Continuous Professional Development Issues and Challenges for India

1. Continuous Professional Development � Issues and Challenges for India Dr. Amol Padwad National President, ELTAI J. M. Patel College, Bhandara

2. The teacher is seen as the (sole) key agent in successfully bringing about change in education, but changing the teacher � teacher development � is usually the most neglected area in change policies and plans. The Opening Statement

3. 1975 Professionalism implies �those strategies and rhetorics employed by members of an occupation in seeking to improve status, salary and conditions�. [Hoyle, 1975: 315] Professionalism � Changing Views

4. 1996 �Professionalism is about the quality of practice.� [Sockett, 1996: 23] 2001 Professionalism is a term used �to describe enhancement of the quality of service�. [Hoyle, 2001: 146] Professionalism � Changing Views

5. 2001 �Professionalism consists of the attitudes and behaviour one possesses towards one�s profession. It is an attitudinal and behavioural orientation �� [Boyt et al, 2001: 322] Professionalism � Changing Views

6. �New� views not replacements, but additions Greater focus on individual�s role and responsibility Externally articulated and imposed perception, but scope for individual interpretation and revision Movement from accountability to autonomy So What has Changed?

7. Lifelong learning Continuous ongoing process Fusing the personal and the professional development Personalised for individuals Voluntarism Autonomy and accountability What is implied in CPD?

8. Equated with in-service training/ education Not seen as a process but as a series of events Restricted to acquiring certain skills/ knowledge, especially ICT Objectives, content and delivery externally planned and imposed Stress on being formal and uniform Little scope for individual diversity CPD in India � �Top� View

9. Highly diverse, individual, personal views of development Interest in increasing language competence, enhancing status, moving towards �expert� or �academic� roles No significant premium on new pedagogic knowledge, tools or technology CPD in India � �Bottom� View

10. No clear and common understanding about CPD Lack of �official� sanction/ recognition Lack of systemic support Shortage of human and material resources Low teacher motivation for CPD Issues for CPD in India

11. Think of CPD in its own right, beyond INSET Arrive at a workable common notion of CPD Evolve framework and policies to promote CPD Develop mechanisms and support systems backed by �official approval� Balance between demands of individual diversity and systemic uniformity Tasks at Hand

12. Balance between teacher needs/ wants and systemic requirements Combine bottom-up voluntarism and top-down support Balance between general mandates and individual freedom Tasks at Hand

13. Recognise and support individual and institutional CPD initiatives Help individuals to evolve personal understanding, agenda and action plan for CPD Collaborate with TAs, NGOs and corporate world Other Expectations

14. Promoting school-based, town-based or other kinds of PD communities Introducing and consolidating mentoring system (school-based or otherwise) Supporting the establishment of PD resource centres Widening access to available on-line resources and websites Possible CPD Initiatives

15. Promoting networks of PD �experts�, mentors trainers, policy- and decisions-makers, educational leaders, etc Creating a database of practices, people, material and resources in CPD and mechanisms for sharing of these Setting up mechanisms of support, incentives and recognition for CPD efforts by teachers, institutions and other agencies Possible CPD Initiatives

16. English Teachers� Clubs as small, voluntary, informal self-help groups Set up, owned and managed by teachers Collective planning, decision-making, sharing of responsibilities Better able to respond to specific individual needs Members meet periodically to share, study, speak English, help each other, organise activities for themselves An Example - The ETC Experiment

17. ETCs are found to Develop sense of agency, autonomy Promote innovation and experimentation Enhance skills and knowledge, impact and job satisfaction Provide forum for exchange and sharing Build and consolidate networking among teachers The ETCs � Advantages

18. The impact of ETCs is restricted by � Lack of recognition, formal or informal Lack of support from authorities Constraints of time, money and resources Long-term sustainability The ETCs - Challenges

19. Bottom-up initiatives (like ETCs) with top-down support from education authorities has a great potential Can combine diversity, personalisation and voluntarism at the �bottom� with uniformity, systemic requirements and standardisation at the �top� The ETCs � Potential CPD Model?

20. 1. How to motivate teachers to undertake a lifelong journey of development? 2. How can the system help teachers embark on their individual journeys without imposing a common travel plan or destination? Two Fundamental Questions

21. Thank you for your patience ! amolpadwad@gmail.com

22. Boyt, T. E, Lusch, R. F., Naylor, G. 2001. The role of professionalism in determining job satisfaction in professional services: a study of market researchers. Journal of Service Research, 3(4), 321-330. Hoyle, E. 1975. Professionality, professionalism and control in teaching. In V. Houghton et al, eds. Management in Education: the Management of Organisations and Individuals. London: WLE & OUP ------, 2001. Teaching: prestige, status and esteem, Educational Management and Administration, 29 (2), 139-152. Sockett, H. T. 1996. Teachers for the 21st century: redefining professionalism. NASSP Bulletin, May, 22-29. References