Updated Edition of Best Seller! Now in its second edition, this resource guides professional developers, administrators, and teacher leaders to design learning experiences for teachers that are directly linked to improving student learning.
A comprehensive framework of professional development that would be helpful for PD planners and presenters. Includes multiple question boxes to reflect and highlight important topics Extends past the average workshop or training and covers many other ongoing PD options including action research, case studies, mentoring.
The authors present a comprehensive framework for professional development of teachers of science and mathematics. They identify characteristics of effective professional development and describe different strategies that have those characteristics. Their strategies go beyond typical inservice workshops and institutes to include action research, case discussions, study groups, examinations of student work and student thinking, coaching and mentoring, business and industry partnerships, and professional networks. They suggest that the reform of mathematics and science education depends on the commitment to change the form of teaching and learning that is the norm in our classrooms. This change, according to the authors, will be accomplished through providing opportunities for professional growth in which teachers learn how to achieve this new vision in ways that model how they can work with their students. The authors discuss implementation requirements and offer significant examples to illustrate their thoughts. The discussion of organizational culture and structure provides many questions professional developers need to consider for effective teacher development. Thoughts, ideas and suggestions from key theorists are referenced throughout the book.