Chapter 15: Professional Development
Objectives:
1. Identify professional activities in and outside school setting
2. Discuss writing for professional journals
3. Discuss importance of interaction with other science
teachers
4. Discuss importance of research, hobbies, professional
leave
5. Suggest ways to evaluate teacher performance
I.
Professional Development Activities
A.
Importance of Professional Development
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
B.
Becoming an effective teacher is a continuous process
Science content changes rapidly and has expanding social
relevance
Diversity of students is increasing rapidly
Research, publication, interaction with colleagues are reaffirming
State and national standards change
Inservice and Workshops
1.
2.
School district often require participation, and arrange for presenter
Implementation of new curriculum
a.
b.
3.
4.
5.
STS initiatives, Science Literacy, etc…
Compliance with state standards
Summer, Saturday, after school, work day scheduling
Points often assigned for time and effort involved
Points may be used for recertification
C.
Graduate Work
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
College coursework often required for pay raise, promotion, tenure
Recertification may require a certain number of graduate hours in
combination or in place of inservice points
School system typically pay for tuition
May be used toward a graduate degree
Types of courses
a.
b.
6.
Graduate degrees
a.
b.
c.
II.
Increase science content knowledge: Modern Physics
Increase pedagogical knowledge: Inquiry Learning
Masters degree improves pay, promotion
May be in administration, counseling, special education, etc…
Usually takes several years of one or two courses a semester
Professional Organizations
A.
National Organizations
1.
National Science Teachers Association
a.
b.
Publishes journals
Instrumental in development of National Science Education Standards
2. Discipline Specific
a. National Association of Biology Teachers
b. American Chemical Society
c. American Association of Physics Teachers
3. Research in Science Education
a. National Association for Research in Science Teaching
b. Association for the Education of Teachers of Science
c. Publish journals on newest research into teaching science
B. Statewide Organization
1. General science teaching or discipline specific
a. Kansas Academy of Science
b. Kansas Association for Biology Teachers
2.
3.
4.
5.
Local meetings
Publish science education research and ideas
Update teachers on standards and regulation changes
Publish student science research
III. Other activities for Professional Growth
A.
Writing for Publication
1.
2.
Prepare papers or presentations for local, regional, national
meetings
Prepare manuscript for publication in peer reviewed journal
a.
b.
c.
3.
What to write on
a.
b.
c.
B.
Wider dissemination of an idea or of research findings
Improves communication skills
Involvement is scholarly development of the profession
Improved method for doing a lab
Research on student learning following a specific instruction activity
Basic science research
Communicating with other science teachers
1.
2.
3.
4.
Experienced teachers are valuable sources of information
They know what works and what doesn’t work (for them, anyway)
Point out relationships in curriculum that you don’t see
Attend professional meetings to interact with other science
teachers
C. Travel
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Opportunity to collect samples, photographs, experiences
Use these in the classroom to increase motivation, enthusiasm
Make sure laws are observed when collecting samples
Museums provide ideas for units, activities
Industries provide applications to enhance authenticity of lessons
D. Summer Employment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Science-related employment enriches your experiences
Some industries intentionally hire science teachers in summer
Develop technical skills
Universities often have summer programs for teachers
Work for a professor as a research assistant
E. Research
1. Science
a.
b.
c.
d.
May have skills, education, interest to establish your own projects
Collaborate with university professors
Involve students in data collection, analysis, and reporting
Increased recognition by colleagues, community
2. Education
a. Collaborate with university researcher (you are the subject)
b. Action Research = improving classroom practices
i. Decide what to study
ii. Choose what data to collect and how to collect it
iii. Analyze the data
iv. Implement the results
v. Needs to be manageable within daily teaching tasks
c. Conditions conducive to action research
i. Collaboration with other teachers
ii. Communication between collaborators
iii. Support of time and resources
iv. Recognition of efforts by administration
d. Improves science teaching and learning (NRC, 1996)
3. Leave of Absence
a.
b.
c.
d.
Sabbatical or leave can be used to update content or teaching skills
May be one semester or one year
May have full, half, or no pay
Usually need to give 1 years notice, and teach for specified time after
4.
Keeping Up-to-Date through Reading
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Vast amount of content and pedagogical literature available
Easy access prerequisite to taking advantage of it
i.
Establish a professional library
ii. Subscribe to professional journal
Read popular science publications
i.
Scientific American
ii. National Geographic
iii. Discover
Keep and update your college science texts
May be expensive; the school library may help
IV. Evaluating teacher performance
A.
Evaluation is essential for growth
1.
2.
B.
Set goals for yourself
Try to implement learning from professional development
Videotaping
1.
2.
Borrow school video camera
Critically assess your teaching as you would someone else’s
C. Questionnaires
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Student evaluations can point out strengths and weaknesses
Should contain positively states statements and a scale of answers
Should be anonymous and should not effect grade
Written comments from students are often most helpful
Sample questionnaire p. 306
D. Maintaining a Resume
1. Keep track of professional activities for a resume
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
College credit or degrees
Job position, responsibilities, dates of employment, supervisors
Inservice and workshops
Professional meetings, presentations, and publications
Committee membership, awards,
2. Without documented proof, the activity didn’t happen
3. Important for accreditation of schools