BAU, ELT 5018, FUE

TEACHER LEARNING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - TASKS

Both initial and ongoing professional development are fundamental components of any
profession and teaching is not an exception. Initial training provides the acceptable levels of knowledge
and skills to start one’s career with some degree of confidence and competence. However, it is the
ongoing professional development that comes through practice, reflection and further exploration in a
specific field, which aims to transform the novice into the expert (Herbert & Rainford, 2013). Creating
opportunities where teachers can further enhance their professionalism in all aspects that are relevant
to their knowledge, skills and work context is possible only through professional development (Zein,
2015).

Despite its strong contemporary theorizing, teacher professional development is characterized

by a lack of historical analysis. There exists no sustained analysis of key developments, policy drivers, and
models of provision over any length of time as there is very limited in-depth and systematic historical
research regarding professional development (Robinson, 2014). Such historical analysis would contribute
to a fuller understanding of the basis for questions and dilemmas about professional development such
as priorities and purposes of professional development, scales of teacher engagement, control and reach
in professional development. However, fortunately, adult learning particulars indicate parallelism with
professional development characteristics and there is an increasing amount of literature focusing on
adult learning theory that can be grounding for a better grasp of professional development.

An underlying principle that emerges from the body of literature is that adults learn differently
from children, and that “andragogy” is a better term to describe the process of adult learning (Taylor &
Hamdy, 2013). According to Knowles’ leading theory of adult learning, in andragogy, adult learners have
six characteristics (Knowles et al., 2005).

TASK 1: Please match Knowle’s six characteristics of adult learning (1-6) with their descriptions.

CHARACTERISTICS DESCRIPTIONS
1. The need to know a. Adult learners are responsive to external and internal motivators

2. Self-concept b. Adult learners want to be seen as capable learners and take their
responsibility for their own learning.
3. Experience
c. Adult learners are ready to learn when they feel the need to learn to
4. Readiness cope with real life situations.

5. Orientation to learning d. Adult learners need to know why they need to learn.

6. Motivation e. Adult learners prefer life-centered learning that will help them deal
with problems in their own lives.

f. Adult learners want to use their existing knowledge and experience to

apply to new learning experiences.

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Related to the characteristics listed above, Knowles (1984) also suggests the following four
principles that could be applied to adult learning.

TASK 2: Please choose the best word to fill in the blanks in the following principles of Knowle’s (1984). Be
careful! There are more words than you need!

basis problem-centred introductory product-oriented relevance planning & evaluation involve

1. ____________(a) stages of the learning experience need to ____________(b) the adults themselves
2. Experience is the____________(c) in adult learning
3. What adults learn needs to have immediate ____________(d) to their life (i.e. professional or
personal)
4. Adult learning is not content oriented. It is ____________(e).

More recent studies regarding adult learning propose that adult personal characteristics,
contexts and motives, that is, “agency” will have impact on how and why they choose to learn
(Mortimore, 1999). Similarly, according to Tusting & Barton (2006), adult learning theory promotes “the
model of the adult as a self-directed or autonomous learner”. Accordingly, unlike their younger
counterparts, adult learners are more self-directed and attend professional development with prior
expectations. Hargreaves asserts that only then do professional adults learn from each other (2001).

Adult learning is also described as “making changes in one’s thinking, knowing, feeling and
doing” (Rogers, 2007 as cited in Mitchell, 2013). Evans (2011) divides these goals of adult learning into
the following taxonomy called “componential structure of professional development”:

TASK 3: Below are three components of adult learning in Evans’s (2011) taxonomy (1-3). Put each change
(a-m) into a relevant component.

COMPONENT CHANGE
1. Behavioural a. Perceptual change
b. Processual change
c. Epistemological change
d. procedural change
e. evaluative change
2. Attitudinal f. rationalistic change
g. analytical change
h. motivational change
i. productive change
j. comprehensive change
3. Intellectual k. competential (i.e. enhancement of skills) change

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Competency is possible only through the combination of the dimensions listed in the taxonomy.
That is, for the desired change in behavior, a change in the attitude and ways of thinking is required.

In an effort to find out the most effective methods that yield positive outcomes, Trivette et al.
(2009) analyzed the types of adult learning activities in their study. As a result, they provided the
following list of effective methods and strategies for positive participant outcomes:

TASK 4: Please choose the best word to fill in the blanks in Trivette et. al’s (1984) list of effective methods
and strategies for positive participant outcomes in PD. Be careful! There are more words than you need!

reflect on before after improvement practise produce Illustrating

self-assess solutions a set of criteria introducing summarising collaborate

1. ____________(a) the topic through an activity that occurs ____________(b) the training session (e.g. a
topic related quiz) or a warm-up activity.
2. ____________(c) the use of new knowledge and practice (e.g. through a role-play),
3. Having participants ____________(d) the new knowledge & practice (e.g. problem-solving tasks, role
plays etc.)
4. Having participants ____________(e) their strengths and weaknesses in using the new knowledge and
practice and suggest ____________(f) for the problems,
5. Having participants____________(g) their learning and decide on next steps for____________(h),
6. Having participants self-assess their mastery of new knowledge and practice by providing
____________(i)

The researchers concluded that “learning methods and practices that more actively involve
adults participants in acquiring, using and evaluating new knowledge and practices lead to learning”
(Trivette et al., 2009).

Research in the field of adult learning, thus, indicates that in terms of characteristics, motives
and expected outcomes, it shares the same domain with professional development. It is therefore
possible to say that professional development, which is for adults, actually adopts/applies the principles
of adult learning to find answers to the questions like what, where, when, how and why an ongoing
development is to be designed for professionals.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Evans, L. (2011). The shape of teacher professionalism in England: Professional standards, performance
management, professional development and changes proposed in the 2010 White Paper. British
Educational Research Journal, 37 (5), 851-870.

Hargreaves, D. (2001). Teaching as a paradoxical profession: Implications for professional development.

In P. Xochellis and Z. Papanaoum, eds. Symposium Proceedings on Continuing Teacher Education
and School Development. Thessaloniki: Department of Education, School of Philosophy, 26-38.

Herbert, S. & Rainford, M. (2013). Developing a model for continuous professional development by
action research. Professional Development in Education. Vol: 40, No: 2, 243-264.

Knowles, M. (1984). Andragogy in action. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Knowles, M. S.; Holton, E.; Swanson R. (2005). The adult learner : The definitive classic in adult education
and human resource development. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.

Mitchell, R. (2013). What is professional development, how does it occur in individuals, and how may it
be used by educational leaders and managers for the purpose of school improvement?
Professional Development in Education, Vol. 39, No:3, 387-400.

Robinson, W. (2014). A learning profession? Teachers and their professional development in England and
Wales 1920-2000. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Taylor, D. C. M. & Hamdy, H. (2013). Adult learning theories: Implications for learning and teaching in
medical education. AMEE Guide, 35, 1561-1572.

Trivette, C. M. et al. (2009). Characteristics and consequences of adult learning methods and strategies.
Winterberry Research Syntheses, 2 (2), Asheville, NC: Winterberry.

Tusting, K. & Barton, D. (2006). Models of adult learning: a literature review. Cardiff: national Institute of
Adult Continuing Education.

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Zein, M. S. (2015). Factors affecting the professional development of elementary English teachers.
Professional development in Education. Vol: 42, No: 3, 423-440