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Conceptual Framework
6. Preparing Professional Development Providers
Part of the design process includes considering who will be implementing the
professional development and making sure there is a good match between their
knowledge/skills and the roles they will be assigned. While the core staff designing
a professional development program may have sufficient knowledge of science
and/or mathematics content and pedagogy to implement most of the program activities,
they may be too few in number to provide in-depth professional development to
the entire target population.
Program designers need to include in their plan mechanisms for orienting
other professional development providers to the program vision, helping
them gain the necessary knowledge and skills, and monitoring professional
development activities to ensure high quality throughout the program.
For example, The
Role of Scientists in the Professional Development of Science Teachers
(National Research Council, 1996) suggests ways to orient university faculty
and industry scientists students to the complexities of teaching at the
K-12 level. As another example, Teach-Stat
for Statistics Educators: Staff Development Manual (UNC Mathematics
& Science Education Network, 1996) provides a guide for training skilled
elementary mathematics teachers to conduct Teach-Stat workshops for other
teachers. Similarly, Teacher Leadership
in Mathematics and Science (Miller, Moon and Elko, 2000)
provides a casebook and facilitator's guide for working with prospective
teacher leaders. An essay by Cathy Caroll and Judy
Mumme and an essay by James Gallagher
describe the challenges involved in preparing teacher leaders to work
with their peers. Other professional development programs have compensated
for the scarcity of fully prepared professional development providers
by creating teams of people with complementary expertise, e.g., pairing
a mathematician or scientist with a teacher leader in working with a group
of teachers.
Continue: 7.
Implementing Effective Professional Development
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