Comments on: Professional Development comments http://www.mrhiggins.net/blog/2006/11/19/professional-development-comments/ Mathematics and Computer Science Teacher going to bat for Web 2.0. Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:32:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Ewan McIntosh http://www.mrhiggins.net/blog/2006/11/19/professional-development-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-577 Ewan McIntosh Mon, 20 Nov 2006 06:58:40 +0000 http://mrhiggins.net/blog/2006/11/19/professional-development-comments/#comment-577 What is interesting in this line of argument is what might happen if we continue the story. Administrators are not giving enough time (by reducing class contact time or bureaucracy?) so teachers can be expected to enter into thoughtful dialogue. But without having entered into a thoughtful dialogue it's going to be difficult for an administrator to see the need for more time (his/her teachers are doing their jobs "as well as they can" etc. etc.) So, maybe it *has* to be the teacher who makes the first move and starts entering thoughtful dialogue even if this is on a drip, drip basis through the world of reading others' blogs and leaving comments on them and, eventually, writing their own blog of reflection. If teachers become so dependent on administrators to let them do their jobs properly then this dependence will, of course, become abused. Teachers need to be independent professionals with a self-determined professional development path, otherwise they are merely sheep following their administrator shepherd. Sorry for the early morning metaphor, but you get what I mean, perhaps. What is interesting in this line of argument is what might happen if we continue the story. Administrators are not giving enough time (by reducing class contact time or bureaucracy?) so teachers can be expected to enter into thoughtful dialogue. But without having entered into a thoughtful dialogue it’s going to be difficult for an administrator to see the need for more time (his/her teachers are doing their jobs “as well as they can” etc. etc.)

So, maybe it *has* to be the teacher who makes the first move and starts entering thoughtful dialogue even if this is on a drip, drip basis through the world of reading others’ blogs and leaving comments on them and, eventually, writing their own blog of reflection.

If teachers become so dependent on administrators to let them do their jobs properly then this dependence will, of course, become abused. Teachers need to be independent professionals with a self-determined professional development path, otherwise they are merely sheep following their administrator shepherd. Sorry for the early morning metaphor, but you get what I mean, perhaps.

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