Tracing teachers’ professional growth from updating polytechnic courses in design teams

Abstract

This chapter traces the professional development of polytechnic teachers who were involved in design teams that aimed to update their courses based on recent developments in industry. For 14 weeks, three design teams updated their courses and conducted teaching tryouts. The professional development of six teachers (two from each design team) was traced using Clarke and Hollingsworth’s ((2002). Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 947-967) Interconnected Model of Professional Growth (IMPG). Analysis of interview data revealed that the teachers’ professional growth was facilitated by engagement in curriculum design and classroom implementation. The IMPG helped unearth in-depth understanding of teacher learning and change; it provided an analytical lens into the intertwined changes in the individual teachers’ knowledge and the sensitivity of these changes to complex interactions with content and teaching. Implications for teacher professional development are discussed.