The Stages of

Teacher
Development
and
New andConcerns
Beginning Teachers

Learning Outcomes
Identify the different stages of
concern in teacher development
Trace the time line of a teacher
Describe some of the challenges of a
beginning teacher
Identify the types of professional
development available for continuing
lifelong learning

As a
teacher..

Lifes greatest gift is the opportunity

to throw oneself into a job that puts
meaning and hope into the lives of
other people. Seizing this opportunity is
the surest way to put meaning and
hope into ones own life.
Martin Haberman

Survey Question
What are the most commonly reported
challenges of beginning teachers as
reported by beginning teachers?

Beginning Teachers Most

Often Report These
Challenges:
9. Relations with colleagues
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.

Students personal problems

Insufficient materials and supplies
Evaluating student work
Planning class work
Parent relations
Dealing with individual differences
Motivating students
Classroom discipline

Time Crunchers Frequently

Reported
by Beginning Teachers
After-School
Activities
Coaching
Lesson Planning
Extra-Duty
Assignments
Grading Papers
Meetings
Finding Instructional
Resources
Painting Murals

Preparing for Parent

Conferences
Decorating the
Classroom
Tutoring
Modifying Lessons
Catching Up on
Paperwork
Classroom Cleanup

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What Would a
Beginning Teacher
Say in?
Jan through March
April through July
August through November

 Consider what a beginning teacher would say

during these different times of the school year.
Also, think about what a beginning teacher looks
like.
For example, in January the beginning teacher
looks energetic, is smiling, and says, I am so
excited about having my own class.
Just think about what beginning teachers
generally look and sound like :
(a) early in the year,
(b) during the middle of the year, and
(c) at the end of the year.
Take 3 minutes to write your own thoughts and,
then, 5-7 minutes to share ideas with your table
group. Use a round-robin strategy in which one
person talks and all others listen. Then the next
person talks. Only at the end do all of you have a
table group discussion.

Profesional Life Span of A

New Teacher :
The beginning of a teaching career for
some may be charged with excitement,
challenge, and exhilarating success. For
others, the first year of teaching may
seem to be confusing, uncontrollable, filled
with unsolvable problems, and threatened
by personal defeat and failure. For many,
beginning to teach is a unique and more
balanced mixture of success, problems,
surprises, and satisfactions.
(Johnston & Ryan, 1983)
ipba

Phases of First Year Teachers

Attitude Towards Teaching
Roller Coaster Ride!

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My Journey
as a New Teacher..

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Phases of the First Year

Anticipation

Anticipation

Reflection
Rejuvenation

Survival

Disillusionment
Jan Feb Mac Apr
Sept Oct Nov Dec

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Phases of Teaching
Revisited
Anticipation

Anticipation

Reflection
Survival

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sept

Aug

Jul

Jun

May

April

Disillusionm
ent
Mac

Feb

Jan

Rejuvenation

Reading Task.
Phases of First Year Teaching
Read and highlight some of the
aspects that are significant in each
phase

Brief Overview of the

Phases of First Year Teaching

Anticipation - Looking forward to what will be

happening in the classroom. Jan, Feb

I am elated to get the job but terrified abt going

from the simulated experience of student teaching to

being the person completely in charge

Survival Feb & March, realities set in.

Facing problems they do not have experience
in addressing them. Struggle to keep heads
above water

I thought Id be busy, sth like student teaching,but this

is crazy. Im feeling like Im constantly running. It is hard
to focus on other aspects of my life

 Disillusionment April- Jun is hit-the-wall

time. Extensive time commitmentseventy
hours per week; Highly stressed; Self-doubt;
Lower self-esteem; Non stop schedule may
affect health and sense of confidence.
Beginning teachers begin to doubt
their career choices. They wonder,
Should I go back to school and change
my profession?
Parent-teacher conference, evaluation by
principals, major source of distress
classroom management

 Rejuvenation - marks a transition brining

a clearer sense of the realities July
September . As one reflected on the first
half of ones year, one was amazed at how
much one had accomplished and learned

I am really excited about my story writing

center, although the organisation of it has at
times been haphazard. Story telling has definitely
revived my journals
A sense of relief that you have made it through
the first half of the year

 Reflection - best time for reflection is the

last week or two of the year. Take stock of
the work done. October December. As
one thinks back, there are things one would
never try again or would choose to do very
differently

Mentors/Senior teachers are essential in

helping the protg look back.
I think that for next year, Id like to start the letter
puppets earlier in the year to introduce the kids to
more letters

 Reflection is important throughout

the year. Reflecting gets better. More
can be done. Much is gained from
reflecting together.
Begin again with
Anticipation!
Jan - March

Developmental Levels
of Concern
A study by Fuller (1969) asked
educators to describe their
main concerns. The study
resulted in the identification of
three developmental levels of
concern.

Take a minute now to quietly reflect on how

you would answer the following question.

What is your primary

concern as a teacher?

Developmental
Levels of Concern
Theory
- Fuller, 1969
Impact Stage
Task Stage

Survival Stage

Stage 1
The SURVIVAL Stage

Stage One

Survival Stage

Self
Survival Stage
Matches
Anticipation &
Survival Phase

teachers in this stage are

SELF

Some key Survival Stage

questions are . . .
- How am I doing?
- Will I make it?
- Do others approve of
my performance?
.trying to keep our heads above water

Stage 1: The Survival Stage

Appropriate Mentoring
Behaviors
Look for opportunities to provide specific
praise.

Express interest in shared ideas.

Empathize by sharing experiences.
Reflect on things that are going well, on
successes as well as on setbacks.
Participate in social as well as professional
activities.
Share your coping skills, and encourage a
balanced life that includes time for self,
family, and friends.

Stage 2
The TASK Stage

Stage Two
Stage One

Task Stage

Survival Stage

Task Stage
Disillusionment
Phase
Survival Stage

teachers in this stage

Time
and

Task

Some key Task Stage

questions are . . .

Is there a better way?

How can I do all that is
expected of me?
- How can I improve this?
Able to stay afloat by dog paddling. Start to learn
some other strokes

Stage 2: The Task Stage

Appropriate Mentoring
Behaviors
Prioritize the many tasks that must be
completed.

Share lesson plans.

Share your methods of more efficiently
accomplishing common teaching and
management tasks.
Speak with or observe colleagues who
demonstrate exemplary practice.
Reflect on motives for pursuing a particular
task.

Stage 3
The Impact Stage
Stage Three
Stage Two

Impact Stage

Task Stage

Impact Stage
Rejuvenation &
Reflection Phases

Task Stage

Survival Stage

Stage One

Survival
Stage

teachers in this stage

are primarily focused

Student Outcomes

Some key Impact Stage

questions are . . .

- Are students learning?

- How can I support student
achievement?
- Is my work meaningful to
students?
we know a variety of strokes and can save ourselves
(and others) in the water.

Stage 3: The Impact

Stage
Appropriate Mentoring
Behaviors
Engage in collegial dialogue that focuses on
meeting the needs of individual learners.
Discuss complex teaching strategies.
Collaborate with or observe outstanding
teachers who model best practices.
Reflect on how students are different as a
result of your work.

The Triarchic Approach

During your practicum and most
important as a beginning teacher,
always.
Think
Analytically

Think
Creatively

Think
Practically

Remember...
The

Teacher
Reflection

Teaching
Behaviors

Reflecting on your teaching and knowing behaviors that work are only
part of the whole Teaching episode
People become expert teachers. They are not the product of sudden
insight.

Continuing on.
Stages of Teacher
Development

Definition of Concern
The composite representation of the
feelings, preoccupation, thought, and
consideration given to a particular
issue or task is called concern.
Hall & Hord, p. 61

Stages of Concern
One-legged interview

Open-ended concerns
statement
Stages of Concern
questionnaire

IMPACT

Identifying Stages of
Concern
Stages of Concern
Expressions of Concern

SELF

TASK

Stage 6:
Refocusing

I have some ideas about

something that would work even
better.

Stage 5:
Collaboration

I am concerned about relating

what I am doing with what my coworkers are doing.

Stage 4:
Consequence

How is my use/innovation affecting

clients?

Stage 3:
Management

I seem to be spending all of my

time getting materials ready.

Stage 2: Personal

How will using it affect me?

Stage 1:
Informational

I would like to know more about it.

Stage 0:

Hall & Hord, p. 69; Hall et al., 1979

I am not concerned
about it.

Activity
Select the suitable interventions for
each Stage of Concerns

Interventions

Stage 6, Refocusing

Respect and encourage teacher

interests
Channel their ideas and energies; act
on their
concerns.

Stage 5, Collaboration

Provide opportunities to develop

skills needed
to work collaboratively
Rearrange schedules so people can
collaborate

Stage 4, Consequence

Provide positive feedback and

needed support
Provide opportunities for teachers to
share
knowledge and skills

Stage 3, Management

Answer specific how to questions

Avoid considering future impact at
this time

Stage 2, Personal

Address potential
personal
Hall, George, &
Rutherford, concerns
1986

A second year teachers

voice.
These first years have taught me to know
my weak sides as a teacher. I have to
develop my skills. I noticed my weak points
thanks to the self-analysis. But sometimes I
think that I analyse myself too much
The tasks that life throws in front of us
should not be this difficult, because at one
point the question arises how big a price
should I pay for becoming a good teacher?
However, I like my job and I have always
been proud of saying that Im a teacher.

Stages of Mastery
Trotter (1986)* discusses 5 stages of mastery one
goes through in the process of achieving mastery
of any field:
Novice
Advanced Beginner
Competent
Proficient
Expert
* Trotter, R. (1986). The mystery of mastery. Psychology Today, 20(7), 32-38.

Novice Teachers
In the 1st year
In the beginning years 2nd-- 5th
New to the School or State
Limited Ability, Minimal Skills
Performance Considered Marginal

Who are Novice

Teachers?
Almost 2/3 of beginning teachers are

younger than 25 years

42% have just finished college/U and have
never taught before
Are usually single, in debt or are
financially struggling
Are likely to teach outside their field
Have technology skills
May be more informed about multicultural
issues

Novice Teacher Qualities

Willing & Eager

Responsive

Collaborative &
Cooperative

Values Mentors
Help

Shows Initiative
Receptive
Requests
Feedback

Self-Analytic &
Reflective
Committed

What we need is..

More Swimming
&
Less Sinking

Novice
Learns to recognize various
objective facts, initial concepts,
and specific rules
This stage is the beginning of
the preparation of becoming a
professional educator.

Advanced Beginner
Learns to recognize facts and
elements not defined in the Novice
Stage and learns more sophisticated
rules
This stage continues your
development in your undergraduate
program. Your undergraduate training
ends with a student teaching
experience.

Competent
Begins
to recognize more context-free and
3.
situational elements; simplifies and improves
performance; begins to problem-solve
Begins as you accept full-time employment as
a professional educator. It generally takes
2-5 years of on-the-job training for a
person to become a competent professional
educator.
Many teachers never achieve this level
because they do not gain enough
experience.

Proficient
Learns to identify quickly the
important elements of the task;
develops rapid fluid style based on
intuitive understandings
Only a small percentage of
professional educators ever reach
this stage. These are the teachers
one normally thinks about when
we remember the teachers who
had the most influence on us.

Proficient
Individual's style begins to be
expressed and experience (rather
than school training) begins to be
a major factor in performance.
.

Expert
Experience-based holistic
recognition of similarity leads to
natural, fluid performance that
almost always works
We may only interact with a handful
in our entire education experience.
These teachers are widely
recognized as superior. They are also
likely to be mentors for teachers who
desire to become like them.

Expert
At your stage of development, it is
important to remember that it takes
years of training and experience to
become a competent, let alone a
proficient or expert teacher.
All we ask at this point is that you work
hard and try to learn from your mistakes.
However, you need not feel guilty when
you make mistakes; it comes with being
in your stage of development.

Becoming a Master
Teacher
Both critical thinking and selfregulation are necessary to attain
the level of competence.
As these activities become
habitual, movement to the
proficiency and expertise levels
becomes possible

Expert Teachers have Expert

Knowledge
Let us examine some of the qualities
of expert teachers.
Expert teachers have gained greater
knowledge through their experiences.
They do not appear to have better
memory in general.

Types of Expert
Knowledge
Content Knowledge
Pedagogical Knowledge
Pedagogical-content Knowledge

Organization of Expert
Knowledge

Experts
Deep Structure

Novices
Surface Structure

Implications for Teaching

Teachers become expert by learning
from experience.
Teachers become expert by growing
in efficiency.
Teachers become expert by
developing their insights.

Scenario Planning
Building Partnership
Culture Management
Org. Ldrshp & Mgmt.
Knowledge Mgmt.
Learning Org.
Training and Dev.
Org. Ldrshp & Mgmt.
Systems Thinking
Change Mgmt.

Instructional Ldrshp.
Conflict Mgmt.
Team Building
Creativity & Innovation
Relationship & Networking
Interpersonal
Strategic Mgmt.

Content Pedagogy
Information Mgmt.
Quality Mgmt.
Staff Dev.
Action Research
Etiquette
Content Pedagogy
Communication
Technological Learning.
School Improvement
Performance Mgmt.
Community Dev.

Life long Learning

Organization as a context for workplace
learning and professional development

Socialisation in organisation/ in
profession
Social dimension
Sotsiaalne dimensioon

Professional
Professional knowledge development of
teacher
and
skills dimension

Developing teaching
competences

Personal
dimension

Developing professional
identity

Teacher
training

Lesson
observation

Writing
reflections and
cases

Activities that promote

teacher development

Attending
Seminars

Feedbacks
on lessons

Continuing Professional Development

A professional knowledge
base
The knowledge of teachers is
about teaching their subject to
pupils
- Subject geography or English
- Subject pedagogy

- Action research

The view and methods of the teacher

are consistent with the view and
teaching approach the teacher wants
to encourage in students

Swennen, Korthagen & Lunenberg, 2004

In teaching
Consciously model
Be explicit
Legitimize what you model

Model
It is modelling the processes,
thoughts and knowledge of a teacher
in a way that demonstrates the why
or the purpose of teaching: it is not
creating a template of teaching for
unending duplication

Be explicit
Teachers need to make their teaching
explicit, so the modelling is brought to a
conscious level of the student.
This requires a high-level of metacognition, it is verbalizing the reflection-inaction, (Schn, 1983) the tacit part of
professional knowledge in teaching

Legitimize
Underpin what you model with theory
that teachers know or should know
Swennen, Korthagen & Lunenberg, 2004

Continuing Professional
Development

Conferences (annual)
Research and Development
Centres (RDCs)
Projects
Publications

RIGHT ATTITUDES TO TEACHING

Learning = Growing