of Teachers in the United States.

Teacher's Centers and Professional Growth of Teachers in the United States.

The Principal as Staff Developer

The author argues that the individual school site is a promising context for promoting teacher growth and that the school principal has a unique opportunity to influence conditions under which not only students but adults learn and grow. The author examines his own experience as an elementary school principal dedicated to staff development and offers several personal conclusions: attempts at staff development should be differentiated; formal teacher evaluation has only modest influence upon the professional growth of teachers-, there is an important distinction between promoting institutional compliance and promoting professional development; teachers learn most when they work under conditions of mutual visibility; the principal can have, a powerful effect upon the professional growth of teachers through the fulfillment of regular school responsibilities. Finally the author argues for the professional development of principals so that they may become more effective adult educators.

AN EVALUATION OF THE SYSTEM OF INSPECTION IN AUSTRALIAN STATE SCHOOLS

With the advent of State systems of education in Australia during the latter part of the nineteenth century, inspectors became key figures in the organization of educational policies, to maintain standards of instruction, and to assess the efficiency of teachers and schools. A teacher's promotion was dependent mainly on his seniority in the service and inspectorial assessments of his efficiency. Inspectors were also required to act as educational advisers to teachers, but this role was overshadowed by, and it conflicted with, the inspector's role of assessor. In recent years, there has been a marked change in the inspector's functions, with increased emphasis on professional advice and leadership. Assessment procedures have also been liberalized generally by reducing the frequency of teacher assessments and by broadening and modifying the criteria used to evaluate efficiency. However, it has not been possible to eliminate elements of incompatibility in the inspector's dual role of assessor and adviser, nor has it been possible to devise any reasonably infallible method of grading the complicated task of teaching. The advisory role of inspectors in relation to individual teachers is also being questioned. Such considerations are leading to the further development of alternative ways of stimulating the professional growth of teachers and they also indicate the need for promotion criteria which are largely independent of the inspector.

Teacher Activities and Professional Growth as Perceived by Physicians, Lawyers, Clergymen, and Educators

Teacher Activities and Professional Growth as Perceived by Physicians, Lawyers, Clergymen, and Educators

Mathematics in-service education: teacher growth increases pupil growth

A basic premise of in-service education is that professional growth of teachers will bring about increased achievement or learning in their pupils. However, few studies have been reported which investigated the question of whether an improvement in teacher understanding and achievement has resulted in greater achievement by pupils. Two studies related to this question investigated the relationship which exists between teachers' knowledge and pupils' learning. Conclusions of a study by Bassham2 indicated that teachers' understanding of mathematics concepts was significantly related to pupils' gain in arithmetic for students classified above the class mean, but not for those students below the mean. Heil, Powell, and Feifer3 reported negligible relationships between teachers' knowledge of subject matter and pupils' achievement as meaured by standardized tests in the elementary grades.

Contributions of Student Organizations to the Professional Growth of Teachers

Contributions of Student Organizations to the Professional Growth of Teachers

Is the School Faculty Meeting Significant in Promoting Professional Growth?

tent to which the school faculty meeting is responsible for the improvement of teaching efficiency through stimulation of professional growth, but evidence indicates that the faculty meeting is used more widely than is any other supervisory technique as a means for the improvement of instruction. It is axiomatic, therefore, that the use of this technique for the improvement of instruction be evaluated carefully. The study reported in this article represents an attempt to evaluate the school faculty meeting as an instrument used to advance the professional growth of teachers.

Professional Growth of Teachers in Service through Reading and Thinking Education

Professional Growth of Teachers in Service through Reading and Thinking Education