Being a teacher is a massive responsibility as they play a crucial role in student achievement. Teachers are tasked with many responsibilities daily. Therefore, they constantly need to be at the top of their game. 

And like any other profession, teachers must develop their skills consistently to be better equipped to teach and deal with all aspects of student life. 

This is why professional development for teachers should be at the centre of developing quality education and teachers. 

“Research has shown that teaching quality and school leadership are the most important factors in raising student achievement. For teachers and school leaders to be as effective as possible, they must continually expand their knowledge and skills to implement the best educational practices,” says  SPARK Professional Development Manager Coralee van Schalkwyk.

She explains that Professional development for educators helps with the following:

• It  allows schools to deliver better student outcomes in their schools, through a change in adult behaviour
• It helps teachers become more knowledgeable and more assertive in their skill
• It helps teachers to produce valuable and personalised lessons for their students, using the skills acquired through professional development.

What are some of the ways to make professional development effective? 

Professional development must serve a particular purpose that positively impacts the people receiving it. 

One way SPARK makes professional development effective is by using the “living-learning” framework, which is a model of seeing it, name it, do it,” developed by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo says van Schalkwyk. 

She adds that the “living-learning” framework scaffolds learning to the point of mastery for teachers. 

“This is intended as an efficient and personalised way of developing as advocated by the Leverage Leadership Institute,” she adds. 

Below is how the living-learning framework is demonstrated: 

• SEE IT:  Design airtight activities that give participants a model to follow

• NAME IT:  Facilitate substantive sharing that allows participants to conclude; then name it with formal vocabulary

• DO IT: Ensure that participants plan & practice implementing their learning in simulated and real-world experiences.

• REFLECT:  Provide ample opportunities for participants to reflect

“Through each level of this approach to professional development, there will be opportunities to ‘do it’ through planning and practice to give teachers the best chance of successfully implementing their learning in their classrooms,” she explains. 

For new teachers, professional development can help accelerate their growth by empowering them to be better teachers and preparing them for leadership roles. 

At SPARK Schools, our teachers receive 245 hours of professional development. This is to help ensure that our teachers are experts in their fields and can help students excel academically.