Volume 19, No. 3, 2022
A Comparative Study Of Impact Of Professional Development On Teachers Learning
Saba Batool , Dr. Ibtasam Thakur
Abstract
This study explores the idea of significant use of CPD for teachers and reflects upon teachers’ perception about professional development and how they feel about the use of CPD and it also discusses how effective professional development should be structured. Teachers find CPD effective as a useful and usable learning if it is initiated in context of their own practices and needs. They also consider CPD to be more effective if they are part of planning CPD in small groups according to their as well as their students’ needs. They prefer professional development through peer visits, learning from colleagues, mentoring and coaching and taking professional courses to attending conferences and large PD sessions. They also recognize that effective CPD helps them become better teachers. Their preferred method is through mentoring, coaching and taking long term or short-term professional courses. The paper also recognizes the barriers and limitations teachers may have in bringing their professional learning into practical. The paper is suggestive of policy mechanism in schools to follow up. The paper also hints that background knowledge and training of teachers in different context may pose barriers to the effectiveness of professional development. This paper was written in context of teachers from one particular region. The data collection was also on a limited scale, this paper, therefore, does not reflect on how teachers in other countries and regions think, feel and reflect on the concept of CPD. This paper is suggestive of how effective CPD improves the quality of teaching and students’ outcomes, however, there needs to be more research conducted for a clear system and policy in school for implementing meaningful structured CPD and also to consider other factors which may barricade the transformation of learning from professional development to real every day teaching.
Pages: 256-267
Keywords: Professional development, Teacher learning. Training