Approaches to professional development of teachers in Scotland: pedagogical innovation or financial necessity?

Background: In a context of significant educational change and financial constraint, this paper explores ways to develop teacher learning. A recent review of teacher education (Teaching Scotland's Future: Report of a review of teacher education in Scotland, Donaldson 2011 Donaldson, G. 2011. Teaching Scotland's Future: Report of a review of teacher education in Scotland, Edinburgh: Scottish Government.  [Google Scholar]) coincided with two factors impacting on teaching and learning in Scotland. Firstly, the implementation of a new curriculum entitled ‘Curriculum for Excellence'. This new curriculum is underpinned by a philosophy of active learning, self-evaluation and reflection for all teachers and pupils. The second factor, impacting on teaching and learning, is the cuts being made in education because of financial constraints in the wake of the recession. These cuts include reductions in local authority support staff and opportunities for professional development.

Sources of evidence: This paper explores effective models of professional development for teachers and draws on principles of learning in the twenty-first century and the premise that what is known about how people learn should be applied to pupil and teacher learning. It also draws on a range of policy documents published in Scotland 2001–11 that impact on curriculum innovation and teacher education.

Main argument: The implementation of the new curriculum and the review of teacher education both focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning in Scottish schools and both offer opportunities for innovation for teachers and pupils. Both also require radical changes in ways of working for everyone. To implement the new curriculum, teachers have to change the ways they work requiring innovative models of continuing professional development to be designed not only to meet the demand for teacher learning but to make the best use of the limited funds.

Conclusions: It is argued that the cuts in funding may act as a catalyst for pedagogical change in professional development with increased reliance on school-based professional development. Empirical evidence collected during a research study in Scotland, which analysed feedback about curriculum reform, is used to illustrate both the need for improved professional learning opportunities for teachers and the benefits of facilitated school-based professional development.     

学校本位教师专业发展:框架及其意义

学校本位教师专业发展涉及三个要素:一是需求驱动,即教师专业发展必须是基于教师自身的兴趣与需求,它揭示了教师专业发展的源动力;二是专业合作,即对于教师个体而言,专业发展的重要路径和标志在于如何通过专业合作提升自身基于情景的专业知识和智慧,它揭示了教师知识是基于情景的,而情景知识的获得有赖于教师同伴为了实现知识共享而开展的专业合作;三是支持制度,即无论作为个体还是群体,教师专业发展都是一种过程,需要学校建立一套支持的制度,以保障此过程是专业的、可持续的,它揭示了教师专业那种持续的发展过程有赖于专业的支持制度的保障。本文以上述三个普遍要素作为三个维度,试图建构学校本位教师专业发展的分析框架。     

校本教师发展与教师专业学习共同体的建构

相对传统教师发展的范式,即自上而下的发展模式——校本教师发展强调教师为改革的中心,教师发展应立足于教师工作的环境和脉络之中,以课堂和学校为本位。教师专业学习共同体则关注教师发展的脉络化,强调通过在学校中建构专业学习共同体,实现教师学习和实践的共享,从而提升教师质素,并实现学校向学习型组织的转变。校本教师发展与教师专业学习共同体在学校脉络这一平台上实现融合,教师在学校的专业学习共同体之脉络中,借由分享领导、集体学习、共享实践,并最终形成教师发展的学校本位之系统建构。     

What’s in a name: dimensions of social learning in teacher groups

Induced by a literature review, this paper presents a framework of dimensions and indicators highlighting the underpinning aspects and values of social learning within teacher groups. Notions of social networks, communities of practice and learning teams were taken as the main perspectives to influence this social learning framework. The review exercise resulted in four dimensions: (1) practice, (2) domain and value creation, (3) collective identity and (4) organization. The indicators corresponding to these dimensions serve as the foundation for understanding social learning in practice. The framework of dimensions and indicators can be of assistance for researchers as well as teacher groups that aim to assess their views on social learning and analyse whether these views fit the learning goals of the group or that adjustments are required. In this way, learning processes within groups of teachers can be improved.     

Beyond ‘what works’: understanding teacher identity as a practical and political tool

Drawing on previous research that focused upon the formation and mediation of teacher professional identity, this paper develops a model for conceptualising teacher professional identity. Increasingly, technical-rational understandings of teachers’ work and ‘role’ are privileged in policy and public discourse over more nuanced and holistic approaches that seek to understand teacher professional identity – what it is to ‘be’ a teacher. This article seeks to offer an alternative view, presenting the idea that an understanding of the processes by which teacher professional identity is formed and mediated is central to understanding the professional learning and development needs of teachers and advancing a richer, more transformative vision for education. I argue that instrumentalist notions of teachers’ work embedded in neo-liberal educational agendas such as those currently being advanced in many western countries offer an impoverished view of the teaching profession and education more broadly, and suggest that the concept of teacher professional identity holds the potential to work as a practical tool for the teaching profession and those who work to support them in the development of a more generative educational agenda.     

How has recent curriculum reform in China influenced school-based teacher learning? An ethnographic study of two subject departments in Shanghai,China

Curriculum reforms with a focus on helping students ‘learn to learn’ are now an established global educational phenomenon. China has been implementing such curriculum reform and this poses challenges to teachers as they need to develop new pedagogical skills and knowledge to deal with new educational demands that arise. This ethnographic study investigates the impacts of current curriculum reform on teacher learning using two subject departments from two schools in Shanghai, China. It shows that teachers direct much attention towards searching for good practices and norms of practice to encounter new curriculum challenges. Findings show that outside experts who act as ‘boundary brokers’ are crucial in teacher learning. They also identify two modes of teacher learning activities: hierarchical, which relies on imported expert knowledge; and reciprocal, which depends on exploiting local knowledge. Striking a balance between these two approaches may be the way forward.     

西方国家教师学习研究动态及其启示

西方国家教师学习研究自20世纪80年代后发生的变化主要表现在对教师学习的重视与定位,学习目标、内容、方式、研究方法更为具体、细腻,关注课堂实践的有效性以及教师专业发展。从西方国家教师学习研究的趋势看,许多国家着重探讨教师学会教学、学会反思和学会为师等基本问题,力求说明教师学习与教师专业成长的关系。     

让教师走上从事研究的幸福道路

校本研修是推动教师专业发展的重要途径。有效开展校本研修需要思考和处理好六组关系,包括“校本”和“师本”、校长和教师、个人发展与团队发展、校本研修与学校文化建设、研修制度与支持配套制度、专家引领同伴互助与个人反思。     

在校本研究中实现教师专业化发展

校本研究与教师专业发展有着内在的联系。校本研究的深入开展可以从内涵的师德修养和教师业务能力两大方面实现教师的专业化发展。     

关于我国当前中小学教师专业发展活动的调查研究

基于\"发展得比较好的教师更能准确地评判影响教师专业发展的因素\"的假设,本研究借用网络技术的优势,就当前中小学教师专业发展活动的相关问题,调查了132位拥有\"中高\"职称的教师。结果发现:一是\"典型\"的校本教研活动虽然开展的频率高,但教师对其效果的评价却很差;二是我们在强调\"典型\"的校本教研活动的重要性的同时,忽视了那些\"非典型\"的、主要由个人自主研修或校外进行知识输入的专业发展活动的作用;三是教师对\"听专家报告\"和\"做课题研究\"这两项专业发展活动持有较高水平的认可;四是当前教师参与校本教研活动的积极性存在\"小(学)高中(学)低\"现象,反映了\"越是需要专业知识和技能支持的老师,参加专业发展活动的积极性越低\"的尴尬。     

教师专业发展与校本培训

教师专业发展是时代的要求,更是教育发展的必然趋势.在我国,基础教育课程改革,对教师专业化和专业发展,提出了迫切要求,为此,人们不断摸索教师成长和发展的规律,逐步认识到校本培训在教师专业发展上的作用,并通过校本培训推进教师专业发展.     

校本培训理论述评

校本培训既是教师继续教育的一种重要模式,也是教师专业发展的一个重要途径,其意义和影响十分深远。校本培训的主要内容应包括现代教育理论、现代信息技术、教育研究方法、师德教育、学校管理。校本培训模式则有以课题研究为主的校本培训模式、以案例分析为主的校本培训模式和以理论学习为主的校本培训模式三种。     

深化校本培训促进生物教师的专业发展

校本培训是指以学校为单位,面向教师的学习方式,内容以学校的需求和教学方针为中心,目的是提高教师的业务水平和教育教学能力.通过校本培训能够促进教师的专业发展,提高教师的教学水平,进而对教学起到事半功倍的效果.校本培训是继续教育的一种重要模式,文章通过探讨校本培训,希望能够对继续教育的模式和内容起到一定的推动作用,并且呼吁更多的学校参与校本培训,促进教师的专业发展,为推动我国的教育事业贡献自己的力量.     

北京市中小学学校组织文化的现状调查

基于对北京市5255名教师的问卷调查,本研究考察中小学学校组织文化的现状及其特点。研究表明:中小学学校组织文化的三个因素:教师文化、学校文化认同、校长文化,能较好地解释学校组织文化的结构;不同职业生涯发展阶段教师对学校组织文化的认知有所差异,其中6-10年教龄教师对学校组织文化的认同最低;中学和小学教师在学校组织文化的认知上有所差异,小学教师对于学校组织文化的认同度要普遍高于中学教师;不同性质的学校教师在学校组织文化的认知也有所差异,重点学校和薄弱学校教师对学校组织文化的认同度要明显高于普通学校的教师。     

学校本位教师专业发展的立论基础

学校本位的教师专业发展为我们描绘了一幅美好的蓝图。要检验学校本位教师专业发展是否能够立论,首先需要在学理上说清楚三个基本问题。一,怎么理解教师专业发展;二,怎么理解学校本位的教师专业发展;三,学校是否真的能够为教师专业发展提供所需的知识。     

学校本位教师专业发展的内涵解读

从历史角度看,教师专业发展源于并镶嵌于教师专业化,教师专业发展是教师个体提升专业能力的过程,经历了从国家本位教师专业化走向学校本位教师专业发展的历程。关于学校本位主要有三种理解:地理概念、政治概念和组织概念,只有把这三种理解联系起来,才能揭示学校本位的本质,即学校本位是以学校为基地、以建构学习共同体为载体,学校自由支配各种教育资源,为学生、教师和学校的发展谋福祉,并为发展的结果负责。综合起来,学校本位教师专业发展就是学校运用专业权力,自主配置教师专业发展所需要的资源,为教师提供专业服务。促使教师专业性得以扩展与提升的过程具体由三方面要素构成:学校自主、市场规约、教师合作。     

校本教研与英语教师专业成长研究

文章概述了课题研究的背景、理论基础、研究手段、结果与反思,实验过程三个主要环节即校本培训活动,增强教师的自我发展意识;课例研究,促进教师的专业成长;自主合作研修,推动校本教研。结果显示：增强了教师的自主发展意识;营造了合作学习型的校本教研氛围;加速了教师的专业化成长进程;促进了学校和学生共同发展。