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behavior patterns that consequentially help them to change and upgrade. The
level of professional development can be seen in the degree to which individuals
master professional competencies, which are complex systems of knowledge,
skills, viewpoints, values and motivation used for problem-solving. Opfer et al.
presuppose that teachers will be able to successfully change their behavior, if
they are focused on learning. Teachers’ beliefs are based on experience and are,
according to Smylie’, the most important indicator of change. Teachers’ focus
on learning is driven by the combination of their beliefs and experience they
have with learning and teaching. According to studies, teachers are more likely
to change their learning patters, if they apply their classroom experience, if they
have the possibility to reflect on the experience, if they collaborate with other
teachers, and if they analyze their practice. Kuijpers and colleagues* analyzed
three models of teachers’ professional development with intent to develop an
integrated model for effective teaching. The model’s structure is not linear,
but is composed of two parallel, intertwining cycles. The first one is individual
supervision or coaching cycle, and the second one is collective learning process.
The individual cycle comprises the preparation for observing a teacher in
classroom, the observation in classroom, and an interview afterwards, which
is also the beginning of the second cycle. The process is led by an external
supervisor. The collective learning process is composed of four elements:
presentation of theory, demonstration of skills, implementation of practice in
a secure environment, and a conference at the end, focusing on the evaluation
of effects. The final meeting is also the beginning of a new learning cycle and
is sometimes run by an external expert. The processes have a mutual effect on
each other. The goal is to improve teaching methods and student achievement.
Researchers in Holland conducted three studies on effective teacher education
on faculties of education‘ and identified five factors that stimulate teachers’
professional development: practical experience, concrete problem-solving,
cooperative learning, learning within an institution, and research and reflection
of teachers’ viewpoints and behavior.
D. V. Opfer - D. G. Pedder - Z. Lavicza, The role of teachers’ orientation to learning in
professional development and change: A national study of teachers in England. Teaching and
Teacher Education, 27 (2011) 443-453.
2 Ibid.
J. M. Kuijpers — A. A. M. Houtveen — Th. Wubbels, An integrated professional development
model for effective teaching, Teaching and Teacher Education 26 (2010) 1687-1694.
M. Lunenberg — M. Willemse, Research and professional development of teacher educators,
European Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2006, 81-98.
* 166 +