Towards the Development of a Dynamic Approach to Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

In this introductory chapter, we describe the background of the proposed dynamic approach to teacher training and professional development. The main developments in the theory of, and research into, teacher effectiveness are also outlined. It is argued that the area of teacher training and professional development needs to establish a theory-driven and evidence-based approach. This approach should take into account the strengths and weaknesses of the two traditional approaches to teacher training and the validated theoretical models of teacher effectiveness, which acknowledge the dynamic perspective of education and refer to relations between multiple factors of effectiveness. It is claimed that the development of this framework could contribute to the improvement of policy, research and practice of teacher training and professional development. Finally, the aims of this book and its structure are outlined.