PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) DEFINED
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) refers to the process by which teachers maintain and enhance their knowledge, skills and experiences gained as they work, beyond any initial training. Furthermore, it is a record of what teachers’ experience, learn and apply. Consequently, PD activities involve the development of those qualities that are required by teachers for carrying out their professional and technical duties during their teaching career.
PD is an integral component of teacher development. This includes training and education programmes organized within or outside the school environment which NTC approves as being relevant to the teaching profession and meeting prescribed standards.
RATIONALE FOR INTRODUCING PD ACTIVITIES
The rationale for introducing PD activities is to provide guidance for teachers to continue to improve their competencies to maintain the integrity of the teaching profession and improve their professional status. It is envisaged that going through the listed accredited PD activities would help maintain and enhance the knowledge, skills, attitudes and experiences gained after the initial training. It is essential for teachers as professionals to preserve their professional integrity by updating their knowledge and skills to keep them abreast of contemporary issues and approaches in education.
OBJECTIVES Of PD
PD for teachers is intended to:
i. Provide a forum for harnessing ideas and experiences to improve professional competence and commitment.
ii. Offer intellectual, emotional and social engagements for the teachers to enrich their experiences. To teach for better understanding, teachers must be intellectually engaged in their discipline and work regularly with others in their field.
iii. Maintain high competence that results from life-long learning.
iv. Demonstrate the social responsiveness by encouraging members of the teaching profession to collaborate as community of experts (Professional Learning Community – PLC), be current, skillful and knowledgeable in their practice.
v. Keep teachers in good standing and be abreast of time.
vi. Maintain professional excellence.
vii. Make available prospect to supplement the initial training of teachers and improve their knowledge, skills, attitude and practices to meet diverse learners’ learning needs. viii. Assist teachers to adapt, contribute, think critically and participate actively in addressing challenges associated with teaching and learning and implement recommendations.
ix. Augment teachers’ commitment to their chosen profession.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PD POLICY
The Pre-tertiary Teacher Professional Development and Management (PTPDM) policy outlines the importance of PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT for teachers. The policy emphasizes competency-based approach which requires regular In-Service Education and Training (INSET) to develop teachers’ capacities. According to the policy, teachers will be assessed based on defined competencies and evidence of professional proficiency. It is therefore the responsibility of individual teachers in Ghana to select, undertake and document relevant PD activities they partake in for the purposes of growing through the profession to maintain their professional status. Any PD activity undertaken that is not listed as indicated, should be referred to the Governing Board of the National Teaching Council for approval.
Teacher training logbooks have been developed to document teachers’ training records and related PD credit points. Where the means of documenting the activities are not immediately available or there is no designated person to verify the activities, it is the responsibility of the teacher to save evidence (E.g. registration, certificate and attendance records) of the activities for submission at the appropriate time and place as may be directed by NTC.
In addition to the PD programmes attended, teachers are required to upload their portfolio records onto the PD portal for onward assessment by Portfolio Assessors.
CPD GALLERY
