Lebanese teachers’ views on ‘continuing professional development’

Disparity between Ideals and Reality in Curriculum Construction: The Case of the Lebanese English Language Curriculum

“…Furthermore, their schools provide professional development, though in a sporadic, nonsystematic way. Nabhani and Bahous (2010) studied the professional development activities private school teachers were involved in and concluded that they were not effective. Participants in the study described these workshops as "fragmented, inapplicable in the classroom in terms of time and space constraints, and inconvenient as they are almost always scheduled after a school day.…”

Teachers, attitudes towards professional development activities and their impact on their practices and motivation. (c2011)

“…In order to gain a better understanding of the effect of school X"s PD program on teachers, the subjects themselves were asked about their attitudes and reactions (Hustler, McNamara, Jarvis, Londra and Campbell, 2003;Fraenkel & Wallen, 2008). Asking the subjects themselves about their own experience is important since views of those closely involved in a program help clarify matters that are not clear to observers (Nabhani & Bahous, 2010). This study will contribute knowledge of teachers" attitudes about PD to administrators who wish to improve their schools by enhancing faculty"s teaching methods and students learning.…”

“…To put it in a nutshell, research states that the keystone of school effectiveness and improvement is highly qualified teachers (Nabhani & Bahous, 2010;Perie & Baker, 1997). In order to develop high-quality teaching staff the school needs a well designed and systematic professional development program.…”

“…Although there has not been consensus on one perspective of school effectiveness, a recent definition associates school effectiveness with the performance of the school as an organizational unit (Scheerens, 2000). According to Perie and Baker (1997) and Nabhani and Bahous (2010), the backbone of any successful and effective educational organization is a highquality teaching staff. It follows that a well designed professional development (PD) program is indispensable for preparing competent teachers.…”

“…Hustler, McNamara, Jarvis, Londra, & Campbell (2003) define continuous professional development (CPD) as "activities that increase the skills, knowledge and understanding of teachers, and their effectiveness in schools and also promotes continuous reflection and reexamination of professional learning" (p.1). Nowadays, the term CPD is a general term that includes mandatory and/or self-chosen activities that range from formal activities and in-school training (workshops, mentoring programs, in-service training etc…) to informal and/or offcampus activities (following up on recent trends, attending study groups, joining a university to do a Master Degree or a certain Diploma) (Nabhani & Bahous, 2010).…”