What is TPD

Professional development refers to skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative stage. There are a variety of approaches to professional development, including consultation, coaching, communities of practice, lesson study, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance.

In a broad sense, professional development may include formal types of vocational education, typically post-secondary or poly-technical training leading to qualification or credential required to obtain or retain employment. Professional development may also come in the form of pre-service or in-service professional development programs. These programs may be formal, or informal, group or individualized. Individuals may pursue professional development independently, or programs may be offered by human resource departments. Professional development on the job may develop or enhance process skills, sometimes referred to as leadership skills, as well as task skills. Some examples for process skills are 'effectiveness skills', 'team functioning skills', and 'systems thinking skills'.

Professional development opportunities can range from a single workshop to a semester-long academic course, to services offered by a medley of different professional development providers and varying widely with respect to the philosophy, content, and format of the learning experiences. Some examples of approaches to professional development include:

• Case Study Method - The case method is a teaching approach that consists in presenting the students with a case, putting them in the role of a decision maker facing a problem (Hammond 1976)
• Consultation - to assist an individual or group of individuals to clarify and address immediate concerns by following a systematic problem-solving process.
• Coaching - to enhance a person’s competencies in a specific skill area by providing a process of observation, reflection, and action.
• Communities of Practice - to improve professional practice by engaging in shared inquiry and learning with people who have a common goal
• Lesson Study - to solve practical dilemmas related to intervention or instruction through participation with other professionals in systematically examining practice
• Mentoring - to promote an individual’s awareness and refinement of his or her own professional development by providing and recommending structured opportunities for reflection and observation
• Reflective Supervision - to support, develop, and ultimately evaluate the performance of employees through a process of inquiry that encourages their understanding and articulation of the rationale for their own practices
• Technical Assistance - to assist individuals and their organization to improve by offering resources and information, supporting networking and change efforts

Professional development is a broad term, encompassing a range of people, interests and approaches. Those who engage in professional development share a common purpose of enhancing their ability to do their work. At the heart of professional development is the individual's interest in lifelong learning and increasing their own skills and knowledge. The 21st century has seen a significant growth in online professional development. Content providers incorporate collaborative platforms such as discussion boards and wikis, thereby encouraging and facilitating interaction, and optimizing training effectiveness.

1.2      Context

The history of teacher professional development in Nepal has been started in a planned way since New Education System Plan 2028. By this period the long run experience, two main dimensions of teacher development are identified viz (i) teachers professional qualification upgrading and (ii) support in teachers' immediate problems of class room teaching learning activities- performance improvement. The provision of pre-service teacher training at the primary level was made through the privately established Teacher Training Centres, whereas at the lower-secondary and secondary levels, pre-service teacher training is offered through university campuses (Faculty of Education) and Higher Secondary Schools (Education Stream).   

1.2.1   Evaluation of Past Activities:

The National Centre for Educational Development (NCED) is conducting certification and  recurrent training courses for primary and secondary level teachers through Education Training Centres (ETCs) located at different places in the country and through other allied training-providers. Completion of a professional teacher training course has been made mandatory prior to entering the teaching profession. The SSRP has given a highest priority to teacher preparation and its professional development. The major quality interventions as outlined in the SSRP rests upon the quality and efficiency of the teachers recruited. As such, increases in the minimum qualifications of the teachers have been proposed and at the same time mandatory training requirements and regular updates have been planned.

Various training programs introduced by NESP (10 month), Seti Education and Rural Development Project, PEP, BPEP, Radio Education Teacher Training, Science Education Project, SEDP, TEP, SESP, ETN have been completed. By the end of this year, ministry of education, backlog clearance of all untrained teachers have been completed. Now 98.2% teachers of approved position have completed some kind professional support training.

1.2.2   The Research Findings

Various research findings say that long run programs of teacher training of 10 month period could upgrade the teachers qualification. Output of the training was expected to be reflected in the classroom. But there was low reflection of teacher training in the classroom. A research carried out by CERID (dated 2005) shows that only 50% of the training input is transformed into the classroom activities. This research document says that the lack of follow up support and continuous professional development activities are very necessary for those trained teachers. There is a worldwide trend of on-the-job, school based and cluster based teacher development model of training.

1.2.3   Theoretical Base

Whole number of teachers of approved position of community school are academically and professionally qualified. Only the qualified and licensed teachers will be recurred now onwards. This ensures that all the teachers of school education will be qualified and trained. The new roadmap designed from past experiences is Teachers' Professional Development. We have identified four stages of teacher-learning worldwide.  They are (i) Apprenticeship of Observation of own teachers when they were student themselves. (ii) Pre-service training or teacher preparation course  (iii) Job induction orientation and (iv) Professional Development. Nepal have completed those prior three stages and now it is at the fourth stage, ie, teachers' professional development (TPD).

Teachers' Professional Development is the concept of decentralized concept of teacher training. It aims to support the teachers in the Resource Centre level and school based/class room based, real life situation based, problem based, need based. The theoretical base of TPD are (i) self directed, self developed norms based  (ii) Continuous update and improvement and (iii) teachers implement constructivism themselves and encourage students for the same. Yes, "Practice changes attitude rather than vice –versa (Guskey), we want to change the attitude of teachers from the traditional thinking.

Model of TPD in Nepal:

 Main TPD program will be completed in three phases in each year of training. Each year teachers will be involved in 

                         Phse I : Face to Face training Mode  (5 days) in training Hubs
                        Phase II : Self Study Exercise (23 days) in school and working context
                        Phase III : Counseling by experts (2 days in school)