‘Reflective approach is good for CPD’

Prof P Ramanujam, Director of English Language Teaching Centre, Gudlavalleru Engineering College, advised teachers for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as a reflective practitioner without waiting for an institution or a system to come and play the role of deliverer.

Speaking at a workshop on CPD for teachers at Delhi Public School (DPS) at Nidamanuru in the city on Tuesday, he said, “Unlike the teacher training, which is a onetime affair with a short-term goal and which is often a top-down process, the teacher development has a long-term perspective.

It is a bottom-up process in which teachers themselves take care of their professional development in an ongoing manner with some support and guidance. Hence, we need an effective development model which is viable and self-sustaining with the onus of professional development on teachers itself rather than on educational institutions or the academic staff development system.”

Prof Ramanujam who analysed the prevailing models of professional development for teachers such as the Empty Slate Model, Applied Science Model and Craft Model, discounted them as deficit because of their one-size-fits-all approach with the teacher being on the periphery rather than at the centre of the development process, which are of little value in CPD.

Ramanajam advocated reflective approach by describing it as a viable and self-sustaining model for CPD of teachers. “Reflective teachers explore their own teaching, examine their attitudes, beliefs and principles, collect data about their own classrooms and use it as a basis for self-evaluation and self-improvement.

Being a self-directed approach which involves teachers in an ongoing process of examining their teaching and developing strategies for improvement, it is a relatively reliable model,” he said.

The workshop explored the proven reflective model strategies such as keeping a teaching journal, self and peer observation, critical incident analysis, setting up teacher support groups and action research.

Using the inputs from the resourceperson, the school teachers will evolve their CPD action plans, which will be implemented during the academic year 2015-16 under the guidance of Prof Ramanujam.

Dean of Delhi Public School SB Rao, described the CPD initiative as a path breaking one and exuded confidence that it would immensely help the teachers achieve professional development. School vice-principal J Bora and others were present.