What Professional Learning and Support do Teachers Really Need?

Teaching, like any other profession, requires ongoing learning and support. Teacher burnout, demoralization and stress has caused a number of teaching casualties in the form of medical leaves and teachers quitting the profession. "Teachers are required to draw on an extensive repertoire of cognitive and interpersonal skills often under high-stress situations" (Hepburn & McMahon, 2017). As a result, in Australia for example "up to 50% of graduates" leave the teaching profession within the first five years (Hepburn & McMahon, 2017).

According to the author of "Demoralized: Why teachers leave the profession they love and how can they stay," teachers are feeling demoralized due to the fact that their well-being and the well-being of students, is being sidetracked (Walker, 2018). The idea of 're-moralization' or re-invigoration of teachers is not far-fetched. In fact, teachers can be re-invigorated about their profession and about their own teaching practice.

Here are some ways, that teachers can re-invigorate and re-gain strength in the teaching profession:

1. Increased Collaboration and Collegial Support. This can come in the form of time dedicated on a weekly basis to collaboration and support from colleagues either within the school or from neighbouring schools. This avenue opens up possibilities for moderating marking, co-planning of integrated tasks and time to problem solve with others about challenging situations in the classroom.

2. Mindfulness/Meditation Training. The opportunity to learn about how Mindfulness/Meditation can 'exercise our minds' thereby increasing cognitive focus, improved working memory, attention and a sense of calm, is not to be squandered. In the book, Altered Traits, Goleman and Davidson claim that "mounting empirical studies confirm our early hunches: sustained mind training alters the brain both structurally and functionally" (Goleman & Davidson, 2017).

3. Professional Learning and Support which is Introspective. The ability for a teacher to reflect upon their own practices and find ways to improve those practices is really the most impactful way to change or upgrade current approaches to pedagogy. The ability to question, try, and learn from our own mistakes cannot be replaced with any top down, heavy handed, "thou shalt" instructions on what teachers should be doing in their classrooms. Change comes from within, via a self-reflective, iterative process when conditions are supportive and encourage autonomy, mastery and purpose.

It is without question that ongoing "professional development (PD) is the best possible answer to meet complex challenges and benefit the individual and the school system" (Steyn, 2010). In the research, Steyn went on to say "PD should be customised and . . . it should recognise that different teachers will respond differently to the same circumstances" (Steyn, 2010). Undeniably so, PD has to be responsive, allow for self-reflection and depend upon the readiness of each teacher.