Mentor-Assisted, Reflective, Collaborative Teacher Professional Development

The content of this chapter is aimed at expressing, clarifying, and redefining the status quo of teacher professional development (TPD). However, it is not purported to provide the readers with a different approach to TPD; it will delineate the existing theories and practices in the field. Then, the issues will be identified, and suggestions will be made to overcome such complications. The focus is on the professional development of those teachers who have completed their basic training (i.e., in-service teachers). It will address the schools that employ K-12 system of education. However, the scope is not just limited to such schools. The chapter will discuss briefly the assumptions and ratiocinations underlying the teacher professional development movement and the opposing views that exist in this regard. Efforts will be made to clarify the theories, practices, and accordingly, the current trends of reflective practice. The writers will conclude with the argument that the social context provides the basis and is therefore the sine qua non of TPD. It will also be argued that the school-based, mentor-assisted collaboration of teachers can lay the groundwork for an effective program.