Teachers are forced to do their studies continuously in response to resent changes : such as changes in society, students, educational program and system as well as advanced learning. They should reach at a certain level through efforts to improve the...
Teachers are forced to do their studies continuously in response to resent changes : such as changes in society, students, educational program and system as well as advanced learning. They should reach at a certain level through efforts to improve their abilities and become more professional to do their duties. Teachers are well aware of what they need to develop and they satisfy their lack with self-control rather than compulsive and directive way. Yet, to date, formal and passive teacher training programs have been practiced, which is far from reality.
With the free choice of purposes, contents, methods and institutions, now we need to make a refreshing change in the program. In addition, teachers have to actively participate in training programs improving their capacities to cope with knowledge-based society. After taking part in training and getting required knowledge and techniques, they apply what they learned to the school system and modify it to fit their needs. In the course of training, teachers' professional development and self-esteem are guaranteed. Independent teacher training is the key to make these happen.
Teacher training program, which constantly requires professional development and self-improvement, goes by 'the Rule of Teacher Training'. In reality, however, the program has been run perfunctorily while teachers are not in favor of it and see it in a negative way. The problems of ongoing teacher training are complex : there is uniform education for all subject teachers, limited chances and ineffective contents or teaching methods as it doesn't meet teachers' needs and demand. To overcome its problems, energize teacher training and increase awareness that training is essential for professional development is to insure teachers' independent and active participation.
After investigating the actual conditions and the needs of independent teacher training, we have found differences shown by gender, schools, working areas and careers also we pursue systemic support to energize training. Therefore we can make following conclusions.
First, there is a suggestion for improvement which connects teacher evaluation to teacher training according to the recent teacher evaluation policy. It means that the training and the evaluation need to be linked together for the personal profession development. Yet teachers engage in the program because they expect either promotion or reward, not because it is related to evaluation.
Some would say it is not fit in the initiative object if teacher use the program as a tool of promotion, however its aim - professional
development and self improvement - can be achieved as teachers take the program at will. To be a groundwork of professional development as well as a trigger of promotion, teacher training program should be diverse and meet needs and demand of teachers. Moreover, it has to be turned into a new one which is systemic, professional, effective and connected with teacher evaluation.
Second, in a survey result, most teachers find it positive to participate in the program not granting promotion or reward. The result shows that the junior teachers expect professional development through the training while the senior hope to receive applicable education at school. In addition teachers who decide to join the training are male, work in rural area where they can get additional points to promote and have careers as long as 10 to 20 years. They engage in it to achieve their goal.
These point out that two reasons to lead teachers to take training exist. The first one is to get useful education at reality and the other is to meet their own needs. Teacher training program should be designed to meet needs and demand of teachers in the field. Also it needs an inducement to attract their active and voluntary engagements. Still, many don't feel quite satisfied with the program because of its weak motivation and fragile inducement. The results of independent training program influence on educational grade point or research achievement evaluation along with a job and a license evaluation : though only small part of independent training programs are applicable. Unlike some training programs which do not grant benefits to be promote, the programs which are advantageous to be advanced attract many people.
On the other hand, learning from clubs which are not related to additional points, such as teachers' clubs or subject studies, produces high quality of education and leads to fruitful result. We expect more teachers would participate in such dependent training programs which guarantee nothing if additional points for promotion and reward system like support by national funds are expanded.
In recent, a great number of teachers, specially majoring in English, want to go abroad study to exercise language skill or get degrees from college. Yet, as they pay a large part of the high cost, have insufficient time and have little chances to get national funds, it is inevitable that training participation rate appears low. When it comes to incentive, teachers will do all out of efforts if they take dependent training and that offers advantages for professional development and self-improvement.
Third, we need to give a great deal of weight on teachers' free choice to attract their attention : free choices of content, method, time, period, place, group and institution. Teachers have felt stifling in uniform and theoretical training under the control of the systemic government, now they determine to participate in new teacher training program. Some worry and even make negative judgement about the new way to utilize training program for promotion, however, we should put our trust in teachers' own choices.
Various and informal independent training programs by teachers' clubs or association gather a lot of teachers. While actively taking part in those, they learn proper and pragmatic ways of teaching technique, students guidance and personality guidance. What makes these training programs successful is teachers' free choice and it
needs to enlarge the range of it.
At last, the systemic support for teacher training should be primary. Also, it needs a certain system guaranteed to develop teachers' abilities and supports to encourage their voluntary studies.