INSETT and Professional Development: some key

issues

Rod BolithoNorwich Institute for Language

Education, UK

Overview of Presentation• The Nature of Teaching as a Profession• Differences between Training and Development• Features of Ineffective INSETT• Features of Effective INSETT• Some Dimensions of INSETT Courses• Development: a working definition• Some Key Factors in Teacher Development• Models of Change• A Wider View of Professional Development• Prerequisites for Professional Development at

Institutional Level• Establishing and Maintaining a Developmental

Orientation in an Institution

The Nature of Teaching as a Profession

• High degree of autonomy• Isolation• One of the ‘helping professions’• Stress, burn-out, fluctuating motivation • Conservative attitudes• Limited opportunities for shared learning• The paradox of career progression

a need for development

Differences between Training and Development

Training is…..• time-bound• budget-dependent• often imposed• often driven by systemic

change

• ‘transitive’ as a notion• dependent on a trainer• possible only in groups• based on an external agenda• often problem-centred or

deficit-based• accountable to authorities

Development is….• continuous• an internal process• optional• a factor in personal change• essentially ‘intransitive’• independent of a trainer• essentially individual• based on an internal agenda• person-centred and based

on a growth view• accountable mainly to self

Features of Ineffective INSETT (after Fullan 1991)

• one-shot workshops• imposed topics; little attention to participants’ individual

needs• deficit view leads to resistance and negativity• little follow-up support or monitoring• little systematic follow-up evaluation of impact• teachers from different schools thrown together• lack of conceptual basis for planning; the process is

often arbitrary and random; not shared with teachers• trainers often lack face validity for practising teachers

Features of Effective INSETT (after Fullan 1991)

• school-based programmes• immediate practical relevance• opportunities to learn from each other• draws on teachers’ experience and what they can do

well• attention to individual needs of participants• involvement of teachers in planning/decision-making• course as part of a longer-term development-oriented

strategy with follow-up and accountability

Development: a working definition

“…. a lifelong autonomous process of learning and growth by which (….) we adapt to changes in and around us, and enhance our awareness, knowledge and skills in personal, interpersonal and professional aspects of our lives.”

O’Brien (1986)

Some Key Factors in Teacher Development

Top-down Forces • National strategy • Educational policy• Curriculum & examination

reform• School development• Staff development• Quality assurance• Appraisal systems• Professional development• Empowerment• Autonomy• Personal development

Bottom-up forces

Influences• Government policy• Educational theories• Societal views of

teachers • Innovation management• Business &

management practices• Reflective practice• Psychological models• Personal philosophy

Change: The Earthquake Model – Version 1

1

2 3

4

1. National Level 2. Regional Level 3. Institutional Level 4. Classroom Level

Change: The Earthquake Model – Version 2

1

2 3

4

1. Classroom Level 2. Institutional Level 3. Regional Level 4. National Level

Factors Affecting Change at Classroom Level

Classroom Behaviour

Experience Theory

Relationships

Values Attitudes Beliefs

A Wider View of Professional Development - 1

Development may be instigated and supported by…..• pre-service training• INSETT• counselling/mentoring• appraisal• carefully targeted reading• involvement in projects, working groups etc• changes in responsibility• contributing to conferences• action research• peer observation

A Wider View of Professional Development - 2

• Involvement of teachers in textbook development (Russia, Romania, Belarus)

• Involvement of teachers in curriculum reform (Ukraine)

• Involvement of teachers in examination reform (Hungary, Romania, Russia)

• Involvement of teachers as trainers & materials developers in INSETT and PRESETT programmes (Hungary, Latvia, Uzbekistan)

• Switching to CLIL (subject content in a foreign language) (Finland, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy etc)

• Active involvement in Teachers’ Associations & Professional Bodies (many countries across Europe)

Prerequisites for Professional Development at Institutional Level

• school as a learning community with lifelong learning as a stated priority

• shared aspirations and values• a consultative management style• a collaborative working culture• good lines of communication• adequate material and human resources• careful attention to staff working conditions

Establishing and Maintaining a Developmental Orientation in an Institution

• a Professional Development policy and framework• open agenda meetings• appraisal systems with goal-setting• support systems• transparency in promotion and development

opportunities• regular consultation • highlighting examples of good practice• working below the surface of classroom practice• timetabling for peer observation• encouraging a ‘being’ rather than a ‘having’

orientation• less ‘shoulding’ and more first-person verbs

And finally, remember……

“Change is mandatory; growth is optional”

(Fullan 1993)

References

Baldwin, J. & H. Williams (1988) Active Learning London: Blackwell

Bolitho, R. (1996) Some Key Issues in INSETT in Rádai, P. (ed) INSETT Provision for Modern Language Teachers, Workshop 7/96 Graz: European Centre for Modern Languages

Everard, B. & G. Morris (200) Effective School Management (2nd edition) London: Paul Chapman

Fullan, M. (1991) The New Meaning of Educational Change (2nd edition) London: Cassell

Fullan, M. (1993) Change Forces Brighton: Falmer PressO’Brien, A. (1986) Teacher Development, Evaluation and

Teacher Profiles for TESOL London: Institute of Education (unpublished MA thesis)