DEVELOPING PROFESSIONALLY

CIELITO D. PEÑA, ED. D.

Because educators have limited applications in teaching and learning, they must be able to develop professionally. There is a need for a professional development framework that promotes ongoing professional development and encourages individual reflection and group inquiry into teachers’practice.

Teachers must build a knowledge base to acquire new knowledge and information and to build a conceptual understanding of it.

Next, educators should observe models and examples which seek to study instructional examples in order to develop a practical understanding of a particular research.

Teachers can participate in activities such as school and classroom visitations, peer observation, using instructional artifacts, co-planning, and listening to or watching audio and video examples.

There is also a need to reflect on one’s practice. This means analyzing instructional practice on the basis of new knowledge. Teachers can use journals or teacher-authored cases for discussion and reflection.

Educators may also translate new knowledge into individual and collaborative plans and actions for curricular and instructional change. Activities might include action research, peer-coaching, support groups, and curriculum development.

There is also a need to gain and share expertise, which aims to continue to refine one’s instructional practice, learn with and from colleagues, while also sharing practical wisdom with peers. Activities in this phase might include team planning, mentoring or partnering with a colleague, and participating in a network.

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The author is Head Teacher III at Sta. Rita Elementary School, San Luis District, Pampanga.