Chapter 2: effective professional development—what we now know

There have been increased calls from around the world for greater commitments to designing professional development (PD) opportunities for practicing teachers. Three major forces are propelling this increased attention on PD: the education standards movement, professional organizations, and a call for research on teaching. First, the standards movement in education has highlighted the professional needs of teachers. Higher standards for both teachers and students have been established by content area specialists and learned societies (National Association for Sport and Physical Education [NASPE], 2002, 2004). The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) created a certifi cation process based on a set of assessments concerning teaching and student learning in physical education. Participation is voluntary and teachers who pass often view this as a positive PD experience. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has established performance-based standards for the preparation of preservice and in-service teachers that teacher preparation programs strive to achieve. NASPE Standard 8 addresses becoming a “refl ective practitioner and its contribution to overall professional development . . .” (NASPE, 2003, p. 17). The standards movement has affected PD programs in physical education. Providing different and better educational experiences for children raises the expectations we have for children and the teachers who teach them. Professional development opportunities are seen as critical mechanisms to facilitate teacher learning.