Professional journey of the expert teacher educator

Abstract

Information on the professional journey towards becoming an expert in Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is important to the novice who wants to venture on the same route. The objective of this paper is to explore the CPE journey of the experts and to identify the factors contributing to becoming an expert. Four expert teacher educators from two Malaysian Institutes of Teacher Education were interviewed using retrospective interview approach. Data were analysed and findings as themes were developed. Results showed that involvement with deliberate practice in CPE, individual values, leadership through experience and a positive environment to develop are the contributing factors in the CPE journey towards becoming an expert.

Challenges faced by Emirati novice teachers

“…Feeling part of a community and experiencing positive collegiality within this has been found to be an important part of a teacher's continuing professional education (Hashim & Ahmad, 2013). They describe how, in order for teachers to develop expertise in their field, they need support from colleagues.…”

Qualification Journey in Teacher Training: Case in Northern Cyprus

“…Years of teaching are not associated with teacher expertise, competence, or effectiveness (Hollins, Luna & Lopez, 2014). A research result indicates that a combination of continuous joining of professional development trainings, individual teacher values, leadership on forming a positive learning atmosphere, and leadership through gaining experience are the strong influencers for teachers becoming experts (Hashim & Ahmad, 2013). Similarly, expert teachers have critical differences over non-expert teachers, as expert teachers who want to develop their expertise more crucially need to engage in teaching and learning exploration and experimentation, solve problematic issues and engage more in challenging tasks and extending their competencies (Tsul, 2009).…”

Becoming an Expert on Purpose: How Deliberate Practice Informs Teacher Effectiveness

“…It is reasonable to infer student teachers will have specific goals for lessons that influence the range of deliberate Pedagogy -Challenges, Recent Advances, New Perspectives, and Applications practices they engage in. Hashim & Ahmad [26] reported expert learning goals such as studying in London and long-term performance goals (e.g., promotion to trainer, mentor, and "excellent lecturer"). Note that performance goals do not fit the definition of deliberate practice but may motivate teachers to engage in a range of activities.…”

“…Such feedback was informative of strategies and provide corrective input on practices negatively impacting student learning. The Malaysian study had very sparse examples of such feedback [26]. On the other hand, the Netherlands study identified expert articulation of student teachers' theories as unique and important feedback [21].…”