The Importance of Teacher Development and Support By: Phillip Motsisi Kalanke Ministry of Education and Skills Development Botswana

Introduction Because education is not static, but evolves with technological and scientific changes, it is important to continue developing teachers and extending their competences in this fast changing world.

Whether students are high, low, or average achievers, they will learn more if their teachers regularly engage in high-quality professional development.

Overview What is teacher development and support Why is there need to develop and support teachers How are teachers to be supported

What is teacher development and support Teacher development is the continuous training of teachers (formal/informal) It should help teachers improve their knowledge of the subject matter, learn different pedagogical methods and understand student thinking. In my country this is done through In-service workshops. These are held at different level, ie School level, cluster level, Regional and even national level.

Teacher support can be in the form of continuous visits paid to teachers in their classroom. The visits may be from colleagues offering the same subject, from a support group, school management or Education Officers.

Why the need to develop and support teachers In a school, an inspiring and informed teacher is the most important factor influencing student achievement. It is therefore critical to pay close attention to how we train and support both new and experienced teachers New teachers need to be inducted on National Education Policies and Acts, School Policies and Regulations. These may be fresh with content and pedagogy, but they need to be prepared for the environment on issues of students’ attitudes and behavior as well as culture of the communities they are joining.

How are teachers to be supported What makes teachers’ stay in the profession difficult? Lack of support from colleagues and administrators New instructions from authorities every year about how and what to teach Standardized tests that don’t gauge their students’ needs and abilities

How can we fix? Invest in great training of School principals and other administrators Build strong mentoring programs for new teachers and support for the experienced ones Develop better assessment that measure students’ skills in diverse ways

References The Revised National Policy on Education (1994) Hardman (2013), Teacher Support and Development Interventions Helen J. Craig, Richard J. Kraft, Joy du Plessis (1998); Teacher Development: Making an Impact Dra. Francesca Caena; Supporting Teacher Competence Development: for better learning outcomes

Thank you