CHALIMBANA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
NAME
: KAMUTI MANDE
COMPUTER NUMBER
: 1904030658
STUDENT PHONE NUMBER
: +26 0954909666
PROGRAM OF STUDY
: EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND
MANAGEMENT
COURSE CODE
: ELM 1011
LECTURE
: MR. NJOBV, M.
ASSIGNMENT NUMBER
: ONE
QUESTION
DUE DATE
: According to Fullan (1992: 2), he identifies
three different approaches to teacher
development. As precisely as possible discuss
the three different approaches to teacher
development.
: 30TH JUNE, 2019.
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Development means change and growth. Therefore, teacher development is the process of
becoming ‘the best kind of teacher that an individual, personally can be. Teacher development,
as we understand it, draws on the teacher’s own inner resource for change. It is centered on
personal awareness of the possibilities for change, and of what influences the change process. It
builds on the past, because recognizing how past experiences have or have not been
developmental helps identify opportunities for change in the present and future. It also draws on
the present, in encouraging a fuller awareness of the kind of teacher you are now and of other
people’s responses to you. It is a self-reflective process, because it is through questioning old
habits that alternative ways of being and doing are able to emerge. Thus, it must be understood
that the ultimate aim of all types of professional development in a school is improving teaching
and learning. Fullan (1992) identifies three different approaches to teacher development.
Therefore, this paper attempts to discuss the three different approaches to teacher development.
Change is inevitable in the life of any group or institution. Adopting a developmental outlook
helps teachers to cope better when they are facing change within and around their work
environment. It is important for people to retain a sense of personal control over the extent to
which outside change affects them personally. Fullan (1993: 7) believes that it is essential for
teachers to find ways of managing and responding positively to change, not only so that they
themselves are not left behind as the world moves on, but also because they have a responsibility
to prepare their students to cope with a world in which change is the norm.
Teaching on the other hand, is an on-going professional activity rather than something that can
be mastered once and for all through the acquisition of a restricted set of skills. It needs to be
refreshed and developed with the passage of time as new ideas and approaches towards teaching
and learning are discovered. This emphasizes the need of development activities for staff to
update and enhance their professional skills. Thus, Kirk (1988) points out that hence teaching is
a process of professional development, no matter how thorough and systematic initial training
may be, it can never anticipate and prepare comprehensively for all the various demands that are
rare to be encountered through a full teaching career.
The idea of teacher development is malleable because it takes many forms, has different
meanings in different contexts, operates from a variety of implicit and explicit beliefs and value
bases, and is manifested in different forms of action.
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However, Hargreaves and Fullan (1992) identify three approaches to teacher development. The
first focuses on the development of teachers’ knowledge and skills and has led to the widespread
in-service training of teachers in ‘new’ skills and strategies. All too frequently, however, it is
imposed on teachers rather than developed alongside them. It is widely used in the particular
context of bureaucratic control where bottom-up development is advocated, but where reality
reveals top-down implementation.
The second approach views teacher development as self-understanding, involving changes to
both behaviour and the person the teacher is. Leithwood (1992) have identified three dimensions
in the process of personal development underpinning development. They present the notion that
one’s development as a person progresses through different stages, with the highest levels
possibly not being achieved until several years after most people enter teaching. Furthermore,
teachers at different points in the life cycle have different attitudes to change and improvement
as well as different requirements in terms of professional development. Personal development
issues which are specific to the teaching career constitute a third dimension.
Whereas promotion is accompanied by rewards and incentives, those who suffer denial of
promotion can become discouraged and feel undervalued by their organizations. If commitment
and enthusiasm are withdrawn this will have an obvious impact on classroom performance. It
might be argued that these aspects of personal and professional development place an
overemphasis on the importance of personal factors in teaching. Fullan et al. (1992) warn of selfindulgence, involving teachers, developers and researchers in intensive relationships which,
although regarding, are not easily replicated across other teacher groups.
A third approach views teacher development as ecological change, where the process and
success is dependent on the context in which it takes place. Fullan and Hargreaves (1992)
suggest that many factors may assist or impede teacher development initiatives. Shortage of
planning time or release from classroom responsibilities may make it difficult for joint planning.
Limited resources may restrict supply cover which allows not only release time for cooperative
work but also opportunity to attend workshops and observe colleagues teach.
A further contextual factor affecting the success of teacher development efforts is leadership.
The strategies of principals and heads which have supported teacher development initiatives
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include provision of time and resources, commitment of the leader by participating in staff
training sessions and creating a development plan. Hargreaves and Fullan (1992) argue that the
context of teaching can be a focus as well as a condition for teacher development. They urge the
development of collaborative school cultures, where teachers routinely support and learn from
each other for the benefit of successful implementation of educational change, school-fostered
improvements, and good practices in professional development and positive outcomes in pupil
achievements.
Above all, other approaches to teacher development include; client-centered approach According to this approach input derived from teachers is used by themselves as a source of
developing their professional skills. The approach is based on learner-centered programmes that
attempt to incorporate into classroom information by and from the learners. It is assumed that if
these sorts of programmes are relevant for learners, they should also be relevant for teachers
when they become learners (Nunan, 1988). Nevertheless, the approach is largely beneficial to
encourage teacher development activities, and may particularly be useful for a context where
teachers feel stressed because of managerial influence.
Self-development through class observation - this approach may be viewed as an extended form
of co-operative approach. The process of self-development is carried through interaction between
the teachers and the observer. The interaction goes through the stages of understanding,
reflecting, focusing, disclosing and planning (Edge, 1992). Therefore, this approach help
teachers understand that they have a responsibility for their own development, help teachers have
a clearer understanding of their own classroom experiences, introduce teachers to a more
developmental approach to teacher training. Also help teachers build a more supportive and
trusting relationship with their colleagues, and to realize the mutual benefits they would accrue
from this.
Besides, this approach has certain advantages such as its effectiveness to teach self-development
and its capacity to offers relaxed and informal environment. This approach also provides relevant
feedback from the observer which is. Furthermore, the approach is a means of collaborative
learning for teachers to learn from each other (Hargreaves et al., 1992). However, sometimes
observer could be a marionette in the hands of teacher who acts according to the teacher’s
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wishes. It also takes a lot of time and the procedure may continue without achieving any
developmental goals.
Self-awareness through groups in teacher development is another approach to teacher
development. Underhill (1991), who presented this approach, says that this approach aims at
carrying out individual teacher development within a group of people who normally work
together and has to do with the strong hold that group norms can exist over members of the
group. Underhill believes that “developmental work in established groups can allow tacit norms
to be exposed and new norms to emerge. In other words, group members become aware of their
unaware and collusive norms, it may be possible to get group norms on the side of development,
rather than the side of responsibility avoidance” (Underhill, 1991: 77).
Additionally, this approach is likely to create interpersonal, caring environment with a shared
commitment to the process of intentional development. This kind of personal or professional
development is carried out by oneself. Other people play important role in creating a
psychologically facilitative climate. Though this sort of approach also seems to encourage selfdevelopment, it unnecessarily depends on the group members.
From the foregoing discussion, it can be deduced that teacher development is the process of
becoming ‘the best kind of teacher that an individual, personally can be. Thus, change is
inevitable in the life of any group or institution. Therefore, adopting a developmental outlook
helps teachers to cope better when they are facing change within and around their work
environment. However, any teacher development plan, when practiced, should not be expected to
prove a complete success because it is likely to clash with many existing norms and traditions in
the institute. There may well come certain phases and stages, in the beginning, when the whole
process may seem to be very difficult. This kind of situation needs to be managed with patience
and consistency. Wang and Seth (1997: 212) rightly remark: “Two things are necessary for
potential success and sustainability. One is the support of the administration and the other is the
enthusiasm and devotion of the people in charge of the programme, together with the
understanding and commitment of the majority of teachers. Without these two basic premises
teacher development is in danger of becoming an expensive leisure activity…..”. Thus, the onus
of the paper.
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REFERENCES
Edge, J. (1991). Co-operative Development: Education Leadership and Management. New York:
Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M. and Hargreaves, A. (1992). Teacher Development and Educational Change. London:
Falmer Press.
Fullan, M. (1993). The New Meaning of Educational Change. London: Cassell.
Leithwood, K. (1992). The Principal Role in Teacher Development, in Fullan, M.G. and
Hargreaves A. (Eds) Teacher Development and Educational Change.
London: Falmer Press.
Hargreaves, A., and Michael, G. (1992). Understanding Teacher Development. New York:
Teacher College Press, Columbia University.
Kirk, G. (1988). Teacher Education and Professional Development. Edinburgh: Scottish
Academic Press Limited.
Underhill, A. (1991). The Role of Groups in Developing Teachers Self-awareness. Oxford: Basil
Blackwell Limited.
Wang, Q., and Seth, N. (1997). Self-development through Classroom Observation. London:
Falmer Press Ltd.
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