Overview

“Professional development is defined as activities that develop an individual’s skills, knowledge, expertise and other characteristics as a teacher”  (OECD, 2009, p.49)

A.    INTRODUCTION

Educators complain that the traditional teacher training programs lack authenticity and is too individualistic, leaving teachers unprepared to meet the demands in the classrooms, displaying limited application of skills (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Neuman & Cunningham, 2009).  Thus, emphases on professional development and training come out of recurring criticisms of inadequate evidence of teacher content knowledge, skills, and positive dispositions (Hare, not dated).  Mentoring and coaching applied to school-based attempts to change teacher professional development could play an integral role to improve teacher competence (McCabe, 2008) among novice as well as experienced teachers (Petersen, 2007).  From Dewey’s (1997) perspective, teacher professional development (TPD) acts as a guide to link theory and practice. In the same way, teachers’ philosophy help to influence teaching and learning, and how they negotiate their role. Exposure to training with a sound philosophical base should provide teachers with tools to meet the broad goals.    

The vision of the training workshops is: To foster collaborative professional communities.

Specifically, the training workshops will highlight a major paradigm shift cited in the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers Collective Bargaining Agreement (November, 2008, p.5), stating

A new kind of leadership team in schools can help to foster a sense of ownership and purpose in the way teachers approach their jobs. In essence, this would require establishment of a system where more experienced teachers (masters) have different responsibilities from less experienced teachers.

School-based TPD is an alternative to engage and support teachers to improve their competence. Within such a community, teachers are learners, working as peers or teams, sharing and supporting each other; ultimately fostering whole school improvement and improved student achievement.  In this school community “teachers provide leadership of educational programs, supplying vision and direction while incorporating effective group processes to achieve desired programmatic goals effectively and efficiently” (UTMB) – continuous teacher professional development .  Below is an outline of the competencies: (a) basic accountabilities; (b) primary duties; (c) critical skills; and (d) leadership criteria.  These qualities should be the hallmark of the functions of the master and senior teachers. 

B.    ROLES AND FUNCTIONS: COMPETENCIES

“The mentor acts as expert, sharing both content knowledge and an understanding of the practitioner's world and activities in it” (Bereiter and Scardamalia, 1993, p. 162).

Basic Accountabilities

Providing and coordinating quality classroom instruction and assisting with leadership in curriculum design and development of instructional materials and the delivery of professional development programmes at the school, zonal and national levels.

Primary Duties

·         Plan, prepare and present lessons ensuring that each lesson contributes to the curriculum using a variety of current techniques and methods.

·         Motivate and encourage students to achieve their potential.

·         Develop instructional materials to meet the needs of varying abilities of students.

·         Maintain accurate records of students‟ attendance, performance and behaviour.

·         Be the assistant academic and professional leader in planning, instruction, classroom management and curriculum matters.

·         Assist with the development and coordinating of mentoring programmes for beginning teachers and staff members who require on the job assistance.

·         Assist in leading the development of the vision/mission statements, instructional policies/procedures and school-based/national curriculum guidelines.

·         Assist with the development of pilot curriculum modules, remediation and enhancement programmes to complement existing courses.

·         Assist with leading professional development activities that ensure teacher awareness of and sensitivity to current issues and recent innovations in education.

·         Undertake specific school based projects (individually or in groups) related to attitudinal survey, action research or intervention in the classroom for best practices.

·         Submit at the end of each academic year a portfolio reflecting at least three of the following five areas: professional development, mentoring/supporting teachers, exam/curriculum/instructional programme development, research activities, or publications

Critical Skills

·         Knowledge and effective delivery of subject content.

·         Planning, organizing, coordinating and time management.

·         Written and oral communication.

·         Interpersonal skills.

·         Ability to influence others.

·         Research skills.

·         Conceptual skills.

Leadership Criteria

·         Engenders trust.

·         Able to lead others.

·         Understand and uses functional expertise to contribute to school and education system.

·         Accepts ownership

·         Accountable and delivers on commitments.

·         Oriented towards continuous learning.

The training aims to develop the competencies – knowledge, skills, attitudes and values – to prepare the teachers to effectively administer the roles and functions as master and senior teachers with a high level of accountability and responsibility – TRULY EXCELLENT TEACHERS.