Teacher Professional Development and Support

Dr. Said Assaf/ AMIDEAST Dec 5, 2013

My story with the one ....?

........قصتي مع الواحد

I am 1, my father is also a 1, my mother is

another 1, even my little sister is a 1, however

all of us is 1 family….. even the teacher says

that you are a 1 herd, Ya I heard my language

teacher says that your are A Oh I know that

you are a Herd.

Please : What is one?

I hate math….. Life here is much more natural

than the classroom…. Do not worry I am here to

stay.

Math is the second subject at school Level

• In Europe they found that 15-20% of school curriculum is math (SITP, 2011)

• In Arab countries (Palestine as an example 20% 0f primary curriculum is math)

Counting All

Laila had 3 tomatoes. She

picked 5 more

tomatoes. How many

tomatoes does Laila

have now?

Using objects or fingers,

a set of 3 objects

and a set of 5 objects are

constructed. The

sets are joined and the

union of the two

sets is counted.

Molding

Counting All

Counting from Larger

Counting from first Derived facts

Separating From

There were 8 lambs playing.

Three lambs

ran away. How many lambs

were still playing?

Using objects or fingers, a set of

8 objects

is constructed. 3 objects are

removed. The answer is the

number of remaining objects

Separating To

There were 8 people on the bus.

Some people got off. Now there

are 3 people on the bus. How

many people got off the bus?

A set of 8 objects is counted out.

Objects are removed from it

until the number of objects

remaining is equal to 3. The

answer is the number of objects

removed

Assessing children number sense

• In early grades mathematics which is more useful for the teacher to :

• Know if the answer is right or wrong ?or

• Explore the child’s thinking and reveal the strategy being used for reaching an answer; that is to know which skills the child chooses to apply and which skills s/he does not have.?

Progress in Number Sense

• Research showed that the main feature of learner’s development in early mathematics is the transition from using physical or mental counting to using facts and strategies, some make that progression smoothly and some remain using counting beyond the point that it is needed.

Does students’ learning depend on the quality of the teacher?

• Researchers have provided evidences that what teacher does in the classroom is the strongest determinant for improved students’ achievement.

• However defining what makes a good teacher has never been an easy task, knowing how to produce one has been a subject of core debates.

(John Schwille et.al, UNESCO, IIEP. Paris, 2007)

Does teacher ‘s quality determine system quality?

McKinsey report (Sept,2007)

1. The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers

2. The only way to improve outcomes is to improve classroom instruction

PD main aim

• The ultimate goal for effective professional development programs is improving instructional practices and, in turn, raising student achievement.

(Schwille, et at. 2007)

Teacher Knowledge

• 'knowing and being able to teach the official mathematics curriculum'

(Survey on Initial Teacher Education Programs in Mathematics and Science SITEP 2011)

TPD objectives? OECD, 1998

• knowledge of a subject in light of recent advances in the area;

• skills, attitudes and approaches

• apply changes made to curricula

• exchange information and expertise among teachers

• help weaker teachers become more effective.

TPD activities

1. observation visits to other schools;

2. mentoring and/or peer observation and coaching

3. Informal Dialogue to improve teaching

4. courses/workshops

5. Reading professional development literature

6. education conferences (listen to and present their research results

7. qualification program (e.g. a degree program);

8. participation in a network of teachers

9. individual/collaborative research on a topic of professional interest

TALIS / OECD 2008

Type Rank

Informal dialogue to improve teaching 1

Courses and workshops 2

Reading professional literature 3

Education conferences 4

Participation in a network of teachers 5

Individual/collaborative research 6

Mentoring and/or peer coaching 7

Observation visits to other schools 8

Qualification program 9

TPD approaches

: • 1) Workshops (Sometimes Cascade)

• 2) Site-based reform

• 3) Self-directed TPD

Gaible and Burns (2005)

Effective TPD

Sandra Harwell (2003) writes “Teacher Professional Development: It’s Not

an Event, It’s a Process. • Context

• Content

• Processes

CORD 2003

Should TPD be by an individual choice?

When should TPD be compulsory

When should TPD be volunteer

Demand by the system vs. Felt need by the individual

System implications

What makes a Quality TPD • Teachers are : active learners engaged in concrete

tasks of teaching, assessment, observation, and reflection.

• Training takes place over a long period of time, such as 1-2 years

• The most effective professional development is connected to life inside classroom.

• Training takes place within a school-based reform

• Content is focused on intended student learning

• The teacher is a reflective practitioner

• An effective program includes external support (Darling-Hammond, 2008) (Villegas-Reimers, 2003)

translation of curriculum objectives into classroom practice depends on a variety of factors on top of them:

1. the provision of support for teachers, while also respecting their didactic autonomy,

2. the need to align student assessment, and in particular high stakes tests, with new developments in mathematics teaching.

Pd and teacher’s time

• Current trends in teacher professional development emphasize a long term process that includes regular opportunities and experiences planned systemically to promote growth and development in the profession.

Examples: Japanese lesson Study

• Teachers working together as a form of professional development. (teachers are not isolated)

• Classrooms as laboratories for professional development

Schwille et al. 2007)

Example from the Arab world The Model School Network

A project in Palestine

• The MSN Program is funded by the (USAID) and implemented by AMIDEAST in partnership with the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE)

MSN aims 1. Improve the quality of teaching and

learning in the targeted subjects in MSN schools; and

1) develop a culture of continuing professional development at school and among teachers in the network.

Adaptation not adoption

• The framework for the MSN Program’s approach and content is modeled upon international best practice. The approach is also tailored to the Palestinian context.

PD Implementation • The Professional Certificate programs, 230

contact hours over twenty months blend:

• monthly face-to-face training events

• learning circles held at the local level (2 times monthly)

• individual observation and feedback sessions,

• online support for the teachers (e mail, social media, and VLE through Moodle)

• Pedagogical content knowledge is the main theme for all sessions

MSN Results • More school teachers believe in or value student-

centered learning. (84%)

• School teachers have more willingness to further develop classroom instruction through active learning. (86%)

• School teachers have more appreciation for experiential learning and the reflection it requires. (83%)

• School teachers have more appreciation for peer learning and exchange of experience through learning circles. (83%)

Teachers’ input Teachers requested that MSN modify its approach in

the following ways:

– Content: Use of technology in education; practical and applied classroom activities related to their subject-specific content; how to motivate learners, and dealing with special needs students.

– Learning Circle: Setting a more concrete agenda for each Learning Circle before the group meets; less topics and deeper discussion,

– Trainers: Build better rapport with teachers in their training cohorts; provide teachers with more feedback about their work;

MSN Recommendations

Key Recommendations

1. Create a high quality in-service professional development program that results in a single teacher professional certification.

2. Create an environment for cooperation and diversification among universities and other institutions which allows teachers some level of choice in their participation in training.

3. Train local teacher educators (university staff) in in-service material development, supervision, student-centered teaching practices and coaching.

4. Develop school-based instructional leadership teams

5. Be highly flexible in model design, with an emphasis on interventions that are primarily school-based,

6. Programs to occur during a time acceptable to teachers and limit participation to no more than 100 contact hours a year.

7. Encourage teachers to work together and build communities of practice.

8. Incorporate the use of technology using a blended approach into the in-service training program.

9. Create a robust system of evaluation before any teacher training begins in order to document effectiveness.

Professional Development: Support

• Teacher low moral and weak status (Schwill, 2007) )

• Support

• Follow up and encouragement

• Celebrate success

• Time to try new ideas

• Resources needed as skills improved

• New teacher evaluation system

Examples from Elementary math

A B

C D

E F

G

H

What is the area of the rectangle ABCD?

؟ABCDما مساحة الشكل

Three brothers are all 3 years apart in age. The total of their ages equals 39 years. What is the age of the oldest brother?

Math and language

A child saves money, every day the mother doubles the amount in the box, the father adds 1 dinar, on Friday the child saved some money, and on Monday he found 103 dinar in the box, how many dinars was in the box on Friday