Bits from the senior teacher (ST) accreditation form

Focus on the teachers, Students will succeed


Competent teachers form the foundation of schools, and improving teachers’ skills and knowledge is one of the most important investments of time in education. In the earlier years, the education system focused primarily on “generic” teaching skills, such as allocating class time, providing clear classroom demonstrations, assessing student comprehension, maintaining attention, and grouping students. Studies showed small to moderate positive effects on students’ basic skills, such as arithmetic operations; in a few cases, reasoning skills were also improved.

In the later years, a second wave of research developed deeper into student learning, focusing on students’ reasoning and problem solving rather than only on basic skills. It suggested that professional development can influence teachers’ classroom practices significantly and lead to improved student achievement when it focuses on (1) how students learn particular subject matter (2) instructional practices that are specifically related to the subject matter and how students understand it and (3) strengthening teachers’ knowledge of specific subject-matter content. Close alignment of professional development with actual classroom conditions is the key.

To be effective, professional development must provide teachers with a way to directly apply what they learn to their teaching. Research shows that professional development leads to better instruction and improved student learning when it connects to the curriculum materials that teachers’ use and the assessment and accountability measures that evaluate their success.

Our changing goals for learning, coupled with shifts in curriculum emphasis (like now thru emphasis to values driven education) and a deeper understanding of teacher learning and student thinking, have led to new findings about the impact of teacher professional development and how best to sharpen teachers’ skills and knowledge. What matters most is what teachers learn and it would enhance their understanding of students thinking in that subject matter. By building and enhancing the capacity of the teachers, we can then impact a wider population of students rather than those I interact with. Ultimately, the most important outcome any school is looking out for is that students find their school experience meaningful and beneficial and they have grown and developed to be confident adults, critical thinkers which will put them in a better stead in life.