More importantly, our successful experience of month after month, invigorating and supporting eachother with insightful discussion, showed me that there is another way. Our goal, whether we are teachers, administrators, or consultants, is to deliver the best education possible to our students. We are here spending precious education dollars not for our egos, or our academic careers, but so that we can make a difference in each teachers' classroom. Education reformers have realized that we must place the student at the center of his or her own learning, including his or her prior experience. Our premise regarding teachers must do no less.
Teachers are all experienced innovaters.
We all take a wide range of techniques, and experiment and modify them to meet our needs. This creativity is seldom recognized or honored, and is therefore stifled. To unleash this creativity, we must redefine teachers as researchers and authors, with knowledge which is useful to others. Effective teacher professional development should include the following elements. First, allow teachers to define their needs and tailor development efforts to meet those needs.