Teachers As Learners: Implications Of Adult Education For Professional Development

Abstract

Effective communication with teachers is a critical element of any successful professional development.  Teachers are the foundational component of any educational system.  It is vital that adequate attention is focused on appropriate and effective training of these teachers.  Ideally, professional development offers a means of collaborative support and training to collectively conquer challenges facing teachers both in and out of the classroom.  The need for continued professional development is widely accepted.  Certainly, programs based on high-quality and meaningful teacher development can affect teachers’ skills and attitudes in the classroom, further increasing the quality of education the students receive.  There are numerous resources and studies detailing the components of effective professional development; however, these models can be quite extensive and potentially overwhelming to an administrator who already has enough tasks to occupy their time.  By incorporating a few basic principles established within the field of adult education, teacher professional development can dramatically increase its effectiveness.  This paper outlines very briefly some of these concepts and offers simple and applicable suggestions for teacher professional development programs such as: the characteristics of adult learners, self-directed learning, transformative learning and critical reflection.