Implementación y Operación del Sistema de Gestión

Is the TAFE teacher a professional? Goode (1969) argued that the term ‘professional’ was inaccurately used in popular language and that

.. many aspiring occupations and semi-professionals will never become professional in the usual sense: they will never reach the levels of knowledge and dedication to service the society considers necessary for a profession (p.276). In order to teach in a TAFE organisation, the government has specific entry requirements. The aspiring TAFE teacher must achieve government accredited qualifications that are necessary at the time of application and receive the relevant documentation. With the establishment of the TAFE Development Centre in 2005, and their stated mission to raise the professional status of the whole Victorian TAFE workforce, the term ‘professional’ may be accurately applied to TAFE teachers.

The literature search revealed three interchangeable terms used to describe teacher expertise, or the use of one’s knowledge in the teaching profession. These were; professional practice; professional performance; and professional development. ANTA (2004) published their definition and broad criteria for professional practice:

Professional practice includes expert knowledge of the field, a deep understanding of underlying principles, accumulated experience in the practice of the profession, a familiarity with recent advances in the professional knowledge base, and mastery of the best available techniques and tools (p.7).

This contrasted considerably with the prescriptive list of criteria (see p.28) communicated by the Victorian Minister for Education and Training, Lynne Kosky (2002). However, in the context of the VET sector, ANTA had earlier selected two terms that had distinct

interpretations and applications for the development of teachers: staff development and professional development (OTTE, 1997 in PETE, 2000, p.2). They reported:

staff development means ‘work-related purposeful learning for individuals and groups, which is negotiated and sponsored by the employer (authors’ emphasis) organization (OTTE, 1997 in PETE, 2000, p.2).

Further they suggested that professional development referred to activities selected by the teacher:

This is in contrast to other development activities undertaken on the initiative of the individual and sponsored by the individual (authors emphasis). For instance, a VET staff member enrolling in a postgraduate course such as a Masters in Education is an example of the individual investing in his or her own professional development (OTFE, 1997 in PETE, 2000, p.4).

Nevertheless, in a 2000 report A new model of work-based learning in the VET sector, ANTA acknowledged that within the VET sector the terms ‘staff development’ and ‘professional development’ were used interchangeably. For the purposes of this research the two terms were also interchangeable. The data for this research did reveal evidence of this practice.

Conceivably, having become a professional engaged in professional practice, there is an inherent assumption that to maintain the status of being a professional the individual will purposefully seek ways to continue to develop and grow in their particular area of

professional practice. From an American perspective, it would seem that central to the purpose of professional development was for teachers to improve student learning. The U.S. Department of Education’s Professional Development Team (1994) argued:

Professional development serves as the bridge where prospective and experienced teachers are now and where they will need to be to meet the new challenges of guiding all students in achieving to higher standards of learning and development (p.1).

America’s North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL, 2001), contended ‘The ultimate worth of professional development for teachers is the essential role it plays in the improvement of student learning’ (p.1). This purpose was embedded in a report published by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (February 2005) Skilling Australia: New Directions for Vocational Education and Training, where students were variously described as: students; clients; members of the workforce; employees;

learners; and adult learners. The paper revealed the goal to offer these individuals and groups high quality skills training. The dominant objective appeared to be achieving benefits for the Australian economy. However, at the Council of Australian Governments meeting on the 10th February 2006, it was implied that the purpose of professional development, as skills

development was beneficial for the individual and the nation.

The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC, 2004), an education data base thesaurus, defined professional development more broadly to encompass ‘activities to enhance

professional career growth’, and cited purposeful activities such as: individual development; continuing education; in-service education; curriculum writing; peer collaboration; study groups; peer coaching or mentoring. The professional development activities cited by ERIC would seem to infer that professional development may be formal, structured learning specifically required by the organisation or selected by the teacher or informal, unstructured learning and include experiences that can occur at home and at work and throughout the life- span of professional employment.

Whilst a literature search revealed differences of opinion about the assumptions, definitions, purposes, applications and experiences of the term ‘professional’ and ‘professional

development’ the term ‘professional development’ appeared to be interchangeable with ‘staff development’, ‘professional education’ and ‘in-service education’. (Wilensky 1964; Goode 1969; Butler 1996; ANTA 2001; ERIC 2004).

Tiezzi (1991) revealed four categories of assumptions that formed the fundamental purposes for professional development. In an educational context, these assumptions influenced the

selection and the type of professional development. The following are a précis of her four categories of assumptions:

• the ‘deficit’ assumption - the teachers need to improve their skills;

• the ‘subordinate assumption’ - the organisation is implementing educational change;

• the ‘unfit’ assumption - the teacher needs curriculum that is ‘teacher proof’;

• the ‘continued growth’ assumption-teachers want to learn about teaching and are interested and willing participants.

These categories of assumptions were useful when analysing the data to investigate the basic types of purposes for professional development when either as directed by management or sought by teachers.

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER, 2005) discussed the role of staff development and cited Martinez, Houghton and Krupska (1998) for recognising a series of significant functions that staff development performed: ‘staff and student attraction and retention, understanding new technologies and practices in the workplace, especially in an industrial context, and in introducing innovative teaching and learning practices into the classroom’ (p.3).

In America, the NCREL (1994, pp.1-3) noted that some of the assumptions that had traditionally driven professional development had led to disappointment with in-service activities. Some of these assumptions were: professional development is relevant; the number of in-service days is sufficient; there are always positive outcomes for all professional

development; ‘experts’ successfully ‘transferred’ their knowledge to teachers; it is more effective for teachers to listen to guest speakers; professional development is an ‘add-on’ and a ‘luxury’ (NCREL, 1994, p.1). Arguably, it would seem that further underlying assumptions are that individuals are capable of judging professional development needs, capable of self- direction and able to initiate learning and therefore will learn more effectively.