The Growth of the Professional Educator model is exemplified in the schematic diagram of the spiral. The spiral depicts the lifelong learning of the professional educator beginning with candidates taking preservice teacher preparation courses at Bridgewater State College. The spiral continues to widen as the educator gains experience teaching in a classroom or working as a professional in a school setting. As the spiral grows, so does the professional educator, continuing to develop as a master teacher, learning throughout an entire teaching career. The Growth of the Professional Model is based on current research and constructivist theories of learning.
Professionalism denotes that the educator values, practices and encourages lifelong learning.
In addition, the professional educator understands that being a professional requires a knowledge base about teaching and learning, as well as a demonstration of ethical behavior. The second strand, effective practice, means that professional educator is able to plan, teach and evaluate lessons based on knowledge about individual and diverse learners as well as knowledge of the content and the guidelines in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. The professional educator reflects on teaching practice and makes informed instructional decisions based on those reflections. The third strand, collaboration, means that the professional educator knows how to work in partnership with other professionals and parents. This collaboration leads to a fuller understanding of the complex aspect of each child as a learner.