Estudiante

English cet 1









FINAL ESSAY

CET INDUCTION MODULE

















APRIL 30, 2012

J. ANGEL GARCÍA MUÑOZ

CELAYA, GTO.





The importance of professional development in education

Professional development is extremely important in education and has a clear impact on student performance. Professional development opportunities come in all shapesand sizes. Some of these opportunities are formal and externally organized, such as attending a course, going to a conference, or working toward higher certification; while others are smaller in scope, more private and informal. These include participating in teacher chat-groups, or keeping a teaching journal, just to name a few. Professional development is important in education for teachersand students. Teacher education, ability, and experience account for more variation in student achievement than all other factors. Studies have found that 40 to 90 percent of the difference in student test scores can be attributed to teacher quality (Darling-Hammond & Loewenberg Ball, 2007), so, it is critical for both new teachers and veteran teachers to participate in any kind of professionaldevelopment opportunity.

For new teachers, professional development means an opportunity to increase their base knowledge and, as we all know, “knowledge is power”. It provides the teacher more confidence to carry out their daily tasks. New teachers should participate in different kinds of induction programs; Even if well prepared, new teachers are often assigned to the most challenging schoolsand classes with little supervision and support. I can draw from personal experience to support this statement, as it was exactly my case. In my first year teaching English I was assigned two 6th grade groups with lots of disciplinary issues and poor language skills. I was hired last minute and did not receive a proper induction about school procedures. My coordinator seldom observed myclass and gave me almost no feedback; positive or negative. This was a very difficult situation for me. Luckily, I was partnered up with a very good Spanish teacher who shared with me her very extensive experience in classroom management and information about the students as she was a veteran at the school. Under these circumstances many teachers may get disappointed as we are faced with asituation that makes us doubt if we made the right the decision in accepting the job.

Research also tells us that nearly half of all teachers leave the profession in their first five years, so more attention must be paid to providing them with early and adequate support, especially if they are assigned to demanding school environments. In order for new teachers to fully engage in educational practicesand tap into their students, “they need a broad base of knowledge and skills to facilitate student learning, to work cooperatively, and to be responsive to the student and community needs, their interests, and concerns”. (Florida Department of Education, 2007). Induction programs are a form of professional development that help new teachers become more experienced and not just feel like they cantackle the everyday problems that arise in the classroom, but also develop quality lessons that lead to a quality education for students.

Not only do new teachers need professional development, it is also a critical practice for veteran teachers. It is essential to have ongoing and regular opportunities to learn from each other. Ongoing professional development keeps teachers up-to-date onnew research on how children learn, emerging technology tools for the classroom, new curriculum resources, and more. According to Darling-Hammond´s (2000) research teachers should know how to:

Identify diverse learners with a keen diagnostic eye and apply a range of instructional approaches skillfully;

systematically organize the learning process, for example, structure curriculum so each...