“If we want our teachers to teach our students well, then we must teach our teachers well.”
The professional development of new teachers yields the best results when the induction process is systematic and sustained Hiebert, James, Ronald Gallimore, and James W. Stigler (June/July 2002). Teachers learned more in teacher networks and study groups than with mentoring and in traditional classes and workshops. Longer, SUSTAINED, and intensive professional development programs make a greater impact than shorter ones.
We know outright how to improve student achievement. It all boils down to the teacher. What the teacher knows and can do in the classroom is the most important factor resulting in student achievement period. The most effective teachers produce as much as six times the learning gains as the least effective teachers. Students who have several effective teachers in a row make dramatic achievement gains, while those who have even two ineffective teachers in a row lose significant ground.
Working together should be a natural instinct of people, because people crave connection. New teachers, especially, want more than a job. They want hope. They want to contribute to a group. They want to make a difference. Effective school districts have induction programs that provide such a connection. They structure their teaching staff during the induction process around a learning community where new and veteran teachers are treated with respect and their contributions are valued. A learning community allows new teachers to observe others, to be observed by others, and to be part of networks or study groups where all teachers share together, grow together, and learn to respect each other’s work. Remember, mentoring is a one-on-one event. For mentors to be effective, mentors must be a component of a comprehensive, coherent, and sustained induction process.
Every district should offer a multiyear induction program that provides systematic help and support, and this cannot be done adequately by another teacher with a full-time load who drops by when time permits or when a problem arises.
Induction is a comprehensive, multiyear process designed to train and acculturate new teachers in the academic standards and vision of the district. No two induction programs are exactly alike; each caters to the individual culture and specific needs of its unique school or district. However, there are several common components that underlie the most successful induction programs.
• Begin with an initial four or five days of induction before school starts.
• Offer a continuum of professional development through systematic training over a period of two or three years.
• Provide study groups in which new teachers can network and build support, commitment, and leadership in a learning community.
• Incorporate a strong sense of administrative support.
• Integrate a mentoring component into the induction process.
• Present a structure for modeling effective teaching during in-services and mentoring.
• Provide opportunities for inductees to visit demonstration classrooms.
It should be self-evident. Invest in a comprehensive, coherent, and continuous professional development program. Improve the quality of your teachers and they, in turn, will improve student achievement. Stop spending millions of pesos adopting programs, philosophies, and fads-of-the-year. What matters is whether schools can offer their students good teachers trained in effective strategies to teach strong academic knowledge and skills.
“The training process begins the first day a new employee comes on board, and it never ends.”
References:
http://newteacher.com/NSDCNewOrleansHandout.pdf
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat071.shtml
By: Mr. Ulysses Gabriel | Teacher III | Sta. Isabel Elementary School | Dinalupihan, Bataan
