PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

DESIGNING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Effective professional development programs are coordinated, coherent, integrated, and focused on the vision of mathematical and scientific literacy for all Pacific children.

The integrated knowledge needed to effectively teach mathematics and science is developed over time. For this development to occur, it is essential for departments of education, schools, institutions of higher education, and other service providers to collaborate to design, plan, and offer coherent professional development programs that meet the needs of teachers throughout their careers.

Quality professional development programs for preservice and inservice teachers of mathematics and science:

• are coherent and integrated,
• have clear and shared goals compatible with the Pacific Standards for Excellence Series,
• model the teaching and learning processes promoted throughout the Pacific Standards for Excellence Series,
• involve teachers in determining and meeting development needs,
• are ongoing with frequent reinforcement,
• are based on teacher needs, their varying experiences, and proficiency,
• respect the individuality of each educator,
• include regular periodic assessment of the program.

Traditionally, for most teachers, professional development has been a random, irregular collection of workshops, courses, seminars, and conferences. Teacher developers from all sectors must sit together to design activities and sessions to teach, enrich, and expand teachers' knowledge, skills, and understandings in mathematics and science in ways to help all Pacific children become mathematically and scientifically literate. To bring that design to life may take the efforts of the entire community: other teachers, administrators, college instructors, members of the immediate and world-wide community, and people from other professions.