Professional Development For Teachers

 

Hello teacher, did you know that there are some professional practices that reveal your competence as a good teacher? Do not wait until your school plans a training for you,  help yourself and go for self development, as it relates to your profession.

I will outline some of the areas that every teacher should pay attention to, in the course of their professional development.

Planning lessons: Knowing the time allocated to a particular lesson and planning every section of the lesson, to align, is a skill. It organises your lesson, if the different sections are running with a planned pace. Be deliberate as you plan your lesson.

2.   Knowing the subject. There is a kind of confidence that comes on a teacher who knows his or her onion. Invest on yourself and master your subject. It shows that you are competent.

3.   Understand your learners: This is very key. Understanding your learners is relative, because there are things you consider as they relate to your learners. Some of these things are: the age of your learners, their language level, and the best way they learn. Considering and working with these factors in mind, will help any teacher in lesson delivery.

4. Imbibe ICT into your lesson: It is a known fact that tech savvy teachers will eventually replace teachers with out ICT knowledge. It is therefore Paramount that you get professional help in this area and fuss ICT into your lesson. This can take several forms like using power points presentation  to teach, present projects, or make research online. Some tasks can also be done and submitted electronically. Be intentional about this. Use ICT to add colour to your lesson.

5.  Assessment: Assessing your learners helps you to track their progress. There are several ways you can assess your learners, but let’s narrow them to the most common two:

Formative and Summative:

Formative Assessment: Assessing learners to ascertain that learning is taking place is known as Formative Assessment. This can come in the form of a question, either from the teacher or the learner. This type of assessment tells a teacher if the learners are following and understanding the lesson. It also shows a teacher areas to focus on, as a lesson continues.

Summative Assessment: This is the type of assessment that teachers are used to. In this type of assessment, you assess learners based on what had been taught for a period of time. It could come as a midterm test, or termly examinations, after which scores are awarded. After an assessment, a teacher is able to know if he or she is doing well or not, and the next course of action to take. Be intentional as a teacher.