Using the Dynamic Model to Develop an Integrated Approach to Teacher Training and Professional Development
In this chapter, it is advocated that teacher training and professional development should focus on how to address specific groupings of teacher factors associated with student learning rather than with isolated teaching factors or with the whole range of
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Using the Dynamic Model to Develop an Integrated Approach to Teacher Training and Professional Development
Introduction In this chapter, it is advocated that teacher training and professional development should be focused on how to address specific groupings of teacher factors associated with student learning rather than with an isolated teaching factor or with the whole range of such factors without considering the professional needs of student teachers and teachers. In order to test this element of the dynamic model and identify groupings of factors, we refer to the results of studies which made use of the Rasch model to identify the stages of effective teaching. These studies show that each grouping of factors refers to the different developmental stages of teacher professional behaviour, and the dimensions used to measure their functioning can help us develop programmes designed to enable student teachers and teachers to improve their teaching skills by moving from easier to more complicated stages. The stages of effective teaching are described in the second part of this chapter. In the last part, we present the main characteristics of the proposed dynamic approach to teacher professional development. In this way, the dynamic model is used to establish an evidence-based and theory-driven approach to teacher training and professional development by providing suggestions regarding how to move from one stage to the next and demonstrating the relationship of these to student learning and learning outcomes.
Studies Seeking to Identify Stages of Effective Teaching The research findings on the importance of teacher effect (e.g. Kyriakides, Campbell & Gagatsis, 2000; Muijs & Reynolds, 2000; Opdenakker & Van Damme, 2000; Scheerens & Bosker, 1997; Wright, Horn & Sanders, 1997; Yair, 1997) were taken into account in the development of the dynamic model (Kyriakides, 2008). Teaching is emphasised in the model (see Chap. 7), and teacher behaviour in the classroom and its impact on student learning are taken into account in defining the classroomlevel factors. Thus, the dynamic model refers to eight teacher factors, which were B. Creemers et al., Teacher Professional Development for Improving Quality of Teaching, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5207-8_8, © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
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found to be associated with student achievement: structuring, orientation, questioning, application, management of time, assessment, teaching modelling and classroom learning environment (see Chap. 7). These factors do not refer to just one approach to teaching, such as the direct and active teaching approach (e.g. structuring, application) or the constructivist approach (e.g. orientation, modelling). An integrated approach to effective teaching is adopted, and both longitudinal studies and a relevant meta-analysis (Kyriakides & Christoforou, 2011; Kyriakides & Creemers, 2008, 2009) support the importance of these factors. In addition, these eight factors are measured using the five
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