BEING A PROFESSIONAL TEACHER

I strongly believe that schools and institutions should foster teamwork and promote collaborative tasks. Personally, I have experienced both individual and enriching collaborative working styles. As teachers, we should study, update, research and share because if we want a change we should start by doing something different.

Early this morning, I read an article in our local newspaper, “LA NACION” Argentina, about Portugal's education system, which achieved the first position in the recent evaluations. The OECD revealed that the achievement was based in strengthening the former and last years of mandatory education, reducing schools’  bureaucracy, reforming rural schools, double shift timetables for primary schools, integrating the three educational levels, master professional training for teachers (6 years in all), competitive salaries for teachers among other policies.

Besides, it included teaching standards, criteria and instruments for appraisals, and consequences on career progression. The system focuses more on accountability (career progression) than on improvement and provides limited opportunities for feedback on strengths and weaknesses in teaching practice. While classroom observation is part of regular performance management in most countries, classroom observations in Portugal are only mandatory in specific cases, such as to obtain an excellent mark in the probationary year or if the teacher received an insufficient mark on the previous appraisal. 

We can make the change and I am sure it is worth trying!