Second-Stage Music Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Professional Development

Abstract

In recent years, professional development has become a topic of an increasing amount of research. However, studies are often general in nature or focused on beginning teachers specifically. Recently, researchers have begun to explore professional development over the course of a teacher’s entire career. The purpose of this study was to investigate the professional development needs of a particular population of experienced teachers: those known as second-stage teachers, commonly defined as teachers who have experience of 4 to 10 years and have passed the “survival years.” Research questions were as follows: (a) How do second-stage music teachers describe their professional development experiences? and (b) How do second-stage music teachers perceive their professional development needs? Findings are organized into the following themes: forms of professional development, professional development needs at different times, obstacles to professional development, and concerns about a lack of professional development.

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“…Additionally, the specialized focus might spark new conversations with peers both inside and outside the district, hopefully resulting in decreased feelings of isolation and increased feelings of connectedness with other general music teachers. This might ultimately result in a more positive effect on teaching practices, as suggested in prior research (Bowles, 2002;Conway, 2008;Eros, 2013), and also have a beneficial effect on student learning (Bauer, 2007).…”

“…As noted in the literature review, mirroring their peers in general education, music educators desire professional development that targets their unique needs, enhances their foundational knowledge, and supports them in their daily work in the classroom (Bowles, 2002;Conway, 2008;Eros, 2013). General music teachers in particular predominantly desire training in methodologies such as Kodály, Orff, and Dalcroze (Bowles, 2002).…”

“…While a number of researchers have focused on the topic of collaboration as a means to make professional development more successful and meaningful (Gruenhagen, 2009;Hammel, 2007;Kastner, 2012;Monsour, 1991;Pellagrino, 2011;Pelletier, 2013;Stanley, 2012;Stanley, Snell, & Edgar, 2014), fewer have considered the long-term benefits that collaboration could play with helping ease feelings of isolation (Sindberg & Lipscomb, 2005). There is further evidence that informal, rather than formal, collaboration among music teachers might be the most valuable form of professional development (Conway, 2008), but both forms of professional development are shown to have value (Eros, 2013;Pelletier, 2013). The formal model provides opportunities for music teachers to initially connect, which can help to promote further informal collaboration experiences of music teachers with their peers in the future (Conway, 2008).…”

“…Meaningful professional development has long been a concern of the teaching profession (Eros, 2013). This extends into the field of music education, as those in the areas of instrumental, vocal, and general music desire to be involved in professional development opportunities that can add to their knowledge base and assist them in their daily teaching practices (Bowles, 2002;Conway, 2008;Eros, 2013). While instrumental and choral teachers generally teach a smaller percentage of the overall student population, comprised of older students, general music teachers often teach the entire student body, comprised of younger students.…”

Describing Elementary Certification Methods Across the Elementary Music Career Cycle

“…First-stage teachers have tended to focus on themselves with regard to their role in the environment and classroom management (Eros, 2013). First-stage teachers have also tended to value entertainment, recreation, creativity, and expression in their classrooms (Steffy et al, 2000), especially in comparison with second-stage teachers (Abril & Gault, 2005).…”