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Texas Family Literacy Resource Center Text Only Version
 Professional Development
 
 
Teachers as Learners Calendar


Researchers from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy acknowledge some principles of effective professional development which include:

Change takes time

Variety is needed in content and format

Student learning should be a central focus of the effort

Staff development must be connected to a larger, coherent vision of reform and change

(Belzer, Drennon & Smith, 2001)

Cristine Smith and Judy Hofer have written:

"Teachers’ pathways to change are neither simple nor linear, but complex and shaped by the interaction among who they are, what professional development event they attend, and how the programs and systems in which they work function."

(Smith and Hofer, 2002, p. 3).

Clearly, then, there is a clear distinction between research-based professional development and training. “One-size-fits-all” training may not meet the needs of family literacy educators.

Read about professional development based on family literacy educators’ needs Read about innovative strategies for professional development