Professional development : a training model for teachers

Abstract

The quality of teachers makes a difference in student learning. However, many teachers are not highly qualified and because of this student learning cannot be maximized. This fact caught my attention and created my interest in conducting a study to describe an effective professional development training model for teachers. This study is a qualitative case study in which I used action research to guide the process. As a participant observer, I attended a 5-week training program for the professional development of teachers. Data were collected through multiple instruments: journaling, interviews, observations, documents produced by the trainers, and the literature review. The findings showed that the training model involved three essential steps: theory and knowledge, demonstration and modeling, and practice with feedback. A detailed description is provided to depict how the three steps were integrated in the plan of this training program and its implementation. I elaborated on the plan for follow-up which helps to increase the transfer of learning. After the initial training, the follow-up requires the establishment of study groups in the workplace with the support of the school leadership. An effective teacher training model as described in this study will improve the quality of teachers and maximize student learning.