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Conntinuous professional education for quality education
Typology: Thesis
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Prepared by: Desta Zinaw
Submitted To: Mekonnen Getachew (MA) July, 2015
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I would like to express our true and heartfelt gratitude to our Advisor Mr. Mekonnen Getachew for his unreserved assistance, constructive comments and suggestions. I would like to thank Gera-Midr woreda education officials, Tebab primary school teachers and staffs for their kind support and active participation in questionnaires, interviews and discussions. Without their support this work would not be fruitful.
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List of Tables
Table 1- Characteristics of Respondents .................................................................................................................. 17
Table 2. The impact of CPD on the quality of education ......................................................................................... 19
Table 3:- The Management and Supervision of CPD Activities .............................................................................. 20
Table 4:- The Relevance of Course and Program to Teacher Needs ........................................................................ 21
Table 5: - Professionals Awareness of CPD, their Effort, and the Experience they have acquired in Dealing with the Program. 1 ................................................................................................................................................................. 22
Table 6:- The Motivation, Interest and Effectiveness of Teachers and /or Principals /Supervisors. ........................ 23
Table 7:- The provision of Training for Principals / Supervisors .............................................................................. 24
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Abstract
Education is the most important tool for rapid political, economical and social development. CPD consist of all natural learning experience and these conscious and planed activities which are intended to be of direct or indirect benefit to the individual, group or school and which contribute, through these, to the quality of education in the classroom. The general objective of this study was to assess the problem of implementation of teachers' continuous professional development (CPD) at Tebab primary school. The research was designed as descriptive survey research design method that employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection tools. 15 primary school teachers, 6 cluster supervisors, 14school principals and 10 woreda education sector officials, totally 46 were the study sample size. Purposive sampling technique was used for principals/supervisors and woreda education officials because and simple total sampling method was used for teachers. In this study, 46.7 % of the teachers, 5% of the principals were qualified with only at certificate level. With regard to the impact of CPD in improving their knowledge and attitude, 73.3% of the respondents believed CPD has satisfactory (63%) to high (13.3) impact. Similarly, 53.3% and 33.3%, of the respondents reported that the advantage they have gained from CPD in strengthening their sense of professionalism and self confidence was satisfactory and low, respectively. The teachers and principals/supervisors were asked whether CPD could have brought change in teachers’ methodological approach so as to bring change in students' performance. Most of the teachers and principals/supervisors (80% and 75%) agreed that its impact was satisfactory to high. Half of the respondents (50%) said that the effort of the WEO in attending, evaluating and providing timely feedback was low, and 40% of the respondents said that it was satisfactory. From this, one can understand that the involvement and effectiveness of the WEO in fulfilling its duties and responsibilities in the management of schools' CPD activities was almost low. Similarly 65% of the respondents agreed that the competency of mentors in providing support and guidance for CPD study group was low. In addition, most of the teachers (53.4 %) agreed that the effectiveness of the schools in the management of CPD activity was low. It showed that neither the establishment of relevant structure for the management of CPD, or the preparation of well trained man power was given proper attention of which should have been thought ahead of the starts of the implementation of CPD program.
Key Words: CPD, education, implementation, performance
1.1 Background of the study
Education is the most important tool for rapid political, economical and social development. It is a form of learning in which knowledge, skills, beliefs and experience of group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training and research. In general, it is used to solve different challenges. Then, education is a participatory by its nature. Because of this, it needs active participation of in which all stake holders for its goals achieved and implemented.
Teachers are a kind of stake holders they have a great role for an effective teaching learning process, promote and encourage the pupils learning atmosphere as their own need of abilities and in general, to ensure quality of education. As stated by Yalew Engdawork, Dawit Mekonnen and Alemayehu Bishaw ( 2010:15):
“In the teaching learning process teachers occupy the central and critical position. Given other school related factors and socio-political environments of any country are conducive to run their career, the success and failure of learning and achievement of educational goals depends to a great extent on”
Therefore, teachers need to have better academic knowledge and professional competence with over all activities. This idea strengthened by NEK- International consultancy (1999), “The quality of education to great extent depends on the quality of teachers”. More over teaching in lower primary school has become an area of concern with regard to the professional competence of teachers.
Based on these, the government has designed and facilitated the most and situational opportunities for the teachers academic and professional knowledge development. Among these opportunities teachers' continuous professional development ( CPD ) program is one.
Teachers' continuous professional development program is used to every teacher to develop his /her creativity, knowledge and skills, positive attitudes and collaboration and co-operations through life long experience. It has also a great advantage for them to build their qualities as well as to improve students' achievement. As stated by NEK- international consultancy (1991),
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Thus, there was a need to identify the major problem that hamper CPD implementation and propose possible solution for these it is on this ground that the study focused on "the problem of teachers' continuous professional development (CPD) at Tebab Primary school".
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Ethiopia has made extraordinary achievement in expanding education at all levels of the system. However, it seems that this achievement in terms of students’ enrollment did not meet quality standards. Quality of education has become a serious concern among all stakeholders. The national assessment results of 2000, 2004, and 2008 (MOE, 2008) indicated that, in many schools, children were not mastering basic skills. Despite the concerted effort by the government, improving quality of education while at the same time keeping the expansion of the education program has become a challenge.
A review of the performance reports of Teacher Professional Development program I and II showed tangible results and shortcomings both at policymaking and implementation levels. Evidences documented from researches conducted by universities, reports compiled from field visits and impact studies by the Ministry of Education showed that the CPD program has brought promising changes in terms of the targets set for the projects life span. Achievements registered and problems encountered are linked to organizational arrangements and readiness to implement the program by all stakeholders.
Generally, when we examine the problem from the prospective of the practical situation of the study area, mater related to CPD are the daily topics of the teachers there. Many teachers were heard complying the introduction of CPD in the school system thinking that it is posed by higher level authorities with the aim of simply making them busy and over loaded. From this, it is possible to judge the problem of implementation of CPD in the delimited area were unlikely to be linked to the nature of program, rather they seem to be more related to lack of awareness poor organization and management, lack of ability and skill, and the like. The study, therefore, tried to answer the following basic questions.
Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the practices and challenges to implement CPD program in Tebab Primary schools in Gera Mider Woreda, Amhara region. The study focused on examining views and experiences of teachers, CPD committee members and pertinent education
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officers in relation to creating opportunities for teacher professional development at school level. Efforts will made to identify supportive provisions in place, procedures developed, results gained, challenges and shortcomings observed in connection to program implementation.
1.3 Research Questions
1.4 Objective of the study
1. 4 .1 General objective
The general objective of this study is to assess the problem of implementation of teachers' continuous professional development (CPD) at Tebab primary school.
1.4.2. Specific objectives
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Practitioners: those who put into effect (implement) CPD (WEO> principals , supervisors)
Programme: all CPD related tasks as a whole
Repertoire: that performer or group of performers known and is able to perform: add to (extend ones
repertoire) learning such that learn something.
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2.1 The Concept of Continuous Professional Development
CPD is a means of improving teachers; skills and competency in the level they are currently teach-in (MOE, 2005).
In line with this, Day and Sachs (2004) also define CPD as:
“Process by which alone and with others, teacher review, renew and extend their commitment as change agents to the moral purposes of teaching and by which they acquire and develop critically the knowledge, skills and emotional intelligence essential to good professional thinking, planning and practice with children, young people, and colleagues through each phase of their teaching lives."
They further added:
CPD consist of all natural learning experience and these conscious and planed activities which are intended to be of direct or indirect benefit to the individual, group or school and which contribute, through these, to the quality of education in the classroom. The definitions given by different scholars and institutions are not as such uniformly framed ones. But, what we perceive is that even though contextual factors may pose some kind of influence on defending open as accept, the central ideas of all remains unvaried. In all case that CPD is a deliberate conscious and continues process focusing on discussion of present and anticipated needs of individual group and organization for furthering mutual satisfaction, CPD is continuing because learning never cases regardless of age or any other criteria its is proficiently competencies professional role, and it is concerned with development because its goal is to improve personal performance wider than formal training courses.
2.2 The Need for CPD
It is impossible for teacher to achieve and to acquire all the knowledge, skill and attitudes they need to know about good teaching. Some of the most important issues can be learned only after
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innovation in the classroom so that they can become “adaptive experts” (Darling-Hammond and Bransford 2005).
Based on an explicit summary of Day and Sachs (2004) the following are major reason why teachers are expected to undertake CPD.
As it is emphasized by Getachew (2007) and Day and Sachs (2004 ), teachers needs sustained and rigorous professional development if they are to help students to perform successfully based on the new techniques of instructional improvements and forms of assessments that are the product of these standards movement .The change in instructional methodology, the problem solving approach, becoming popular now a days and this changed the role of the learners in the instructional process from being passive to a more interactive and participative one. The learner now is no more a passive receiver of knowledge from the teacher. On the contrary, he/she reacts and justifies what the teacher present and the teacher has to be reasonable and resourceful of what he/she is teaching, for the teacher to be competent enough there has to be continues updating of knowledge, skills and attitude. This and other reasons together with the ones mentioned earlier make CPD a vital strategy of teacher's capacity and attitude building.
2.3 Principle of CPD
The major principles of continuous teachers professional development are drawn from the works of Leu (2004), Gaible and Burns (2005), Gray (2005), Hooker and Weiss (2010).
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The principles out lined above serve as a general frame work of reference for the design and
practice of CPD. What has be noted here, is the ultimate purpose of CPD is to enhance students’
learning. That is, educational institution, teachers, facility and equipment, etc, are there because
students are there to learn. Equally important is the teachers themselves have to be benefitted
from their developmental and endeavors. The achievement of all those purpose as aspiration
would be possible if the programme is designed based on well defined principles. Then, on the
basis of these, the implementation of the programme needs to be managed as to the context in
which it’s being implemented. In general the CPD guide line for teachers in Ethiopia has
outlined bureaucratic activities in undertaking CPD program such as documentation, approval,
reporting, licensing etc. Besides, it has suggested the contents to be included in developing course
for CPD.
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experience of teachers. This will require a significant shift in attitude from all those involved in any professional development (MoE, 2005).”
For CPD to meet its intended purposes it is of primary importance that the beneficiaries.
Particularly the teachers have profound understanding of the why of CPD. Missing to
understand the substantial value and the ultimate purposes of CPD can result in developing
resistance rather than in playing constructive roles. Teachers as practitioners are expected to
have the required capacity and attitude that would be relevant to the current institutional,
national and global environment we are living in a competitive and dynamic world in which
the concern of one's professional development has become to be much of the individual's
responsibility and choice. The professional competency of teachers and the performance level
of their students are inseparable. Quality service of the teachers enables the learners to be
benefited, and effectiveness of the learners in turn, is a means of securing the teacher to stay in
the education system as professional. The position of teachers, although this can be
influenced by different factors, either in support of CPD or against it, plays the greatest role
for the success or failure of CPD programmes. Regarding this, concerned bodies of the
education system, particularly those who are at leader ship positions, are expected to
understand the overall context under which development programs are supposed to be
implemented (MoE, 2009).
2.5.2 Mentors
Teacher mentors are experienced professionals who contribute to the realization of CPD and
licensing /re- licensing of teachers. They full fill the following duties and
Plan CPD program me with the teachers they mentor. Provide professional and personal support to these teachers. Evaluate activities and assignments of the teachers. Follow up and recorded activities of the teachers. Provide reports to school principals (MoE, 2004).
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In all aspects, the mentors are expected to be role models for teachers they provide support and
guidance. The quality of the mentor either positively or negatively affects the behavior of the
teacher under support. Supervisory role is not a one way imposition to be posted on the other.
For this reason, the mentor has also to be democratic in his interaction with the teacher.
A mentor who has no the ability or capacity is less likely to be accepted and respected by
the teacher. On the contrary, the new teacher may even develop negative attitude towards
the school he/she is working in and to the profession too. So, mentoring is not just an activity
that can be carried out instinctively by those who simply consider their longer service years
in the system as everything sufficient and complete.
2.5.3 School Principals and Cluster Supervisors
The principal and supervisor have clear responsibilities for the management and monitoring,
supporting and evaluating of the performance of the staff of the school so as to students in
their school receive the very highest quality educational experiences (MoE, 2005).
The presence of effective leadership at school enhances success full implementation of
CPD (Desalegn, 2010). School principals are expected not only to understand their duties and
responsibilities but also to designed suitable strategies for implementation. The needed the
organization and individual teacher have to be properly identified through need assessment
task; adequate organization and structures have to be created in order to facilitate to
monitoring support and evaluation of teachers CPD activities. As schools are not isolated
units in their own, there is also the need to establish relations with other schools and
educational institutions (Desalegn, 2010).
2.6 Problem / Factor / that Affect the Implementation of CPD
Some of the major problems or obstacles that hindered exploiting of the fruits of professional
development (Hailesellasie, 2004 and Afework, 2007) were:
