Walter Geerts & René van Kralingen - The Teachers' Handbook

Introduction

knowledge should become meaningful in both an inductive and deductive way. This implies that particular experiences – after looking at them in the abstract – lead to general knowledge, which in turn can be applied on an individual level. Teachers need to possess a wide range of tools in order to be able to achieve this. In Chapter 11 we take a closer look at professional development, which tools exist and how they can be used effectively. We address topics like being as sertive, proactive and empathetic as well as time management and self-reflection skills. Self-reflection is gaining importance in the field of education. New teachers tend to have a hard time since what they have been taught appears to be difficult to put into practice. Many problems can be prevented or handled differently by focusing at an early career stage (while still in training or while being coached in the first years of teaching) on the question of what kind of teacher you aspire to be. Perception of your own professional identity is essential for your perfor mance (Rohaan, Beijaard & Vink, 2012). It is important to have a clear idea of what you want to put effort into, what is important to you and especially to have a positive attitude. This will ensure you remain a dedicated and motivated teacher and positively affect your student learning outcomes. This doesn’t solely entail complying with a long checklist of competencies; the knowledge and abilities required should also match your personal identity. Nowadays professional development also implies that teachers should acquire the desirable teacher competencies as prescribed by the Onderwijscoöperatie 4 . We will delve into these competencies and show how they translate into particular characteristics, skills and development potential of teachers. The teacher competencies also provide guidance for teachers to continue de veloping after completion of their studies. Different areas of development are available depending on the core competencies of individual teachers: ■■ Career oriented : You continue to advance in your career by keeping up-to date on new theories and findings. For instance, by visiting national teacher conferences and seminars, deepening your knowledge of new subjects or per spectives, publishing articles and considering further study to obtain a mas ter’s or PhD degree. The subject you teach interests you deeply. ■■ Didactically oriented : You prepare your lessons thoroughly, catering to all students’ needs. Your lessons are always original and exciting. You experi ment with active learning methods and occasionally apply suggestions from the field of neuropsychology. Didactic methods intrigue you. You constantly search for creative forms of knowledge transfer and enhancement of skills.

4 The Onderwijscoöperatie (Education Cooperative), formerly SBL, is an organisation that sup ports registration of teachers and teacher trainers and various efforts to encourage and support innovation in teaching.

27