Teacher Professional Development for
Quality Education for All (EFA):
Policies，Research，Innovative
Practices and Capacity Building
25 - 27 October 2006
Shanghai, China
Sponsored by
East China Normal University
Chinese National Commission for UNESCO
UNESCO Asia-Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education (APNIEVE)
Supported by
UNESCO International Bureau of Education
UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education
UNESCO Teacher Education Section, Division of Higher Education, HQs
Organized by
International Center of Teacher Education, East China Normal University
UNESCO-APEID Associated Center at East China Normal University
2nd International Forum on Teacher Education
Teacher Professional Development for Quality Education for All:
Policies, Research，Innovative Practices and Capacity Building
25 - 27 October, 2006 Shanghai, China
Professional competent of teachers is a key determining factor and a major dimension of quality education. The Dakar Framework for Action for Education for All (EFA), adopted by UNESCO Member States and the international community (2000), and called for action on the EFA goal of “over-all improvement of quality of education at all levels” in UNESCO Member States, professional development of teachers has been a growing area of policy concern, educational research, and innovative practices at classroom, school, local and system level. The Global EFA Monitoring Report 2005 (UNESCO, 2004) focuses on “the Quality Imperative as a most important challenge of education”.
As part of the efforts by the international community in promoting the achievement of EFA goals, UNESCO-ILO launched a flagship program on “Teachers and Quality in EFA”, and pilot projects have been implemented in East and South-East Asia and some other regions. East China Normal University and UNESCO co-sponsored the First International Forum on Teacher Education in October 2005 on “Teacher Education Reform, Teacher Professional Standards and School-based Teacher Development”, which was well received and attended by over 200 participants from over 20 countries. In the 4th EFA High-Level Group Meeting (November 2004, Brasilia, Brazil), focus was placed on investing in teachers and teacher education aimed at improvement of quality of education for all.
Teacher professional development has been recognized as a long-term process that includes formal and informal experiences and opportunities planned systematically to promote growth and development in the profession. It implies not only acquisition of knowledge in subject matter but the development of complex pedagogical skills and promotion of ethical values and attitudes.
The Forum will be sponsored by:
· East China Normal University, which is a leading teacher education university in China, was outstanding programmes in teacher education, where a UNESCO Chair on Teacher Education was set up by UNESCO in 2004.
· Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, which is the official partner of UNESCO for all programmes implemented in China and which as an inter-sectoral agency for inter-government cooperation, consists of ministries/states bureaus of related sectors.
· UNESCO-APNIEVE (Asia-Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education), which is an international regional organization, consisted of more than a dozen member countries and devoted to international education and (moral, ethical, citizenship, cultural) values education at different levels.
The forum will be supported by International Bureau of Education; UNESCO Teacher Education Section, Division of Higher Education, HQs; UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. Co-sponsorship is still being sought from other governmental and nongovernmental as well as civil society organizations.
For development of teacher professionalism, as a profession (as of law and medicine), both generic and subject-specific teacher professional standards should be established. The absence or limited articulation of professional teaching standards implies that teaching is more likely to be regarded as an “occupation” than a “profession”. UNESCO has been encouraging educational authority of its Member States to involve stakeholders in the development of professional teaching standards.
Developing and implementing standards of professional practices to reflect a new model of teacher professionalism has emerged as a priority in some countries UNESCO Member States across the globe. Professional teaching standards help to make teachers’ knowledge and competencies more explicit, as well as provide a powerful mechanism for defining/communicating what constitutes “good teaching”. They can also provide a useful framework for ongoing professional learning.
In setting up standards for teacher professional development, a collaborative and cooperative approach will be useful in such efforts as the generating of guiding principles and common framework for teacher standards at national, regional or international levels.
In some countries “national statement from the profession” was produced collaboratively to guide the development of standards. Proposals were made to explore the concept of a “common standards framework” (e.g. knowledge, skills, values, practices) and UNESCO Asia-Pacific Bureau for education (Bangkok) sponsored concept papers and seminars in promoting the development of teacher professional standards (Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2003; Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2004; Shanghai, China, 2004, 2005). Meanwhile caution is taken that while the setting of teacher/teaching professional standards is promoted, care is take that the efforts are not wished to “standardization” or uniformity. Instead, country of system-specific of teaching standards in diverse settings in encouraged as in the case of diversification of educational content and methods.
Major trends are emerging in teacher professional development, whereby we see shifts from “teacher training” to “teacher professional learning”, from short-term training course to “careers-long development”, and from top-down approach in university lectures to school-based peer/collegial development of self-development.
Teacher professional development is linked and contributes to major dimensions of quality education. Professionally competent teachers make part of supportive learning environment; they are part of creative curriculum designers and implementers; they will be better facilitators of effective and creative learning; they enable a closer school-community partnership; and through them appropriate evaluation of student learning achievement and assessment of educational quality could be ensured. Research findings and evidences from practice prove that teacher professional development has significant positive impacts on teachers’ knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and behaviors. It improves student learning achievement and performance; it is also a key factor of effective, successful educational reform at school and system level.
Promoting teacher professional development involves supporting teacher professional growth and enhancing teaching effectiveness. Professional development has varied dimensions. Different models and types of teacher professional development have been implemented in different countries and context.
From different forms of university-school partnerships to case-based study, from teachers’/schools’ networks to self-directed or cooperative/collegial development, teachers, school headmasters and educational policy-makers have been actively involved in the community of practices innovations.
The Forum aims to promote teacher professional development as a key factor of improved quality of Education for All through policy dialogue, educational research, innovative practices and capacity building at institutional, national and international levels. Specifically, the Forum is to achieve four-fold objectives:
1. to facilitate policy dialogue on emerging issues in teacher professional development and promote teacher/teaching professional standards’ setting for the yardstick of teacher competencies;
2. to promote research studies by both scholars and teachers as researchers/ reflective practioners on dimensions of teacher professional development;
3. to exchange innovative practices and share models of teachers professional development in diversified national contexts and cultural settings; and
4. to promote capacity building at institutional, national and international levels for teacher development and education quality improvement.
The International Forum will take place on 25-27 October 2006, at East China Normal University, Shanghai, P. R. China. Simultaneous interpretation between Chinese and English will be provided at the opening/closing ceremony and all plenary sessions. Other translation service will also provided upon the needed.
In view of teacher development as elaborated above, the central theme of the Forum is defined as “Teacher Professional Development for Quality Improvement in Education for All”.
Sessions of the Forum will be organized around four sub-themes:
· Teacher professional standards for professional development
· Policy issues and research studies in promoting teacher professional development
· Models, systems and approaches of teacher professional development practices
· Inter-institutional and inter-country cooperation in promoting teacher professional development
While keynote or guest speakers will be financially supported, a registration fee will be charged for each participant. The fee contribution covers: 1) a set of information materials/books prepared by organizers; 2) a collection of abstracts and selected papers contributed by participants; 3) a welcome dinner plus art performance; 4) translation services; 5) lunch and tea/coffee during breaks; 6) directory of Participants; 7) transportation for field visits to schools; and 8) a group photo and a CD containing papers, etc. Please find the detailed rates in the attached Registration Form.
The Forum will organize three 2-hour plenary sessions respectively on the four sub-themes, with three keynote speeches/presentations for each. Thematic or topical of Special-Interest-Group sessions or panels, workshops will also be organized on aspects of the central and sub-themes, which participants are encouraged to initiate or propose and Chair/coordinate. Field trips will be organized for participants to dialogue with school headmaster, observe classes and have in-depth discussion with teachers on dimension of teacher development and professional learning in national/local contexts.
Participants will be informed of a preliminary schedule at later time, along with the second announcement; potential participants could access the information by visiting the Forum website at www.icte.ecnu.edu.cn.
An abstract of 300-400 words should be sent to the Forum Secretariat by email at icte@admin.ecnu.edu.cn or by fax at (86-21) 6223-7101 by 31 August 2006. The deadline for submission of the full text or PPT is set for 30 September 2006.
University guest house and 3/4/5 star hotels, with different rates, will be reserved for Forum participants, who could make their own choices. Information on the reserved hotels will be provided in the later announcement.
Expression of interest in participation in the Forum should be made by filling the Registration Form, which could be downloaded form Forum website and which should be sent to the Forum secretariat by email at icte@admin.ecnu.edu.cn or by fax at (86-21) 6223-7101.
The international participant once confirmed acceptance of papers/participation, will be sent an official letter of invitation from relevant Chinese authority for visa issuance from a near-by Chinese Embassy of consulate. International participants need provide information on passport numbers in the Registration Form.
For further information, inquires and submission of papers, potential participants could contact the secretariat of the Forum Organizing Committee at the following:
International Center of Teacher Education，East China Normal University
· Zhongshan Road (N) 3663, Shanghai 200062, P. R. China
· Phone: (86+21)6223-7101; (86+21)-6223-5737
· Fax: (86+21) 6223-7101
· Email: icte@admin.ecnu.edu.cn
· Website: http://www.icte.ecnu.edu.cn