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Professional Development of Teacher Educators

in Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities Presented in: 4th Teacher Education Advancement Network Conference

Sponsored by Higher Education Academy , UKConference Aston, Birmingham May 17, 2013

Presented by: Naima Qureshi Research Supervisors: Mary Briggs & Dr. Janet Goodall

Overview of the Presentation

Preliminary Findings

Research Methods &Sample

Research Questions

Brief Literature Review

Background of the Study

My Professional Journey

Why and How I am here??

Different Players in Teacher Education in Pakistan

Issues for Teacher Educators in the field

•No comprehensive criteria for enter into the profession

•Fewer opportunities for formal professional development

•Lack of policy support

•No standards and curriculum for educating teacher

educators

•Lack of research and publications in the field

Recent Reforms in Teacher Education

•National Accreditation of Teacher Education •National Professional Teaching Standards•Four-year BEd. Programme

Teacher Education as a Professional Field

•The existence of an independent body of knowledge

•Its own structure, knowledge bases, terms and concepts

•Practitioners being professionals

Murray, J., Swennen, A. & Shagrir, L. (2009) Understanding teacher educators’ work and identities, in: A. Sweennen & M. van der Klinks (Eds) Becoming a teacher educator; theory and practice for teacher educators (Dordrecht, Springer), 29-43

Position of Teacher Educators

Based on : Shagrir Leah (2010) Development of novice teacher educators: Professional Self, interpersonal

relations and teaching skills: Professional Development in Education 36:1-2, pp 45-60

Teacher Educators : Who they are?

Someone who contributes in a formal way to the learning and development of teachers (Snoek et al. 2011)

Murray et al. (2009) define teacher education as broad, heterogeneous and differentiated field (or area) within which teacher educators undertake many different types of work.

Marco Snoek, Anja Swennen & Marcel van der Klink (2011) : The quality of teacher educators in the European policy debate : actions and measures to improve the professionalism of teacher educators, Professional Development in Education, 37:5 , 651-664

Roles & Expectations from Teacher Educators

Based on: Murray, J.; Swennen,A. &Shagrir L. (2009) Understanding teacher educators’ work and identities: A. Swennen & M. van der Klink (Eds) Becoming a teacher educator: theory and practice for teacher educators (New York, Springer ), 29-44

Challenges and problems faced by Teacher Educators

•Dual nature of their work in schools and university departments

•Shift to more expansive academic and professional expectations as

teacher educator

•Transition from teacher to teacher educator (move from ‘expert to

novice’)

•Teaching load and other administrative duties

•Lack of time leads to the limited opportunities for learning

•Institutional constraints (lack of facilities, resources etc)

•Contextual and cultural constraints (lack of support, acceptance,

lack of collaborative culture etc)

Why Professional Development of Teacher Educators?

• To improve the profession• To maintain interest in the profession• To grow personally and professionally • To advance within the profession (Smith, 2010)

Kari Smith (2010): So: What about the professional Development of Teacher Educators?. European Journal of Teacher Education, 26:2, 201-215

Formal Trainings, Seminars,

Workshops etc

Discussion with Colleague, feedback, observation

Working with other

professional bodies/

network etc

Reflection & Self Assessment, Self

Study

How teacher educators

learn?

Focus of the Study

Professional development of teacher educators ,their experiences, challenges and opportunities for learning at University of Education, Lahore, Pakistan.

Teacher educators are those faculty members who are involved in teaching pre-service teachers and are called lecturer, assistant professors, associate professor and professors according to their grade.

Research Questions

1- How does the professional development of tertiary level teacher

educators teaching at BEd. & MEd. level at the University of

Education, Lahore takes place?

2-What are the different roles teachers educators have to perform?

3- What are the experiences of teacher educators with various

academic backgrounds and experiences in performing their various

roles?

(i)What are the challenges do they face?

(ii)What are the opportunities for their professional development

(iii)How do they learn through formal and in-formal professional

learning opportunities at their workplace?

Methodology

•Sequential explanatory mixed–method design and few elements of case study.

•Quantitative Qualitative design

•Questionnaires, document analysis & semi-structured interviews.

Sample of the Study

Level Main Actor and Sample for study

What they do ? How I will get data?

Macro Higher Education Commission

Major reforms in teacher education

Interview with representative of Director of Quality Assurance Agency

Meso Vice Chancellor of University Head of department and college principal

Decision on availability of professional development opportunities

Interviews

Micro Teacher Educators What they experience? Challenges and opportunities

Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires

Pilot Study Findings: Major categories(5 semi-structure interviews from teacher

educators of 3 different campuses)

Roles Challenges and problems Learning (formal & informal)

Teaching No provision of orientation programme and professional development

Sharing with colleagues

Research Lack of institutional support Self-learning

Teaching Practicum Feel challenged to mix up with senior colleagues

Use of internet

Administrative duties Problems in teaching Discussion and feed back from students

Lack of physical facilities No formal learning opportunities

Lack of research culture

Analysis and Comparison

Pilot study has confirmed that age, experience, and gender would be worth exploring while making analysis and or comparison

Contribution

• General relevance to contemporary issues in the field of teacher education in Pakistan

• Deeper understanding of teachers’ educators work & the way in which their learning can be supported

• Contribute for designing the professional development programme for teacher educators

• Further awareness and contribution in international literature regarding the work of teacher educators

References

• Khan, H. (2011): Becoming teacher educators in Pakistan: voices from the government colleges of education,

Journal of Education for Teaching International research and pedagogy, 37:3, 325-335

• Kari Smith (2010): So: What about the professional Development of Teacher Educators?. European Journal of

Teacher Education, 26:2, 201-215

• Murray, J.; Swennen,A. &Shagrir L. (2009) Understanding teacher educators’ work and identities: A. Swennen & M.

van der Klink (Eds) Becoming a teacher educator: theory and practice for teacher educators (New York, Springer ),

29-44

• Murray, J.; Swennen,A. &Shagrir L. (2009) Understanding teacher educators’ work and identities: A. Swennen & M. van der

Klink (Eds) Becoming a teacher educator: theory and practice for teacher educators (New York, Springer ), 29-44

• Marco Snoek, Anja Swennen & Marcel van der Klink (2011) : The quality of teacher educators in the European

policy debate : actions and measures to improve the professionalism of teacher educators, Professional

Development in Education, 37:5 , 651-664

• Shagrir Leah (2010) Development of novice teacher educators: Professional Self, interpersonal relations and

teaching skills: Professional Development in Education 36:1-2, pp 45-60

Any Questions!!!!

Thank you!Naima.Qureshi@warwick.ac.uk