The most important factor contributing to a students success in school is the

quality of teaching. Research has found that Professional development is the

most effective strategy schools and teachers can utilise to meet this
expectation (Mizell, 2010). By participating in Professional development, it can
be ensured that educators will continue to strengthen their practice, and
provide a high-quality education for their students.
Professional development can occur in a variety of forms. Knapp (2003)
suggested that opportunities where professional learning can occur are: Within
the practice itself; in settings outside the practice; in formalised structures and
activities designed for professional learning; and, in informal settings. To ensure
teachers are provided with the opportunity to participate in professional
development, schools and teachers should be encouraged to form and develop
a range of professional learning partnerships, and teachers should be
encouraged to develop and/or extend professional learning networks with
colleagues (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2011).
Guidelines to follow to ensure quality professional learning occurs, is to
implement strategic planning at system-wide, school and individual levels,
ensure professional learning is explicitly embedded within teachers work,
ensure it is diverse and appropriate to individual and group needs, collaborate
with teacher registration bodies, systems and schools to share historical and
contemporary knowledge about inducting early-career teachers into the
profession, and investigate and value the variety of evidence governments,
teacher registration bodies and schools themselves offer in accounting for
teachers professional learning (Australian Institute for Teaching and School
Leadership, 2011).
Hawley and Valli (1999) found that professional development is effective when:

The content of professional development focuses on what students are to

learn and how to address the different problems students may have in
learning the material.
Professional development is based on analyses of the differences
between actual student performance and goals and standards for student
learning.
Professional development involves teachers in the identification of what
they need to learn and in the development of the learning experiences in
which they will be involved.
Professional development is primarily school-based and built into the dayto-day work of teaching.
Professional development is organised around collaborative problemsolving.
Professional development is continuous and ongoing, involving follow-up
and support for further learning.
Professional development incorporates evaluation of multiple sources of
information on learning outcomes for students.
Professional development provides opportunities to gain an
understanding of the theory underlying the knowledge and skills being
learned.

Professional development is connected to a comprehensive change

process focused on improving student learning.

During professional learning, it is important to ensure that specific content is

included. Such content includes: discipline knowledge and the interrelationship
between such fundamentals as new curricula, pedagogy, and assessment
information; knowledge of students, including their developmental progressions
through particular curricula; linguistic and cultural resources; and, theoretical
frameworks and conceptual tools (Timperley, Wilson, Barrar & Fung, 2007).
References
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Professional
Learning: An
introduction to the research literature. Retrieved from
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-documentlibrary/professional_learning_an_introduction_to_research_literature
Hawley, W., & Valli, L. (1999). The essentials of professional development: A
new consensus. In L. Darling-Hammond & G. Sykes (Eds.), Teaching as the
learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice (pp. 127-150). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Knapp, M. S. (2003). Professional development as a policy pathway. In R. E.
Floden (ed.), Review of Research in Education (pp. 109-158). Washington DC:
American Educational Research Association.
Mizell, H. (2010). Why professional development matters. Retrieved from
https://learningforward.org/docs/pdf/why_pd_matters_web.pdf?sfvrsn=0
Timperley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H., & Fung, I. (2007). Teacher professional
learning and development: Best evidence synthesis iteration. Wellington: New
Zealand Ministry of Education.