Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 March 2020
OPENING INCIDENT
School X was established ten years ago and is therefore fairly young and still in its teething stages. In the six years I have been at the school there has been no form of development. So many changes have taken place in the curriculum and management of school that we, as educators, feel illequipped to do our work properly. We regard it as the responsibility of the principal to help educators meet educational challenges by providing them with development programmes. However, we would not like a top-down approach where the principal decides what we need. We expect him to consult us when preparing staff development programmes. (Student in BEd: Educational Management)
If you were appointed principal of this school, how would you go about meeting the development needs of the staff at this school?
After studying this topic, you will be able to answer this question and design an appropriate development programme for the school/organisation that will meet identified needs.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this study unit, you will be able to
• identify the purpose of professional development
• determine staff needs that can be addressed through professional development programmes
• plan for a professional development programme
• design a suitable professional development programme to meet the needs of your school/ organisation
• apply certain methods to evaluate the success of a professional development programme
• employ the identified techniques for professional development in your particular school (institution.
Key terms
professional development
role of educational managers
professional development committee
diagnosing development needs
planning a professional development programme
designing a professional development programme
demonstration
coaching
job rotation
You will encounter all of these concepts throughout your text. If you make a point of thoroughly understanding what they mean, you will find it easier to answer the questions that you will be asked later on.
INTRODUCTION
All too often, school improvement focuses on a search for quick fixes - that is, new programmes and procedures that will suddenly transform a school overnight. New curriculum materials and approaches such as Curriculum 2005, new methods of learner assessment and reporting learner achievement are all examples of significant school improvement efforts (DuFour & Berkey 1995:2).
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