ERIC Number: EJ914965
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Aug
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0276-928X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
What Teachers Want: Educators at All Career Stages Express the Desire to Connect with and Learn from One Another
Compton, Cynthia M.
Journal of Staff Development, v31 n4 p52-55 Aug 2010
While there is a growing body of literature promoting a new paradigm of differentiated professional development in which teachers' voices shape learning opportunities, the reality is that much professional development continues in an outdated, top-down mode. Teacher input is rarely solicited to determine the perceptions of teachers regarding their professional development needs. The result of this outdated approach is that many teachers experience professional development that does not consider them as learners but as passive recipients of knowledge transmitted by someone who tells them what to do and how to do it. To explore the untapped potential of teacher voice in choice of professional development, the author created a survey based on the work on the Steffy model of teacher career growth (Steffy,Wolfe, Pasch, & Enz, 2000). Steffy's model outlines the characteristics of teachers through six career phases from novice to emeritus. In her study, teachers in a large, suburban school district responded to a survey choosing from an array of professional development options. In addition, teachers answered questions that would place them into one of several career phases: apprentice, professional, expert, or distinguished. Overall, the study supported the idea that interactive professional development has a role in educator learning and in establishing learning communities.
Descriptors: Faculty Development, Teacher Attitudes, Participative Decision Making, Surveys, Models, Career Development, Suburban Schools, School Districts, Role, Teacher Education, Interprofessional Relationship, Learning Activities, Discourse Communities, Reflective Teaching, Teaching Experience, Differences, Communities of Practice
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A