Document Type

Conference Paper

Department

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

Abstract

This paper highlights the strategies and approaches employed to bring about positive changes in the attitude and behavior of the teachers and enhance their sense of professionalism in a girl’s high school of Gilgit Baltistan Pakistan. In addition to that, it illuminates the successes, challenges and the influence of these strategies and approaches on the overall school environment. These interventions were part of the one year long whole school improvement program(WSIP) exercised by PDCN in the academic year 2009-10 of the particular school. The strategies started with vision building, team building and task delegation, distributing the leadership and teacher empowerment, emotional intelligence sessions and workshops on professional ethics for teachers. After this initial platform building, regular sessions of reflective dialogues, maintaining professional portfolios, managing the student’s and teacher’s behavior were made the daily culture of the school. Additionally, individual and group counseling, mentoring, peer coaching and calling guest speakers on special issues were made the regular practices of the school life. The interventions resulted into the positive attitudinal, behavioral and value based changes in teachers’ personalities and their outlook toward the profession. After few months a learning culture and enthusiasm for the profession was quite visible in the attitude and behaviors’ of the teachers. Their sense of achievement and ownership of their accomplishments, voluntarily preparing and gathering materials for their lessons and portfolios as lifelong learners were some of the characteristics of the school culture. Our yearlong experiences at the school, leading and facilitating the change, realized us the significance of the value based professional development of the teachers particularly focused on the attitude, behavior and professional ethics. Therefore, in the light of the experiences we suggest for the policymakers and teacher educational institutions, to design and deliver tailor made programs in the above mentioned areas.

Publication (Name of Journal)

In Search of Relevance and Sustainability of Educational Change : An International Conference at Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development, November 1-3, 2012

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