lundi 21 novembre 2016

Professional Development For Teachers Is The Key To Quality Education

By Douglas Cole


One would think that the working environment of educators is very social. After all, they spend all day among people. In most cases, just the opposite is true. Educators often work in isolation. They are overloaded and their classes are too big. There is little time to spend with colleagues. Even worse, the heavy burden that they carry make it very difficult for them to become part of any program aimed at professional development for teachers.

Many people think that educators just teach and that they therefore have a short working day. The facts are that educators carry a heavy work load. They have to be involved in extra curricular activities, they have to attend many meetings and they have numerous administrative responsibilities. In addition, they have to attend school functions and sports events. Most educators have to take some of their work home.

Apart from carrying a heavy work load, educators also have to work within a system that is woefully short of every imaginable resource. There are not enough teaching aids, not enough support staff or educators and definitely not enough funds to provide students with the opportunity to receive an education in a well equipped environment. Educators have very few opportunities to develop professionally in order to advance in their careers.

One easy and extremely economical way in which to help educators to develop professionally is to introduce an instructional rounds program. This type of program has been proven to benefit educators. Small groups of teachers attend the lesson of another, more experienced educator. The idea is to learn from him, observe his teaching methods and to garner new ideas. Where instructional rounds programs are already in place it is very popular.

Many acclaimed educators readily admit that technology plays a large part in their success. They not only conduct research on line, but they also belong to forums where educators can discuss problems, pose questions and share their experiences. They get new ideas, find new inspiration and their students benefit from their efforts. In fact, the entire educational system benefits. Some say that all educators should be equipped with the means to take advantage of the many on line opportunities available.

There are other ways in which technology, especially the internet, can help educators to progress on a professional level. Access to the internet means access to countless resources such as teaching aids, multimedia files that help explain difficult concepts and additional information on any subject imaginable. Access to the internet can therefore play a vital role in helping educators to become better in their jobs and to obtain better results.

It is important to remember that the quality of education is largely in the hands of the educator. No policy, rule or law can improve the quality of education if the educator is not empowered and enthusiastic about his job. To achieve this state of affairs educators must be given opportunities to develop professionally. Bursaries for teachers should be made available and efforts to improve the standard of teaching should be rewarded.

A poor educational system will produce future leaders ill equipped for the demands of modern life. Quality education depends upon motivated and well equipped educators. This should be the main priority of everyone involved with education. After all, the future of society is literally at stake.




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