Teacher Voice and Choice in Professional Learning: A Framework for Continuous Teacher Professional Development in the Maldives

• In Event: A systemic Approach to Policy Reform through Knowledge and Innovation Exchange: The Case of the Maldives

Proposal

Teacher professional development (TPD) has been widely discussed in the literature as a process that requires teachers’ active voice and choice in the way it is designed for them. Maldivian researchers argue that the way TPD is designed in Maldivian schools brings little to no change to teachers’ pedagogical practices. This paper proposes a TPD framework for teachers to continually involve in their own learning enabling them to build a professional learning community through their participation in the TPD process.
A SWOT analysis of TPD policies along with several conversations on critical analysis of issues involved in the TPD was conducted with a team of six researchers who participated in the Learning Cycle organised by KIX-EAP. The proposed framework, namely, the ‘Fahi Ashi 4Ts’ Model was chosen with the understanding of a space where teachers can engage in ongoing reflective and collaborative learning. The word ‘Fahi’ in the Maldivian local language means ‘future oriented’ while the word ‘Ashi’ means a space where productive discussions and conversations take place. The two words closely align with the ongoing and continuous teacher-professional learning concept.
The ‘Fahi Ashi 4Ts’ Model consists of four sub-platforms (Teacher MOOCs, Teacher Buddy, Teacher Portfolio, and Teacher PLC) combined as one digital space. Each of the sub-platforms has a specific focus to enable teachers to have ongoing learning experiences focusing on improving and reflecting on their pedagogical practices through different forms and means. The four sub-platforms are tightly connected to each other as one indicating that ongoing professional learning could successfully be achieved through teachers’ active voice and choice across the four sub-platforms. The model seeks to:
· Offer opportunities and possibilities for teachers to engage in ongoing professional learning MOOCs are designed in a way that is accessible, flexible, and affordable for all teachers across different regions of the Maldives.
· Open an avenue where teachers can showcase and reflect on their own practice and seek new learning based on evidence collected in teacher portfolios.
· Allow teachers to think more critically about their own practice and become reflective practitioners through the ‘teacher buddy’ platform.
· Enable teachers to participate in a space where they can engage in productive and future-oriented conversations and discussions around enhancing classroom practices via the teacher PLC platform.
The ‘Fahi Ashi’ 4Ts TPD is a promising conceptualisation proposed for the Ministry of Education to accommodate all the learning needs of teachers, focusing on providing equitable, inclusive, quality, and efficient teaching in the education of the Maldives. The ‘Fahi Ashi’ model allows teachers to become part of a wider community and experience more positively towards their own practice. This paper not only contributes to the field of knowledge through its conceptualisation of the TPD model but also opens avenues for Maldivian teachers to participate in a global, ongoing, continuous learning process to become lifelong learners and scholars of their own practice.

Author

• Aminath Shafiya Shafiya, IUM