A teacher’s preparation for teaching is never complete as he has to keep abreast with innovations, and changes, and newer developments. In-service education of teachers has always been planned and disseminated as staff development activities. Teachers reported the in-service trainings they attended within the last three years which were commonly focused on subject area content and its methods of teaching; and the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum; how it should be delivered and graded as integrated with other subject areas.
Table 4 shows t he number of in-service training programs participated in by the teachers. All the teacher benefited from training. A further scrutiny of their training status indicated that only 2 or 10 percent attended a total training period of 106 hours and above, and about the same number who could be the newly-hired teachers, attended 1 to 35 hours, specifically 24 hours. They claimed that they attended the subject area training schedule sponsored by the book publishes which was usually conducted once or twice a year. These programs were focused on new books, instructional methods, and some instructional aids that went with the new strategies. About 50 percent were benefited with the total of 36 to 70 hours training period, while 6 teachers or 30 percent obtained insights from trainings covering 71 to 105 hours. The in-service training status of the UC teachers was Very Adequate. Every teacher was given the opportunity to attend a training activity.
Table 4
In service Training Profile
Number of hours | f | P* |
1. 106 and above | 2 | 10 |
2. 71 to 105 | 6 | 30 |
3. 36 to 70 | 10 | 50 |
4. 1 to 35 | 2 | 10 |
5. No training | 0 | 0 |
Total | 20 | 100 |
* Percentage
Scale
Weight | Mean Range | Descriptor |
5 | 4.20 – 5.00 | Very Much Adequate |
4 | 3.40 – 4.19 | Very Adequate |
3 | 2.60 – 3.39 | Adequate |
2 | 1.80 – 2.59 | Less Adequate |
1 | 1.00 – 1.79 | Not Adequate |
A feeling of preparedness was manifested in the teachers capability of handling the new BEC. A feeling of being well prepared had increased their self-esteem when they revealed that they:
had enough background knowledge on what to do in a self-contained classroom;
obtained an in-depth input on the subject area;
facilitated student assessment.
The school principal added the information that after some training, the teachers
became more responsible in managing and monitoring student learning, and that
they taught and exemplified such traits as openness, curiosity, and the ability to examine their own performance.
Resultant effects were that students were most likely to work on task and became more interested in classroom work. Teachers began to hold higher expectations for all the students. Individualized instruction prevailed. Teachers tried new practices and noticed better student outcomes. Positive attitudes towards the teaching-learning activities were developed.
Cushman (1992) explains that competencies which include knowledge, attitudes, and skills are reinforced in teacher training and practices. The trend towards greater efforts to develop effective teachers through education and training strengthens the implementation of new frameworks and models covered in current paradigm shifts.
Likewise, for school leaders, professional preparation for Bastan school leaders in the elementary schools has been remarkably reinforced by actual informal job training in different school settings (Asaals, 1999). The present trend of professional development is towards school-based management, largely competency-based in terms of parent-principal-parent collaboration.
On the perceived impact of professional development or training conducted on a US-NCES survey in 2000, findings confirmed parallelism with Philippine situations that the
· proportion of teachers engaged in professional development in a specific content area improved their teaching with parent involvement from 12 percent to 27 percent;
· number of hours teachers engaged in professional involvement was related to the extent to which they believed that participation improved their teaching. For every content area, teachers with more than 1 to 8 hours participation were more likely to improve their teaching.
· teachers’ assessment of the impact of teacher training was linked to other program activities in school; and
· teacher development activities improved their teaching depending on whether various follow-up school based activities may need additional training. (http||nces.ed.gov.)
It could be deduced that teacher training greatly improved teaching competencies. In-service training of teachers is a great factor that supplements the preservice education obtained in educational institutions.
0 Comments