Professional Development for Elementary Teachers - Essay Example

Professional Development for Elementary Teachers, Team Building for Elementary Teachers and Teachers as Mentors in Elementary Schools 2005 Abstract In the 21s century, The Baltimore City Public School System faces numerous challenges that could potentially hinder student performance. The majority of Baltimore City's student population is comprised of children who come from low socio-economic backgrounds, single parent homes and many are welfare recipients. To make matters worse, the Baltimore City School System is currently experiencing a financial crisis and monetary funds are limited. As a result of this financial crisis, many Baltimore City Schools have less money available to spend on students and school facilities. One might conclude that under these circumstances, it would be nearly impossible for students to succeed in a Baltimore City Public School. However, the question of how educators can enhance student performance (specifically student test scores and attendance) in public schools has been widely discussed and explored by educational practitioners. In fact, educational reformers have developed different strategies to enhance student performance in public city schools. Empowering teachers both inside and outside the classroom seems to be at the forefront as a key intervention for teachers in public elementary education today (Supovitz, p. 1591). Educational practitioners and researchers alike agreed that teachers can best empower themselves by engaging in different activities like professional development, team-building, mentoring. Such activities would not only empower teachers but they would also improve student performance. Education is a life long process, especially for those who are educators. In the field of education there are always new developments, and for a teacher it's important to be up to date on the knowledge concerning a subject, as well as the most effective teaching methods to ensure that students have the best chance possible to succeed in school. It's important that teachers continue their education to better serve incoming students' needs. Professional development is viewed as a vital part of being a teacher. The most prominent form of professional development is traditional one, but there is also a technology-enhanced one that is becoming more readily available. Team building process of teaching community is to improve the educational system. According to G. Maeroff (1993), 'the nucleus or team would assume ownership of new ideas and learn strategies for implementing them and for winning adherents among their colleagues in the school community' (p. 513). Researchers suggest that education might be improved by the formation of school teams of committed people who are prepared to take risks inside and outside their own classrooms. And Maeroff concludes that 'the greatest value of teams will be as vehicles for bringing improvements to teaching and learning' (p. 519). 'Existing' teachers mentoring other teachers is also an important point to take into consideration. This mentoring uses experienced master teachers who support and assist both novice and experienced teachers new to the district or a particular school. In team frame mentors should be team leaders, committed to professional growth, be confident and caring people. Only in this case it will bring the best results for both educators and students. The teaching environment should follow collaborative scheme, thus providing opportunities for discussion, reflection, and follow-up. Professional development for teachers in public elementary schools Elementary children learning is of strategic importance for both their future and that of the nation. Elementary teachers must be prepared with the knowledge, skills, values and techniques to interact successfully with children, parents, colleagues, administrators, and others who affect children's lives. They must adapt to the interests, learning styles and needs of individual children in a complex, rapidly changing and culturally diverse society. [Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, Yoon, 2001] That's why teaching is a changing process for which elementary teachers must be prepared. The Core Knowledge Foundation has found that a significant majority of teachers lack basic knowledge and skills needed for effective teaching in even the earliest grades. McRobbie (2000) notes that well over half of teachers get less than a day's worth of professional development annually, in contrast to teachers in other countries who engage in professional development for 10-20 hours a week. Hilliard (1997, p. 29-31), in claiming that a critical problem exists with traditional professional development activities, calls for fundamental change in how such activities are implemented. A recent survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), for instance, found that only 36% of new teachers feel 'very well prepared' to teach to the challenging new academic standards being introduced in public schools [Lewis, Parsad, Carey, Bartfai, Farris, Smerdon, 1999]. The earlier study by the Council for Basic Education, which surveyed 1650 teachers, showed that many elementary school teachers have serious reservations about the quality of their own education [Rigden, 1996, p. 14]. That's why content knowledge was recognized as an essential ingredient of good teaching, and there is a need for a richer academic curriculum for aspiring teachers. Pedagogy, in this case, might be addressed by requiring a few separate pedagogy courses in addition to the subject area courses, or by incorporating a pedagogical element into the subject-area courses. [Darling-Hammond, 1997, p. 15] In response to new educational reform initiatives, educators are being asked to master new skills and responsibilities and to change their practice. To meet these new expectations, teachers need to deepen their content knowledge and learn new methods of teaching. They need to work with colleagues, to critically examine the new standards being proposed, and to revise curriculum. They also need opportunities to develop, master and reflect on new approaches to working with children. All these activities are under the heading of professional development. Historically, state policymakers have paid little attention to the form, content or quality of professional development, as Feiman-Nemser (1996) points out. But it's obvious that today's teachers are to be adequately prepared to meet the new challenges they are facing, and be ready to respond them quickly in order to raise their professional competency and achieve better results. Development focuses on building a personal understanding of pedagogy - the art and science of teaching and learning - that allows a teacher to continually refine and adjust his/her practice in order to consistently and effectively help students master content and skills. [Feiman-Nemser, 1996]. The traditional method of providing professional development to teachers is the one-shot workshop squeezed in among a myriad of other activities during a teacher "work day." But for successful elementary teachers professional development in public schools 'they must be given sustained opportunities to study, experiment with, and receive advice on innovations; provided opportunities to collaborate with professional peers or to gain expertise through access to external researches or program developers; give teachers influence over the substance and process of professional development'. [Newmann, King, 2000, p. 5-7] A number of writers have explored factors that can lead to effective professional development for teachers (Pennell & Firestone, 1998; Fitzsimmons & Kerpelman, 1994; Webb, 1996; and Sparks & Hirsh, 1997), but the most successful alternatives to conventional professional development were identified by McKenna (1998) as being job-embedded, mentor-dependent learning modes such as action research, small group problem-solving, and peer observation. [p. 47] Moreover, Crowther (1998) pointed our four components of teachers' professional development, such as clear expectations, focus on result, good modelling, and effective support systems. He connects professional development with teachers' become 'skilled at independently identifying and addressing the idiosyncratic learning problems of their students'. This is gained through teachers' critical self-reflection based on their students' behavior, student products, and other evidence of the effectiveness of their own teaching practices. (p. 75-76) In most districts, professional development of teachers of public elementary schools is held in the form of formal educational activities, such as courses or workshops. They may be provided several times a year with teachers choosing the session they wish to attend. District activities are often supplemented by the participation of limited numbers of teachers in professional conferences, workshops offered by a variety of sponsors. The amount of special programs funded by state and regional agencies are provided, and depends on a district's fiscal resources. [Fullan, 1993] According to the researches made by Darling-Hammond and McLaughkin, I'm able to sum up that good teachers' professional development programs must be those that stimulate and support site-based initiatives, when are closely linked to school initiatives to improve practice; support teacher initiatives as well as school or district initiatives, which could promote the professionalization of teaching and may be cost-effective ways to engage more teachers in serious professional development activities. Good teachers' professional development must be also grounded in knowledge about teaching. It's always a model constructivist teaching, when teachers explore, question and debate in order to integrate new ideas into their classroom practice; offer intellectual, social and emotional engagement with ideas, materials and colleagues, they are to follow the collaborative learning process in order to build a team and work regularly with others in their field; demonstrate respect for teachers as professionals, and take different degrees of teacher experience into account; provide for sufficient time and follow-up support for teachers to master new content and strategies and to integrate them into their practice; are accessible and inclusive, thus being viewed as an integral part of teachers' work. [Darling-Hammond, & McLaughlin, 1995, p.598-601] On the contrary to the benefits of teachers' professional programs being provided, there are a number of experts who consider it to be a waste of time. They are viewed as being too top-down and isolated from classroom realities to have an impact on teachers' practice. [Miller, Lord, and Dorney, 1994] Although much of this criticism is probably warranted, there exist a number of documented examples of changes resulting from well-designed training programs. [Joyce and Showers, 1982]. Joyce and Showers (1982) stress that 'effective leaders helped to develop faculty by providing essential resources and that this greatly enhanced growth, classroom teaching, and student learning' (p.6-7). 'School is a community of learners, including faculty, staff, students, parents, and administrators', which all are 'coaches, colleagues and collaborators' (p. 13-14) On the whole, most researches agree that local professional development programs typically have weak effects on practice, because they lack focus, intensity, follow-up, and continuity. In many cases, they are not closely linked to district goals for student performance, thus they have weak potential effects on practice. [ Moore, D., Hyde, A., 1981] First of all, teachers need to understand subject matter deeply and flexibly, they need to see how ideas connect across fields and to everyday life, so that the students of elementary school could perceive and understand them clearly, because in this age they cannot understand abstract notions, and can only operate with things. That's why teachers need to understand child cognitive, social, physical, and emotional development to provide them with knowledge and skills they can adopt. Recent studies show that teachers learn best by studying, doing, and reflecting; by collaborating with other teachers; by looking closely at students and their work; and by sharing what they see. Beginning teachers get a more coherent learning experience when they teach and learn in teams and with one another; senior teachers in school teams deepen their knowledge by serving as mentors, co-researches, and teacher leaders [Darling-Hammond, 1997]. Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin (1995) say that teachers' professional development is successful when it tends to be experiential, engaging teachers in concrete tasks of teaching, assessment and observation that illuminates the processes of learning and development; grounded in participants' questions and experimentation as well as profession-wide research; collaborative, involving a sharing of knowledge among educators; connected to and derived from teachers' work with their students, as well as to examinations of subject matter and teaching methods; sustained and intensive, supported by modeling, coaching, and problem solving around specific problem of practice; connected to other aspects of school change. (p. 14-61) Evidence suggests that this kind of professional development not only makes teachers feel better about their practice, and improve their skills, but also reaps learning gains for students of more challenging learning that new standards demand, that stimulates children achievements [Darling-Hammond, 1997]. Existing teachers mentoring other teachers in public elementary schools Mentoring is the establishment of a personal relationship for the purpose of professional instruction and guidance. In education, the value of mentoring has been recognized in the use of teachers and other professionals in one-on-one instruction of students for vocational education, science, and reading [Galvez-Hjorneyik, 1986]. Peer tutoring of elementary school students is beneficial for both same-age tutors and tutees across a number of school subjects, such as math, spelling, reading, and social studies. Cross-age mentoring has also been shown to be effective in changing negative behavior in both mentors and mentees [Chao, 1997, p.15-20]. Mentor teachers have little experience with the core activities of mentoring - observing and discussing teaching with colleagues. Most teachers work alone, in the privacy of their classroom, protected by norms of autonomy and non-interference. [Little, 1990] Mentoring programs have been implemented recently for beginning teacher induction and continuing staff development. Cochram-Smith (1991, p. 3-5) says that if public schools want mentors to help novices learn the ways of thinking and acting associated with new kinds of teaching, they have to place them with mentors who are already reformers in their schools and classrooms, or develop collaborative contexts where mentors and novices can explore new approaches together. Bova and Phillips (1981) have complied a list of characteristics inherent in any mentor-protege relationship, which state that these relationships grow out of voluntary interaction; has a life cycle: introduction, mutual trust-building, teaching of risk-taking, communication, and professional skills, transfer of professional standards, and dissolution. It's also pointed out that mentors pass down information to the next generation, they encourage protgs in setting and attaining short- and long-term goals, they teach skills necessary to survive daily experiences and promote career-scope professional development; mentors protect protgs from major mistakes by limiting their exposure to responsibility, they are role models, and sponsor their protgs organizationally and professionally. Some public school systems have formalized mentoring processes as part of newly developed induction programs, where 'existing' teachers put on the roles of mentors for the 'newcomers', but they cannot regulate the beginning teacher's levels of responsibility, they also don't have the freedom to direct the protg's activities nor the time to adequately oversee developing classroom performance. The mentoring relationship can be supported by creating a school environment (that is the process of entire school team building) which openly offers assistance and provides the means to expand the initiate's repertoire of teaching techniques and classroom management skills. [Galvez-Hjorneyik, 1986, p. 6-7] Speaking about benefits Krupp (1984) states that mentors gain the satisfaction of being able to transfer skills and knowledge accumulated through extensive professional practice. Much of this 'existing' teachers' knowledge is intangible and is not contained in teacher preparation programs. The questions from beginning teachers provide opportunities for mentor teachers to re-examine their own classroom practices and the effects of accepted instructional techniques on the teaching/learning process. [p. 2-3] For the protg benefits, it's worth to stress upon their fast assimilation into the school environment, establishment of professional competence, and introduction to teaching as a continually developing, lifelong career. One of the most important things of 'existing' teachers' mentoring is the conveyance of operating procedures to the beginner [Galvez-Hjorneyik, 1986, p.6-10]. The mentor also provides the protg with opportunity to develop professional competence through a cycle of observation/assessment/practice/assessment, which permits continuous communication and constant feedback to the protg. Classroom skills also tend to develop under the mentor's constant and consistent assistance. The 'existing' teacher as a mentor guides the 'newcomer' one through the maze of local and state administration systems which potentially influence the practices of the classroom teacher. Moreover, the mentor directs the protg to professional organizations for academic and professional development [Driscoll et al., 1985]. Mentoring process is closely connected with the team building one. Driscoll (1985, p.14-15) states that schools which enthusiastically welcome beginning teachers and initiate them to active participation in the educational processes reduce their teacher attrition rate. Furthermore, such 'existing' teachers' guidance catches problems which may affect the instructional process or discourage the teacher. Literature review shows that involving experienced teachers in the program and providing them the opportunity to pass on their expertise demonstrates long-term professional interest and provides the environment conductive to lifelong professional careers. [Krupp, 1984; Driscoll, 1985]. Evidence strongly suggests that mentoring improves the quality of teaching. The National Centre for Education Statistics (1999) reports that seven in ten elementary public school teachers who receive mentoring by their 'existing' colleagues at least once a week believe that their instructional skills have improved 'a lot' as a result. But besides its positive effects it may also involve certain unwanted side effects. A one- or two-year mentoring experience will not provide a new teacher with the full range of subject-matter knowledge necessary to be successful on the job. That's why mentoring is said to be the most suitable to helping new teachers 'translate their academic knowledge into meaningful instruction' (McKenna, 1998, p. 48). Without careful planning and sound design, traditional mentoring programs by their very nature run the risk of reinforcing conservative, traditional practice at the exclusion of all that is new and innovative. Instead, 'existing' teachers as mentors for beginning teachers tend to combine the best new approaches to teaching from their own experience with time-tested strategies known to work well for students. [Bova, Phillips, 1981] The notion of mentoring is closely connected with the team building process, that's why it works well when everyone with a stake in its outcomes is fully involved in its planning and implementation. Ganser (1998, p.13-16) speaks about 'first-generation' and 'second-generation' mentoring, where the latter is more likely to require participation by new teachers, extend for periods longer than one year, match protg with a number of mentors who provide assistance in different areas of expertise, attend more closely to the systemic issues that influence the effectiveness of new teachers, and abide by clear, written agreements between school and teacher association. Good mentors which have a wide teaching experience demonstrate a variety of skills and knowledge that come with their experience, and may be grouped into four general categories: attitude and character; professional competence and experience; communication skills; and interpersonal skills [Krupp, 1984]. As for the strategy of matching a protg to a mentor, Ganser (1998, p. 17-19) proposes a 'mentoring mosaic', when the protg benefits from more specialized expertise and the opportunity to observe several different teaching styles, precisely what many mentoring experts believe a new teacher needs most [McKenna, 1998, p.47-48]. Successful mentors also speak of helping protg expand their repertoire - skills, strategies, and knowledge useful in different teaching situations and settings. This may be acquired by observing many different teaching styles at school, comparing notes with other beginning teachers and consulting with one or more mentors. The content of mentoring is also shaped by the specific needs of the student population, their families, and the community at large, because beginning teachers must be acquainted with ethnical and cultural differences of a particular community, and ways of interactions with them, which affects the quality of learning in the classroom. [Feiman-Nemser, 1996] A number of surveys confirm that with the mentors' help beginning teachers expand their techniques, improve teaching skills, and learn classroom management [Huffman & Leak, 1986]. Cohesive school community is perceived as one in which teachers engage in collegial practices that they perceive other teachers as sources of help and support when faced with academic problems. [Feiman-Nemser, 1993, p.147-150] It also manifest in their relation with students, because when a community has been created in schools, mutual respect is apparent between all staff members. By promoting observation and conversation about teaching, mentoring can help beginning teachers to develop tools for continuous improvement. If learning to teach in reform-minded ways is the focus of the joint work, mentoring will also fulfill its promise as an instrument of reform [Feiman-Nemser, 1993, p. 153-159]. So, 'existing' teachers mentoring is pointed out as one important mechanism for advancing the teaching profession as a whole; it helps to create cohesive public schools where teachers and administrators constantly discuss instructional practice and student learning; where teachers view their collective expertise as expanding and improving with time, and large number of teachers develop innovations that lead to student success and then pass this vast knowledge on to colleagues. For this reason all teachers at all stages of their professional development must maintain their growth as professionals by learning from and with each other. Team building for teachers in public elementary schools Members of any organization are noted to be more effective in their work when they are respected and valued. Building a community among staff in schools is necessary, because many first year teachers coming into a new school, for instance, may feel isolated from other staff. By building a community they become acquainted with their colleagues, therefore feeling included and a part of the large group. By becoming a community, teachers have a strong support system within the school. [Huffman, Leak, 1986, p.22-24] Schools leaders (administrators, teachers and parents) are said to build highly committed teams for accomplishing school activities and goals, which may include school improvement planning, budget and personnel decisions, and implementing programs and plans. Fullan (1993, p.6-8) notes that teams may face issues that can decrease the effectiveness of the team and specifically its ability to make decisions, notably, the time trade-offs in decisionmaking, problems of 'groupthink' and pressure to conform, the potential for increased conflict over decisionmaking. That's why for teams to work effectively to develop and realize a shared vision, there is a need in adequate team training and preparation. Katzenbach and Smith (1993, p.4-5) list the following requirements for building effective teams within a teaching community, such as small number of members, adequate levels of complementary skills, a truly meaningful purpose, specific goals for a team, members' clear approach to the team's work, and their sense of mutual accountability. However, some experts deny that teams can be highly effective, because some teachers have never worked on teams and could only work independently (and this will cause individual resistance to working in teams), and they have never practiced shared decisionmaking. To overcome this problem there is to exist special training for teachers to suit them to new teaching challenges. Staff members often don't have the opportunity to meet one another or collaborate during the school day, but through team structure they get the opportunity to have professional discussions regarding their students and education. Moreover, staff members can meet and have professional conversations that will promote the best interests for the school. [Maeroff, 1993] With the help of community structure within an educational establishment students are aware of the respect among teachers and staff, they have a valuable model for how to interact with their peers and teachers. Teachers transfer the team building activities and cooperative group strategies they have experienced with one another into the classroom with their students. [Smith, 1990] Within a team structure inside the school teachers need access to flexible, tailored training so that they have the skills and knowledge for the range of roles they fulfill. They should also work out clear development opportunities and progression routes to enable them to develop their careers. Through the shared knowledge of subject matter and collaborative work within teams teachers will understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciplined taught, and will create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students. Teachers will also learn better how students learn and develop, and thus by means of support advice and practice of 'existing' teachers they will provide opportunities that support students' intellectual, social, and personal development, that is of primary importance in elementary school stage. By comparing various instructional strategies of different teachers, team members will use the most appropriate one to develop students' critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. Contacting the experience of other teachers will help to understand individual and group motivation and behavior and create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation. A very important principle in teaching is partnership, when the teacher interacts in a professional, effective manner with colleagues, parents, and other members of the community to support students' learning and well-being. [Pyser, 2005] I'm strongly believe that group work can help elementary school teachers identify children's individual and collective learning needs, plan and deliver instruction based on student learning needs and special needs, provide a stimulating learning environment in which each child can experience growth, and develop to his/her potential, help students learn appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes, evaluate and communicate student progress. Elementary classes vary in size and often include students who represent a broad range of abilities, interests, needs and problems. A variety of traditional and innovative instructional techniques are required to maintain student interest and maximize individual learning, because beginning school years are the most important ones as the basis for further motivation to learn and develop. Moreover, elementary teachers need to meet with other professionals and parents within a team to discuss individual student needs and progress. Too often, schools are structured in ways that prevent teachers from working together closely. [Maeroff, 1993] On the contrary, authentic relationships are fostered by personal conversations, frequent dialogue, shared responsibilities. As individuals interact with one another, they tend to listen across boundaries - boundaries erected by disciplines, grade levels, expertise, authority, position, race, and gender. [Hirsh, 1997, p.78-83] Principals can support collaboration by making time in the schedule for teachers to work together, providing training on effective strategies for team-building, and offering incentives for teachers to collaborate [Donaldson, 1996] Team building process must be designed in order to have a clear, shared focus and explicit expectations; team members must have influence over both their work processes as well as the people with whom they are interdependent; all actions should have natural and logical consequences. [Pyser, 2005] Mistakes in someone's work shouldn't be blamed, but celebrated as learning opportunities, thus giving a chance to make an experiment and for other team members to learn [Pyser, 2005]. People must feel support and help from their colleagues and parents and school administration to broaden their professional knowledge and skills. Conclusions and recommendations To sum it up, it'd like to stress upon the urgent need of elementary school teachers in public school being provided with opportunities of their professional development, when they will increase the amount of time spent with other 'existing' teachers as mentors (in case the local administration funding isn't enough to provide a specific mentoring courses for all teachers), that will support innovation through the sharing of practical means to implement good ideas, development of formal/informal peer support structures which facilitate guided risk-taking, renewal of the teachers' motivation for and interest in innovative teaching. 'Existing' teachers as mentors for the 'beginners' should be allowed time with other teachers who are experimenting, and who are succeeded in classroom innovation. (King, 2000, p. 577) Team building and school authorities team work is eager to provide the teachers with pedagogical ideas which will enhance teachers' creativity in work through helping teachers identify age- and ethnic-appropriate avenues to help students engage the content objectives. That's why administrators are more likely to endorse professional development activities which equip teachers to be more effective at teaching process. The main goal is to increase the level of students by remaining well-qualified and well-prepared elementary public school teachers. Taking into account the fact that the Baltimore City School System is currently experiencing a financial crisis and monetary funds are limited, public schools should provide different facilities for elementary teachers, in particular, such as team building inside the school and within different schools of a particular area, that will help teachers to overcome the financial troubles, to raise the level of their students' education and to keep on professional development by themselves. Because of the funding is rather limited, 'existing' teachers could serve as mentors for the beginning ones, providing them with all the necessary information, and involving them into the existed team environment that will facilitate further educational researches and prepare the basis for innovations worked out and successfully introduced into the learning process. 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