Task 5 Growing and Developing Professionally

After went through the components in domain 4, I am most interested in component 4E: Growing and Developing Professionally. I always believe teacher qualities are a very important fact in education system. To me, a very adequate teachers’ professional growth plan can help the students very much. I am aware that I did choose a very difficult topic because it’s going to be challenging to show the result of my inquiry plan.
I like to have a full picture what I am doing and going. I like to set goals and work toward the goal. In world language class, we call it “Backward Design”. So, I choose the video “An Introduction to Teacher Development” In this video, it shows what a good teacher should look like. http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-development-introduction-video
Teachers should have not only solid knowledge, have to be comfortable with instruction and keep up with rapid developed technology, but also they need to have the passion to share sharing learning. Teachers should be active learners, educators, passion, accepting kids’ curiosity, contain deep content subject knowledge, integrated theory and practical experience. They also need to be strong mentors. They need ongoing support, self-assessment and reflection to help them become better teachers. Learning doesn’t stop, teachers need to always to learn pedagogy to make difference in students’ lives.
By attending development training, watching master teaching how they interact with children is very powerful learning tool. It’s totally valuable, you can not just image anything you have learned, but if you see it works in your own eyes, you will truly learn.

Like I mentioned before, I truly believe teachers’ accountabilities. People always say, you can figure out the family from a child. I want to add that “you can figure out a teacher from a student” The article I have read is “Why Is Teacher Development Important? Because Students Deserve the Best” by Edutopia Staff http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-development-introduction I cannot agree the article more. “Great teachers help create great students. In fact, research shows that an inspiring and informed teacher is the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement, so it is critical to pay close attention to how we train and support both new and experienced educators.” Learning process is endless. Universities provide online degree seeking program for students who want to enhance their profession. Such as full time teachers want to gain more knowledge, catching up new area technology or seeking higher degrees.
Teacher-Induction Programs In order to create more skilled teachers, from the start, new teachers need more support from colleagues, school and district. Great induction programs create opportunities for novice teachers to learn from best practices and analyze and reflect on their teaching.
Ongoing Professional Development It is very important for all teachers to have ongoing and regular opportunities to learn from each other. This professional development helps teachers to gain newest information about how children learn, emerging technology tools for the classroom, new curriculum resources, and more. The recent development training I went to is Kentucky World Language Conference. Since 2007, using technology to teach students second or third language is always the main topic any conference focuses on. I realized that now generations are in a digital world, if we don’t change with the way we approach students’ learning with the world, students will loosing their interests learning the content we want them to learn. If I haven’t attended the conferences about the topic, I probably still use traditional way to teach my modern students. Students learning outcomes will be minimized.
The blog I have read is “House committee recognizes PD's role in the fight for equitability” created by Stephanie Hirsh http://www.nsdc.org/learningBlog/post.cfm/house-committee-recognizes-pd-s-role-in-the-fight-for-equitability
I am truly impressed by the effort about the importance of teaching development that NSDC try to make. They really acknowledge the importance of ensuring great teachers for every student. Teachers need help from colleagues for learning and problem solving. They need the support to be successful in these most challenging situations. Placement plus professional development equals great teaching for every student. Effective professional development is a must for teachers in order to ensure every student's success.