Continuing Professional Development

Introduction

Nowadays, Continuing Professional Development occupies a unique place

in modern society and education particularly. It cannot be ignored and
almost everyone has an opinion on its place and relevance. This has led to
a number of theories and subsequently to questions about their validity.
However, let us refrain to doubt all or believe all for doing so is opting for
two equally convenient solutions, in that both dispense us with thinking
which is of paramount importance if we are to engage in reflective
practice.

On the other hand, considering the extend of changes going on in the

world today, it is not surprising that changes should also be necessary in
the field of teaching because it is clear that 16+ students’ needs are
changing; their needs are becoming more pressing in the light of the
current economic climate, diminishing resources and the increasing trend
towards competitiveness. Hence, this assignment will first explore the
many roles and responsibilities of the teacher in the lifelong learning
sector and the impact they have on learners. After the analysis and
comparison of relevant theories, principles and models of reflective
practice, we will demonstrate how this can be applied to our own
development and finally evaluate the impact such activities could have in
our professional practice.

Body

While the roots of teaching practice can be traced back to ancient Greek
society, it has only been in the past two centuries that education has
received rigorous treatment by scholars. Very recently, attention has been
directed to the Lifelong Learning Sector which covers a very diverse area
of work. This diversity ranges from community learning and further
education to offender learning and voluntary sector without obviously
omitting work based learning and higher education. This classifying
approach provides a clear snapshot of the sector in comparison with its
previous state and gives rise to the development of various approaches to
sub-areas within the sector. It has been traditional to see education in
terms of academic disciplines as opposed to vocational ones. More recent
governmental approaches put a strong emphasis upon vocational-driven
education and education tailored to meet employers needs. The problem
of classifying different educational institutions into areas of work have
long been recognised. Nevertheless, the systematisation of the discipline
continues and these areas of work develop not only because of their
similarities and affinities, but also its practical necessity of introducing
new students to a particular field.

For some people the connotation of the word teaching is negative. It is

thought to be a vague and abstruse subject. It implies the teacher teaches
learners through the medium of handouts and teacher-led sessions
without questioning whether or not students are learning at all or even
motivated to learn. To solve this, Linda Wilson(2009) stresses that our role
as the teacher is to identify this and incorporate it in our choice of
teaching strategies and promote a shared responsibility to learning. She
goes on to say that “teacher may need to coax learners from a chalk and
talk style of learning to a more autonomous learner-centred style”. Most
cultures tend to place greater value on the practical and the useful as
opposed to the theoretical which is viewed by many as irrelevant to real
life and its cohort of problems. Some of these objections have
justifications. Teachers have at times succumbed to the temptation to
think too much about what they do to teach rather than to primarily focus
their attention on what the learner does to learn. The former has little
correspondence with reality in which the learning is taking place because
they are more interested in the tools of teaching- transmission- than they
are with the objects of learning- understanding and changes occurring.

Though negative in its connotation to some, the teaching profession can

be a fruitful and exciting human endeavour. If teaching etymologically
does not signify the love of knowledge, it is worthwhile noting that in
undertaking the teacher’s role and responsibilities one is embarking on a
most exciting journey of discovery, of themselves and others, that will last
as long as they continue teaching. So, it can be argued that not only will
there be no end point at which one could confidently claim to be a fully
competent teacher, but also by learning from the experience of teaching
one will achieve confidence and skill, understand more about how people
learn. Thus, it goes without saying that the more we are developing
interesting ways of delivering learning and assessing the impact of
learning, we are patient, organised, fair, reflective, enthusiastic and
dedicated, involving learners in the excitement of their own self-discovery
and learning, the more learners will surprise and fascinate us. The great
joy of teaching originates from the fact that there is no constraint to the
fascination of learners.

As I accepted my first position as a French tutor within the Lifelong

Learning Sector, my academic career began. In comparison to my life as a
graduate student, I can expect to experience a great deal more
autonomy, but also much more responsibility. Like many working people, I
value the idea that the greatest source of satisfaction is the degree of
autonomy in my workplace coupled with the intellectual challenge of my
job. This is truly illustrated through the increasing freedom to determine
what to teach, what to research, what to present and when to do it. Not
only have my previous education and continuing professional
development provided me with many of the skills needed for my career
journey, but ultimately my ability to think critically, to update my
knowledge of the field of French and to conduct meaningful small-scale
research and present it are some characteristics of wanting to improve
further.

Conclusion
How you juggle teaching, Continuing professional development and
service demands of your institution will be different from everyone else;
we all have unique goals and interests that interact with specific demands
of our community college or further education college. Although one may
find that his or her career currently best fits one of the three approaches
we discussed, it is probable that they will experience each approach at
different times in their career. Hence, it goes without saying that keeping
track of your achievements and accomplishments in addition to keeping
good records of your various activities and an updated curriculum vitae
are of paramount importance. Furthermore, it will beneficial to any
practitioner to become an effective self-advocate, putting their
accomplishments in the best light for their career goals for their career
pathway is likely to be complex with possibilities of focusing on teaching,
continuing professional development, or service at different life periods
and therefore integrate two or three of these areas at other periods.