Programmes for professional growth

participation in seminars, workshops & conferences

1. Programmes for Professional growth: Participation in seminars, workshops & conferences Dr. G. Jaganmohana Rao Faculty of Education MITE, Kohima

2. Introduction: The term professional development refers to a comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to improving teachers’ effectiveness in raising learners achievement. Such programmes help teachers align their teaching techniques with the needs of their learners and thereby ensuring better learner performance. We will discuss various ways of promoting professional development among mathematics teachers such as participation in seminars, conferences, online sharing; membership of professional organizations etc.

3. Professional Development P rogrammes for Mathematics Teachers: Professional development involves adopting a variety of strategies to ensure that teachers continue to strengthen their pedagogical skills throughout their career. In formal settings, professional development programmes are often disseminated through seminars, conferences, workshops etc. Sometimes, professional development also occurs in informal conditions, through interactions across online platforms, peer group discussions etc.

4. The common modes of professional development are: Individual reading and/or research, Peer group discussions focused on a common topic or area of interest, Observation-teachers observing other teachers so as to improve their own skills, Expert advice-an expert teacher advising colleagues, Group meetings to learn a new strategy or teaching skill, Adopting reflective and exploratory practices, Short term courses designed by experts at local / regional/ national level, Seminars/ Conferences/ Workshops to learn from a variety of expertise from around the state or country, Membership of professional bodies to keep oneself updated with the latest trends , practices and issues pertaining to the field of study.

5. Seminars: Seminars are formal presentations by one or more experts in which the participants are encouraged to discuss a particular area of interest. In the context of professional development, it may be described as an occasion when a teacher or expert and a group of teachers meet to interact and discuss the intricacies of a chosen topic or subject. Mathematics as a subject is very interesting as well as challenging. Sharing experiences with other teachers and listening to experts’ on the concerned topics help the teachers evolve into better practitioners of teaching skills and improve learners achievement. Seminars may be organized at the local, regional, state, national or international levels depending upon the needs and requirements of the teachers as well as the resources available. These seminars help the teachers update their knowledge base regarding latest developments in the field of mathematics and pedagogical skills being used. They also provide a platform for teachers to interact with experts to discuss and evolve new, effective strategies to deal with difficult classroom situations.

6. Advantages of Seminar: It induce people to exchange new information that would not have be available otherwise When a seminar is conducted at its best the purpose of the gatherings fully met Confidence and listening skills are developed A teacher learns about time management Disadvantages of Seminar: Sometimes it can be costly because the teacher has to attend it at its own cost. The chances that the speaker may be sharing incorrect knowledge, or not at all knowledgeable It is time consuming The chance that topics may not help you The chance that attendants will expect too much

7. Workshop: Workshop are conducted with a clear set of objectives or learner outcomes. The outcome will often increase awareness about a topic or learning a new skill In workshop the behavior's and techniques are replicated by teachers and teachers can learn behaviors and strategies. Objectives of workshop: It helps teachers to develop sense of ownership in the school reform program where they begin to share responsibility for all students achievement. By attending sessions a teachers, will be able to help their staff implement what they have learned in training sessions. It also helps to foresee some of the concerns that arise among staff members

8. Advantages of workshop: Users are usually very motivated This platform will provide insights and strategies for future Have flexibility over length and frequency of sessions A wealth of knowledge usually presented by speaker or many speaker at one time in one place Disadvantages of workshop: Users attending it may have broad range of skills If the space is small, it creates problems Availability of participants False impression of completeness Intimidation

9. Conferences: Conferences may be described as formal meetings in which a number of people gather to talk about their ideas or problems related to a particular topic, usually for a few days. It is a large gathering of individuals or members of one or more organizations, for discussing matters of shared interest. Organizing conferences involving members of the teaching community is an effective way to render professional development to the teachers. Here, peer group discussions, shared experiences regarding classroom behaviors and results of action research, adopting reflective practices are some fruitful techniques that ultimately lead to the participates becoming better teachers.

10. Online Sharing Communities: With the advancement of technology, sharing of resources and experiences among like-minded people through online platforms, has become a norm. Teachers as a community have a lot of common interests- issues related to learners, curriculum content and its implementation, new technologies available to the teachers, etc. Online platforms such as blogs, Facebook communities etc provide a good opportunity to the teachers to share their own experiences among a peer group, hold discussions on pertinent topics, participate in online seminars ( known as webinars), even avail of online training courses aimed at enriching their knowledge and skill base.

11. Thanking You… Be Safe… Prepare Well… All the Best…