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Abstract

This study explored the value of a professional development model and identified issues to be considered when using the model in a secondary school setting. The design of the model was based on three interrelated principles to support teachers in: (a) developing an awareness of their beliefs, (b) considering alternative perspectives from colleagues and their own students, and (c) generating a community learning environment to promote interplay between the principles of awareness and alternatives. This model guided the organization of a professional development program for three secondary science teachers over a period of two and a half years. Two research questions were addressed in the study: (l) How did the teachers understand their practice and in what ways did their understanding change as a result of the professional development program? and (2) What features of the professional development program influenced change in the teachers' understanding of their practice? As a result of the program there was a substantial change in how the teachers understood their practice. The teachers identified five common features of the program that enhanced this change: (a) personal reflections, (b) student tapes, (c) group discussions, (d) experimenting with their practice, and (e) feedback on their ideas. These features were consistent with the above three principles and were represented in models of their own learning, but not in the same configuration as in the proposed professional development model. - Two strengths of the professional development model are., evident from the study. First, the model provides an organizational framework to support teachers in sustained knowledge-building within their community. Second, the model is underpinned by a theoretical basis for teacher learning relating individual and social influences on knowledge construction. This basis is consistent with a social constructivist perspective on learning and with Dewey's (1938) theory of learning through experience. Issues to consider when using the model center on the ethical concerns of students disclosing information about their learning experiences and the need for collegiality to encourage teachers to share ideas. The main implication of the study is that organizers of professional development programs should not only consider each principle of teacher learning, but the interrelationship between them to provide teachers with opportunities for sustained knowledge-building.