Section 4: Professional Development...It's
About You and Your Career
Take advantage of every opportunity to learn. Stay open to ideas
and change. Never become smug or complacent. — Marlene Ott
Your professional growth does not stop once you leave college. Growing
as a professional not only makes your job more enjoyable, it also enhances
student learning. Students and their world constantly change, and teachers
are challenged to keep pace and to develop new strategies and techniques.
It is essential for you to be aware of and take advantage of professional
development opportunities.
- Learn about professional organizations in your discipline or area
of interest. Membership benefits usually include regular publications
and staff development conferences. Familiarize yourself with professional
journals.
- Begin license renewal immediately. The Professional Development
Plan is a five-year process. Don’t put it off.
- Find out about professional development opportunities provided by
your local association, UniServ, WEAC, WEA-PDA, NEA, and the Department
of Public Instruction. Many are free or at a low cost.
- Collaboration is a great way to learn from your colleagues. Early
in your professional career, try to develop the perspective that teaching
is a cooperative and collaborative undertaking. Be willing to ask
questions and to exchange ideas with other teachers. In addition to
your mentor, it is advantageous for you to seek out a professional
colleague who has a similar teaching assignment, and use this handbook
with him or her. This person should be an experienced, effective teacher
who communicates well and is willing to share knowledge and insights
with you.
- Reflection is an essential element. Teaching is a profession filled
with beginnings and endings; teachers begin and end school years,
semesters, grading periods, units of study, chapters, and vacation
periods. In the lives of teachers, there are opportune moments that
can and should be used for both reflection and for planning. Unfortunately,
the pressures to plan may frequently outweigh the tendency to reflect
on past practice. Yet, appropriate planning can occur with reflection
as a backdrop. Reflection can take a variety of forms; personal journal,
weekly observation forms, and professional dialogue with other teachers.
Reflect upon the following:
- What would you like to have done differently?
- What would you like to try?
- What encourages you?
- Do students enjoy coming to your classroom to learn?
- What is your relationship with your students?
- What is your relationship with your students’ parents?
- Are students successful in your classroom?
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