Table of Contents

Introduction........................................................................................................................................2

Professional Development..................................................................................................................2

Professional Development in Education.......................................................................................3

Two-year Plan.....................................................................................................................................5

Goals................................................................................................................................................5

Skills.................................................................................................................................................6

Activities..........................................................................................................................................7

Five to Ten-year Plan.........................................................................................................................8

Goals................................................................................................................................................8

Skills.................................................................................................................................................9

Activities........................................................................................................................................10

Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................11

References.........................................................................................................................................12
Introduction

Some might say that starting your career journey is an exciting phase of your life; others

believe that it is when the challenging phase truly begins. Getting a job does not mean that one can

finally stop improving him or herself and be content with their initial positions. Instead, one’s

developmental journey relevant to the career needs should be ongoing in order to keep up with the

challenges as well as become a useful contributor to the particular line of work. Eventually,

progressing in a career becomes one of the goals in someone’s career plan and thus professional

development becomes an essential aspect that everyone needs to focus on as it may help in

achieving the goal.

In this assignment, I will be talking about the concept of professional development by

looking at some of the definitions from the experts in the field. The definitions will be further

explored in order to comprehend what professional development is as a whole. The focus will then

be centred on professional development in education, whereby its importance is highlighted. The

following sections will focus on career plans, in which a short-term plan is mapped out for the next

two years, before moving on to a long-term plan for the next five to ten years. Both plans will

incorporate the skills that will help in becoming a better teacher, as with relevant activities for

professional development in each particular phase of the professional journey.

Professional Development

Professional development is an essential aspect of a career that is worth giving attention to.

Bolam (2002) described it as a continuous process of knowledge growth as well as skills throughout

a career in a particular field, such as education (cited by Avidov-Ungar, 2016). In general,

professional development is seen as a lifelong (ongoing) learning process during the career journey

that can help enhance one’s skills or performance professionally, in which it was summed up simply

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as “a process of professional growth” by Keiny (1994). Employees in any field are encouraged to

improve themselves through suitable professional development programmes available which is

relevant to their careers in order to help them develop new skills, knowledge or approaches. This is

to ensure that they can perform at their peak in the roles or positions that they are in now and thus

able to contribute to their chosen field.

According to Day (1999), professional development deals with “behaviours, knowledge,

emotions, as well as thinking, which may occur through normal working experience or planned

activities”. The learning process for professional development can be done through activities that

are deemed beneficial to the individual or intended groups. The goal of individual’s professional

development should be aligned with the institution’s, so as to keep up with the evolving career and

to ensure that our skill is relevant.

Professional development should not be seen as a separate programme. In fact, it is just an

extension of what is usually done under individual’s job scope, but somehow it will lead them to

become better at doing it. Employees need to have the realisation or motivation to improve him or

her own self, so that they can put in effort to learn new skills or knowledge and to become valuable

in their career. They need to be able to imagine where they are heading to in their career, which will

also act as an achievement point. Although professional development is seen as an individual

journey, it is closely linked to social networking and interactions. Collaborative learning will

produce better and effective results through feedbacks and observation from others.

Professional Development in Education

As for professional development in education, the term describes the range of “specialised

trainings, educational sessions, or advanced professional learning” which focuses on guiding

teachers to improve their competence, skills, knowledge, as well as effectiveness in teaching

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(edglossary.org, 2014). Similar concept is proposed by New South Wales Institute of Teachers

(2007), in which professional development is seen to include all aspects that allow the opportunities

for further teacher professional learning, which may include the processes, activities, or experiences

that eventually place more emphasis on students’ learning outcomes.

Professional development for teachers can be divided into two different aspects that equally

need one’s attention. On one hand is the personal aspect, while the other is the professional aspect.

Personal professional development deals with making oneself interesting, and better in the sense

that they have their own identity despite the career, besides focusing on the professional aspect of

the career. Basing the definition specifically towards teachers, professional development is “when

teachers form their professional identities, implicit knowledge becomes explicit, and where personal

and professional growth are empowered within someone’s expertise” (Berliner, 2001; Kujipers,

Houtveen, & Wubbels, 2010, cited by Avidov-Ungar, 2016). Professional development stresses on

the balance for school’s needs, individual’s needs, and the nations’ needs (Fraser, Kennedy, Reid, &

Mckinney, 2007).

Professional development programme for teachers should give more attention on “active

teaching, assessment, observation, and reflection”, in order to help teachers develop the necessary

teaching skills that might be effective towards ensuring students’ learning (Darling-Hammond &

McLaughlin, 1995; Desimone & Stuckey, 2014; Mizell, 2010, cited by Matherson & Windle,

2017).

Professional development is important in teacher development since teacher’s role is no

longer the same as how they are before. Collinson and Cook (2007) stated that nowadays, it

“becomes more transformative, and this changes require the individual within an institution such as

teachers and principals, along with the organisations such as schools or departments to partake in an

advanced continuous learning” (cited by Collinson, Kozina, Kate Lin, Ling, Matheson, Newcombe,

& Zogla, 2009). Through the relevant learning opportunities presented by the professional

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development programme, everyone will work together to gain new insights and skills, which

becomes a part of the continuous learning. This is to ensure that they will improve themselves and

eventually contribute to the improvement of the institution.

Besides that, professional development is essential since it can help teachers develop by

preparing them to adapt to new discoveries. This is due to the fact that the education world keeps on

changing and evolving. Researchers keep trying to fill the gap in the education sector and therefore,

many new discoveries are made, especially on the latest effective methodology, or other relevant

knowledge on the teaching and learning process. Guskey and Huberman (1995) stated that

practitioners need to be up to date with the latest knowledge in the education sector, besides being

able to sharpen their skills in order to apply the new knowledge in their classroom (cited by

Matherson & Windle, 2017). This shows that it is important for teachers to constantly find ways to

improve and refine their skills through professional development courses or activities so that they

are fit to teach alongside the new discoveries that might benefit the students.

Two-year Plan

Goals

Mapping out a plan seems difficult if there is no goal to achieve. There should be a point

where you want to be at, and as for me, I aim to become a teacher. This early stage of my

professional life is labelled as “Inexperienced teachers” according to British Council. My short-term

plan that consists of two years of my professional life will start with me getting the necessary

qualification and in this case, it is my teaching degree. Professional development should start off

with teacher training programme before continuing with the learning process throughout the

professional service (Avidov-Ungar, 2016). This is supported by Bolam (2002), which stated that

“professional development is a continuous process that includes teaching practice and support

activities” (cited by Avidov-Ungar, 2016). The first step in achieving my aim is to first, obtain the
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necessary qualification, and the next step is to work professionally in order to gain experience of the

real classroom setting.

After obtaining my degree, and started working, the goal will focus more around adapting

and surviving as a teacher. As a novice teacher with limited experience, it will be a challenge for me

to be able to manoeuvre the new surroundings, adapting to new routines and systems, besides

understanding the different types and styles of learners, while at the same time build up confidence

in teaching and handling the classroom. It will also include understanding the syllabus or the

content of what I am supposed to teach. It might take a while to get used to this, but with enough

practice, it will be fine. These are some of the areas that I will need to work on during the first two

years of my professional life.

Skills

While getting my qualification, I am considered a student teacher who is still learning the

theories, as well as other relatable knowledge of the subject of my choice that will be useful in the

next phase of my life. Some of the skills that I need to develop are making lesson plans, basic

teaching skills such as the body language, the suitable language skills, and also classroom

management. The knowledge that I gained during this stage will very much be theoretical-based

since there is not much real classroom experience being involved, other than during teaching

practice. Although the knowledge is based on theories, it is important that I understand and try to

master it during this stage so that I at least have the basis before starting to work professionally.

Besides that, another area that needs focus is on language skills. I need to ensure that my

language proficiency is at an acceptable level of mastery. This will then relate to communication

skills, which is needed in order to interact and deal with colleagues, as well as students. Having the

language will definitely help in improving communications and the different ways in which I can

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connect in order to understand the students. I will also need to develop my teaching skills, whereby

I will be able to adapt it to the different classrooms or students since there is no such thing as one

size fits all. I believe that in order to improve or enhance these skills, I will need more experience of

teaching in real context.

This will also be the stage where I need to learn how to apply the theoretical knowledge into

practice, which depends greatly on experience. Hutchings (1990) believed that it is a challenge to

perform and to put what one knows into practice (cited by Wrenn & Wrenn, 2009). This is a skill

that needs to be developed through “trainings in self-awareness, knowledge acquisition and skill

building” (Kramer, 1998). This will be possible with the help of mentor, as well as other

professional development activities, as agreed by Fiszer (2004), in which there need to be an

ongoing professional development model that help to connect training and practice (cited by Wrenn

& Wrenn, 2009).

Activities

Some of the activities that will help me improve as a student teacher can be done through

microteaching, reflections and classroom observations. During this stage, I will be very much

dependent on others, especially lecturers and friends. Feedbacks from others are greatly welcomed

so that I know which area to focus and improve on. In order to familiarise myself with the teaching

situation, microteaching can be a good start since it involves planning, choosing the content, and

teaching it, before receiving constructive feedbacks. This ‘exercise’ can be a learning platform to

prepare me for the real classroom. Improvements can also come from reflections, where I can be

more aware of what and how to improve. The observations can also provide some insights on how

to manage the classroom.

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 When working as a teacher for a while, I will at least have an idea on what I already know

from degree, what I need to know more, and also what I specifically need to know about teaching.

Some of the ways that will enable me to develop the needed skills will be through mentoring or

joining teacher support groups, attending workshops or seminars, and even simply by reading

relevant journals. Having a helpful mentor will greatly benefit me as mentoring is one of the

effective ways that can help teachers adopt to new practices (Weaver, 2004). This is because getting

guidance as well as feedback can ensure a great practice.

Another alternative to the professional development activities that will help me I also plan to

teach abroad during the first two years of my professional life since I view it as a learning

opportunity. It does not necessarily mean that I become a permanent teacher, but instead start from

the basic by being a teacher assistant, or volunteer teacher that is just there to helps others. This may

act as a platform for me to adapt myself to the teaching situation, while at the same time I will gain

more experience since I have to deal with students from different cultures. The challenges will be

greater as everything will depend on how well I can survive throughout the whole duration. It will

somehow force me to improve myself holistically because I have no other choice but to survive.

This may then help to prepare me to work professionally in my home country.

Five to Ten-year Plan

Goals

For the next five to ten years of working, I will enter the stage for “teachers with

experience”. The goal that I plan to achieve in this stage will be more specific, or advanced as

compared to the short-term plan previously. If I decide to stay in the teaching profession, I might be

focusing on a particular area of interest based on my skills, or to eventually move up on my career

rank by having bigger responsibilities that suits my skills and experience. I may also venture into

areas such as management or administration if given the opportunity due to my experience.

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 During the development stage, the goals will focus on gaining more confidence as a teacher,

and to find my personality. This means that I need to know what is my teaching style, as well as

philosophy so that I can decide whether to improve or make a few changes where necessary.

Experienced teachers will have their own beliefs that usually will guide their actions. As I gained

more experience in teaching, I might know which area that struck my interest. This will then be

useful when deciding the major for postgraduate studies. I believe that eventually I will pursue my

masters, just so that I can gained more knowledge and be equipped with the latest development.

Having higher qualifications can also help in increasing other people’s trust on you, when combined

with the experience gained in the education world.

As an experienced teacher, I can contribute by participating in lesson study in the areas that

I am good at. This is a good starting point to venture further into contributing to the effective ways

of learning to benefit learners. When I am more confident with my skills, I see myself as someone

who may take more responsibilities. It might not likely be a high position such as Head of

Department, but probably a coordinator or a mentor. This means that I need to keep on improving

and to equip myself with the latest change that happens in the education world. This may mean

knowing the new technology, or methodology. The key is to be able to reflect and self-analyse in

order to know where I stand and whether I am capable or ready of taking more responsibilities.

Skills

The main skills that need improvement is teaching skills. This will include the strategies or

tips on how to handle the classroom better, or how to structure the content in order to make the

learning more effective. During this stage, the teaching style can be more flexible and focus solely

on the students’ learning. This differs from the two-year plan in the sense that the former focuses on

teacher’s survival and adapting to gain control of the class. However, the latter allows room for

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teachers to experiment and find ways that best suits the learners so that they benefit from it, which

can only be done by experienced teachers.

Besides that, I will also need to sharpen my classroom management skills and to be able to

personalise it according to the different classrooms I am teaching. As someone with a few years of

teaching, there might be strategies or subtleties in approaching an issue that might only come with

experience, especially in handling problematic students or other critical incidents that novice

teachers might find hard to handle.

I can now focus on mastering other skills such as presentation skills, which can be use to

give workshops or seminars if I am equipped with the knowledge. This can also be useful when

combine with mentoring and coaching skills, as these skills will be valuable and beneficial. For

instance, these skills are helpful during this stage since it will help me become a better mentor and

help those in need, especially newly qualified teachers. Knowledge will only be useful when it is

shared. Therefore, with the experience that I might collect up until the ten years of my professional

life, it will be of benefit to others – colleagues and students.

If I decide on moving out from teaching, I can equip myself with leadership, management

and administrative skills. These skills can prepare me to handle a department, which may include

familiarising myself with the paperwork, systems, budgeting or simply how to handle conflicts.

This stage will be challenging because it may deal with problems at a bigger scale that fits bigger

responsibilities that come with the job. Having interpersonal skills may also be useful to have at this

stage.

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Activities

Before achieving the ability to conduct a workshop, I need to first become a participant in

various seminars and workshops to learn from those who are the best in their fields. This is one of

the activities that help teachers in developing new skills. However, it is important to apply and test

the newly gained knowledge to know whether it is applicable in the classroom or not. It seems like

the activities of professional development during this stage deals with the practical aspect of

teaching. Everything needs to be done, or try out by the teacher since learning by doing is the best

way to improve. As I become more experience and confident with my skills, I can eventually

conduct workshops or seminars based on the area I am good at.

With the experience and skills, I can also help new teachers by giving them guidance and

helping them improve themselves if it is needed. It can be as a mentor, or coach that is willing to

share the expertise. Tugel (2004) supported mentoring, as it is one of the mediums through which

teachers can access more professional development activities regularly (cited by Onchwari &

Keengwe, 2008).

Conclusion

As a whole, professional development plays an important role in someone’s career journey.

It is beneficial in helping one to improve and progress, before being a valuable contributor. The aim

is to produce effective workforce that can help improve a particular nation. Every individual has a

role to play and it can be done through one’s own career. However, it is important to instil the habit

of wanting to learn and improve so as to avoid being complacent in any position because that will

mean the end of an individual being useful in the career and slowly transitions into a problem.

It is important to continuously improve oneself. However, having a guidance who can help

steer you into the right path is even better so that you know what you are doing. Professional

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development is all about making the best of what you know and keep on doing better than before. It

empowers individual to believe in their capabilities and eventually able to make full use of it to

benefit others. It starts from individual, but it ends with a community being able to gain from it.

References

Avidov-Ungar, O. (2016). A Model of Professional Development: Teachers' Perceptions of Their

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(2009). Professional development for teachers: A world of change. European journal of
teacher education, 32(1), 3-19.
Day, C. (1999). Developing Teachers : The Challenges of Lifelong Learning. London: Routledge.
Fraser, C., Kennedy, A., Reid, L., & Mckinney, S. (2007). Teachers' Continuing Professional
Development: Contested Concepts, Understandings and Models. Journal of In-service
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Matherson, L., & Windle, T. M. (2017). What Do Teachers Want from Their Professional
Development? Four Emerging Themes. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 83(3).
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