Page 217 - Technology Plan ICT Review

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While priority areas for professional developmentwill vary according to needs across the province,the Commission feels there is a pressing needfor professional development in the areas of:
• Special education
• Education of First Nations and Métis children
• Use of data and evidence from large-scale and ongoing classroom assessments to guide decisions and improve practice
• Integration of technology as a teaching and learning tool
• Engaging parents and communities.
Because of the importance of professional development, schools and school boards should be required to report annually on their professional development plans including the objectives set, the time allocated, actions taken, resources provided, and the results achieved. In addition to school-based professional development, under current legislation, all teachers are entitled to attend an annual two-day teachers’ convention. Many teachers look forward to those two days as an opportunity to share experiences with colleagues and to learn about new approaches, innovations, and learning resources. However, based on research on the most effective professional development activities, it is clear that the importance of school and school system professional development outweighs the value
of one-time, off-site conferences. Given the limited time in the school year, the Commission’s view is that these two days would be better spent providing professional development at the beginning of every school year or providing ongoing time for professional development throughout the year.
Therefore, the Commission believes that the legislated requirement for an annual teachers’ convention should be removed from the School Act to provide greater flexibility in meeting the professional development needs of teachers and schools.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association plays an important role in professional development for teachers but unfortunately, much of their work in this area is not well known, aside from the teachers who are directly involved. The ATA should continue to play an active role in professional development activities, partnering with schools and school boards, working with their specialist councils, and providing ongoing leadership in this area.
Require all teachers to have targeted annual professional development plans that are directly linked to their schools improvement plans.
Currently, every teacher is required to have an annual professional development plan. The Commission feels that these annual professional development plans would be strengthened by:
• Focusing the plans on ways of continuously improving the teacher’s knowledge, skills and attributes
• Linking the plan to ongoing evaluation of a teacher’s performance
• Linking the plans to overall school and school system improvement plans
• In addition, school principals should be able toidentify areas where teachers should undertake further professional development in order to improve and expand their skills.
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