Professional development in the education field

It is the intention of this paper to approach some important issues which underlie being professional teachers, relating them to the article by Howley and Howley (2005). First of all, a description of a possible relation between high-quality teaching and teachers’ professional development will be described. Secondly, the discourse markers present in their article will be listed and their use as a means of producing academic writing will be succinctly discussed. Finally, the use of management strategies in professional development in the education field will be briefly addressed.

Howley and Howley (2005) commence their article with the presupposition that high-quality teaching, and the subsequent students’ high level of achievement, very much depend upon teachers’ professional development. According to the authors, people involved in education – from those who provide the sources of guidance for action (policymakers) to the ones who implement these in the classroom (teachers) – believe that the quality of student achievement is directly associated with professional development.

In view of that, it seems that the more teachers do to improve their teaching, the better their performance in the classroom is and the higher their students’ success in accomplishing the set goals. However, the fact that teachers take action regarding their professional development does not necessarily mean that classroom instruction will foster high student achievement. Traditional teaching might persist even after educators participate in professional development courses (Howley & Howley, 2005). At any rate, these authors state that it is teachers’ knowledge of subject matter that is more associated with students’ learning.

The use of discourse markers is my second point of discussion. They are “words … [or phrases] that provide a connection between ideas in written [and oral] language” (Macmillan dictionary, n.d.). They bind together different parts of discourse, thus contributing to the meaning of the message. They might be simple conjunctions, like or and but, or they might be more formal connectors like nevertheless and with regard to. They are more frequently used in writing, but they are also present in formal oral speech.

The use of discourse markers is of utmost importance since, without them, a piece of writing would not seem logically constructed. Furthermore, using them is vital in professional academic writing since it is “only at the professional level [that] academic writing [can] be consistently characterized as knowledge making” (Mac Donald, 1994, as cited in Pintos, 2008, p. 25). Nevertheless, care must be taken to avoid overusing them.

An appropriate distribution in use of discourse markers is displayed in the text by Howley and Howley (2005): There are certain simple conjunctions that appear repeatedly in the article: and (to express addition), but (to express contrast), or (to express choice), because (to express reason) and so (to express consequence) among others. Other more formal discourse markers which also emerge from the text have been listed in the following outline in an attempt to classify them according to their function:

1. Concessive: They indicate that the content of the sentence “exists” despite the content in the preceding/following sentence/clause. Examples: though – however – nevertheless – despite – even though.

2. Additive: They indicate that the content of the sentence is in addition to the preceding one. Examples: in addition – furthermore - moreover – as well as - at the same time.

3. Generalizing: They generalize the content of what was stated in previous sentences. Examples: in the main - in general.

4. Resultative: They indicate that the content of the sentence is a result of the events expressed in the preceding sentence. Examples: as a result – because of this.

5. Enumerative: They indicate items on a list of propositions. Examples: first – second.

6. Reinforcing: They assert the truth of what follows, despite contrary expectations. Example: in fact.

7. Replacive / Antithetic: They indicate that the content of the sentence is in contrast to the content of the preceding sentence. Examples: rather than - instead of – alternatively.

8. Appositive: They rephrase / exemplify the preceding sentence. Examples: for example - for instance - that is (i.e.).

(Quirk & Greenbaum, 1995)

With regard to my third and last statement in the introduction, professional development might actually serve to improve schools’ instruction but only under certain principles, one of which emphasizes the need for an “open and sustained dialog among members of the organization” (Senge, 1994 in Howley & Howley, 2005). The fact that some improvement tactics are “[g]rounded in management approaches …” entails the application of business management strategies in the pursuance of professional development, by involving educators in the establishment of standards and assessment of their performance (Howley & Howley, 2005, Data-based Improvement section, para. 1). In short, together with educators’ reflective inquiry and the existence of professional learning communities, data-based improvement rooted in management enhances teaching quality and hence, professional development.

In summary, being a professional teacher seems to imply certain principles which any person who attempts to be a professional should be guided by, and which relate not only to acquiring new knowledge and skills to be updated, but also reflecting and being responsible and autonomous (Banfi, 1997, cited in Pintos, 2008). Connected with this, any professional who endeavours to develop knowledge through academic writing, should do so with the aid of discourse markers, which become indispensable in the construction of logical text, especially at the professional level, and therefore generating awareness of quality in the organizational processes which developing professionally demands.

References

discourse marker. (n.d.) In Macmillan Dictionary online. Retrieved December 28, 2009, from
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/discourse-marker

Howley, A., & Howley, C. B. (2005). High-quality teaching: Providing for rural teachers' professional development. The Rural Educator. Retrieved August 23, 2009, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4126/is_200501/ai_n13591361

Pintos, V. (2008). Unit 1: Building up a community of teachers and prospective researchers. Universidad CAECE: Buenos Aires, Argentina. Retrieved August 30, 2009, from http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=2730

Quirk, R., & Greenbaum, S. (1995). A University Grammar of English. Essex, England: Longman.