The term “professional”
carries a lot of different meanings and connotations. It’s also connected with
a wide range of practices: sports, entertainment, medicine, law, engineering,
etc.
Professional development is
important for all those involved in education from the support staff right up
to the administrators. Professional development that includes participants from
support, teaching and administration at the same time can help to bridge the
divisions between groups.
When different groups work together, there is a
greater chance for understanding each other work and also for forging bonds
between the groups to work towards a common purpose. Developing a culture of
continuous learning and modelling the use of personal learning networks will be
key to engaging students and the community.
Who is a Professional?
A professional is said to
have specialized knowledge and skills set that are a product of many years of
education. A lawyer or doctor, for instance, needs to spend much more time
studying than individuals from many other fields. When an expert theoretical
background eventually translates to an even stronger set of skills, people are
sometimes called a professional.
A professional is a member of
a profession or any person who earns their living from a specified activity.
The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare
members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skills necessary to
perform the role of that profession. In addition, most professionals are
subject to strict codes of conduct enshrining rigorous ethical and moral
obligations.
Professional standards of practice and ethics for a particular
field are typically agreed upon and maintained through widely recognized
professional associations. Some definitions of "professional" limit
this term to those professions that serve some important aspect of public
interest and the general good of society.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary
(11th Edition 2006) defines a professional as a person having impressive
competence in a particular activity and a profession is a paid occupation
carried out by professionals and not amateurs.
From this definition, we can infer
that a professional is someone who has undergone a long period of training or
rigorous apprenticeship and who has been certified to have acquired enough
knowledge and skills as to be deemed competent or proficient to render services
in a given vocation. A professional has formal qualifications and has been
articled or registered and licensed to practice by his/her professional body or
association.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary (4th Edition 2001) defines
a professional as one who is engaged in an activity for money or as a means of
livelihood, and not as a hobby or for amateurish purposes or as a pastime.
In some cultures, the term is
used as shorthand to describe a particular social stratum of well-educated
workers who enjoy considerable work autonomy and who are commonly engaged in
creative and intellectually challenging work.
What is Professional Development
Professional development
refers to the development of a person in his or her professional role.
According to Glattenhorn (1987), by gaining increased experience in one’s
teaching role they systematically gain increased experience in their
professional growth through examination of their teaching ability.
Professional
workshops and other formally related meetings are a part of the professional development
experience (Ganzer, 2000). Much broader in scope than career development,
professional development is defined as a growth that occurs through the
professional cycle of a teacher (Glattenhorn, 1987).
Moreover, professional
development and other organized in-service programs are deigned to foster the
growth of teachers that can be used for their further development (Crowther et
al, 2000). One must examine the content of those experiences through which the
process will occur and how it will take place (Ganzer, 2000; Guskey, 2000).
This perspective, in a way,
is new to teaching in that professional development and in-service training
simply consisted of workshops or short term courses that offered teachers new
information on specific aspects of their work (Brookfield, 2005). Champion
(2003) posited that regular opportunities and experiences for professional
development over the past few years had yielded systematic growth and
development in the teaching profession.
Many have referred to this
dramatic shift as a new image or a new module of teacher education for
professional development (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2001: Walling & Lewis,
2000). In the past 15 years there have been standards-based movements for
reform (Consortium for Policy Research in Education, 1993; Hord, 2004; Kedzior
& Fifield, 2004: Sparks, 2002).
The key component of this reform effort has
been that effective professional development has created a knowledge base that
has helped to transform and restructure quality schools (Guskey, 1995; Willis,
2000).
Much of the available
research on professional development involves its relationship to student
achievement. Researchers differ on the degree of this relationship. Variables
are the school, teacher, student level related to the level of learning within
the classroom, parent and community involvement, instructional strategies,
classroom management, curriculum design, student background knowledge, and
student motivation (Marzano, 2003).
Based upon a review of several studies,
Marzano (2003) concluded that the professional development activities
experienced by teachers have a similar impact on student achievement to those
of the aforementioned variables.
Opportunities for active
learning, content knowledge, and the overall coherence of staff development are
the top three characteristics of professional development. Opportunities for
active learning and content specific strategies for staff development refer to
a focus on teacher application of learned material.
Overall coherence refers to
the staff development program perceived as an integrated whole and development
activities building upon each other in a consecutive fashion. Marzano (2003)
warned, however, that standardized staff development activities which do not
allow for effective application would be ineffective in changing teacher
behaviour.
Richardson, (2003) published
a list of characteristics associated with effective professional development,
stating that such programs would optimally be: “statewide, long term with
follow-up; encourage collegiality; foster agreement among participants on goals
and visions; have a supportive administration; have access to adequate funds
for materials, outside speakers, substitute teachers, and so on; encourage and
develop agreement among participants; acknowledge participants existing beliefs
and practices; and make use of outside facilitator/staff developers.”
Kedzior and Fifield (2004)
described effective professional development as a prolonged facet of classroom
instruction that is integrated, logical and on-going and incorporates
experiences that are consistent with teachers’ goals; aligned with standards,
assessments, other reform initiatives, and beset by the best research evidence.
Elmore (2002) described professional development as sustained focus over time
that is consistent with best practice.
Ways Professionals are Developed
Almost every job requires
that you continue learning and strengthening your skills. Doing so enables you
to receive a promotion or empowers you to lead others in your organization. By
learning how to develop professional expertise, you will discover ways to grow
in your knowledge and skills. You could also become a recognized expert in your
professional field.
1) Become a life-long learner: Part of developing your professional expertise is keeping up with new information that is relevant to your field of study.
• Continue your education. Get your graduate or post-graduate degree or a special certification.
• Read books, articles, and journals related to your field. These more scholarly resources provide you with information that is likely to be an important part of your continuing professional development.
• Follow blogs and social media accounts. Find other professionals in your field and connect with their online content. Many post thoughts that are new to the field and will introduce you to different perspectives and theories.
• Attend conferences. Conferences allow you to network with other professionals in your field and participate in thought-provoking discussions and workshops.
2) Find mentors: Mentors are more experienced individuals in your profession who can guide you and teach you. The mentor relationship can be as formal or as casual as you would like.
• Ask older employees or leaders at your workplace to mentor you
• Read biographies about people in your field who made a major impact or contribution.
• Listen to podcasts or seminars from experts in your field who may not be available for a one-on-one relationship.
3) Join a group of colleagues: Meeting with other individuals in your profession can sharpen your skills and develop your expertise in ways that no textbook or blog article can.
• Find a professional society in your field and become a member. Members often have access to resources non-members do not, and they are able to network with other professionals in their field.
• Form a discussion or learning group with others at your workplace. Meet during lunch or breaks and talk about problems or experiences that you have encountered recently.
4) Write about your profession: By posting reflections on your professional blog or publishing articles in a peer-reviewed journal, you put your thoughts out there for others to read and give feedback on. Plus, the process of writing can help you clarify your thoughts.
5) Build your skills: Identify skills you would like to strengthen and then find opportunities to do that. For example, if you are a counselor and want to learn how to better comfort someone when they are hurting, read books or talk to others about different methods they use. Then practice your skills as you interact with clients or friends.
Research Department
For Institute of Attitudinal Change Managers
References
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