Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2021
Abstract
Professional development (PD) is critically important for the professional survival of classroom-level teachers across the globe and Pakistan is no exception. Mentoring and action research are one of the various forms of PD. Conducting PD sessions help teachers improve pedagogy, classroom practices and to become self-directed learners (Slepkov 2008; McNif, 2016). This study reports learning from a PD session and classroom action research from English class in a mountainous northern part of Pakistan. Techers were exposed to various techniques of general teaching, lesson planning, writing reflections/ portfolios and classroom management through a 5-day workshop. After the sessions, the teachers taught English to grade 7 students for three cycles. Pre- and post- intervention tests, teachers’ reflective diaries, lesson plans and portfolio books were sources of data collection. The study shows that there is a thirst amongst teachers for professional grooming. Also, students gradually benefitted from new teaching techniques. The study suggests mentoring and action research to be integral part of school professional development plan, so as to improve learning outcomes of students and teachers’ professional growth. Sustainability of these initiatives is a challenge due to lack of proper mechanism and policies. There is a need for a school policy on classroom level research to improve teaching practices and learning.
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Khan, A. W. (2021). School-based teachers’ professional development policies: learning from the practices of English classroom at public secondary school in northern Pakistan. Retrieved from https://www.ln.edu.hk/sgs/_content/media/policy_brief_abdul_wali_khan.pdf