1. TEACHER LIVES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Dr. James Ko Teachers and Teaching in Context 2014

2. Overview – learning outcomes  Able to develop the concept of professional life cycle (ups & downs & critical incidents)  Able to reflect on the meanings of “being, becoming and belonging” to the teaching profession  Able to construct and reconstruct teacher identity using life history

3. Teacher commitment trends: Case of Hong Kong teachers from 1997 to 2007 — by P.L. Choi & Y.F. Tang(2009) Using Life Histories of 23 teachers to study “Teacher Commitment” and professional life cycle (ups and downs, professionalization, role expectations) (p. 768)  Why life history? The psychological approach neglects the social influences on the person’s internal processes. The sociological approach focus on the interaction between the personality system and the social system.  Teachers vary in their objects and intensity of commitment in different life and career phases.  Teacher commitment : Teaching as a profession, a vocation and a career)  Ups and downs in personal and professional life+ socio-cultural contexts affects but not determines teacher commitment: positive vs negative route.  Commitment to Student (core category)  Commitment to student learning (sub-category)  high expectations  Commitment to Subject discipline (sub-category)  context of teacher-student interaction

4. Teacher commitment trend in Hong Kong Factors affecting teacher commitment (p. 768)  The importance of workplace factors, leadership, teacher autonomy, collaboration, feedback, learning opportunities organizational commitment.  Others like changes in teachers’ work conditions, government intervention in school governance and curricula.  Previous research has indicated that teacher commitment involves the interplay of personal, school organizational and education systemic factors, which are mediated by the wider social historical contexts.

5. Teacher commitment trend in Hong Kong Methods  Research Questions: 1) What characterized teacher commitment in the period of 1997–2007? 2) What were the factors contributing to teacher commitment trends in the period 1997–2007?  Research Method: Life history method (study disciplined subjectivity through interviews and documents)  Data: 1. A full life history interview (2-3 hours) of teachers by telling their personal lived experiences, career histories, critical career, events and professional development experiences. 2. A 60- to 90-min thematic life history interview was conducted on teacher commitment. (indicate their commitment level with 0 representing the lowest and 10 the highest)  Sample Career phaseSexQualificationSchoolMajorRole EarlyMaleT CertPrimaryCoreClass Teacher MidFemaleBachelorSecondaryOthersMiddle Management LatePGDE/MasterMixedRetired

6. Teacher commitment trend in Hong Kong Results: (p. 770)  Work context for teachers from 1997-2007 School downsizing and closure  keen competition for competition for teaching in primary schools from 1998 to 2004.  Image of a committed teacher 1. gives extra time, thought and effort for students, school, and teaching 2. willing to seek improvement, to do things to an excellent standard 3. engaged whole-heartedly, more than merely to fulfill responsibility 4. has a vision and strives to do something right for the students  Trends of teacher commitment 1. More teachers in the mid-career cohort demonstrated a sustained or upward commitment trend; 2. the greatest proportion of teachers with a downward trend was found in the early-career cohort. Cohorts & Years of teaching as at 2007Initial commitmentChangeMagnitude Early-career; 1997-2007 (2-9 years)Mid 4.5 -5.5PositiveStatus Quo (Sustained) Mid-career; 80s-1996 (11-22 years)High Mid 5.6-7.5NegativeTrivial 0.5-2 Late-career; mid60s-70s (29-40 years)High above 7.5Large 2.5 or above

7. Cohorts (years of teaching as at 2007 Category of factorsIncreased commitment Sustained commitment Declined commitment Early-career cohort (2–9 years) Personallove for students try out what was learnt; personal aspiration; less intensification psychic reward; collegial support; achievement recognized N.A. other life commitments; health condition; protect private time; work intensification; no time for students; leadership problems, etc WorkplaceN.A. Education systemicN.A. Mid-career cohort (11–22 years) Personallove for students try out what was learnt; love for school; financial needs devotion to students; avoidance of further; career advancement other life commitments Workplaceincreased responsibilities good leadership increased responsibilities collegial support; achievement recognized; career advancement work intensification; lack recognition; career stagnation; unstable employment, school downsizing & closure policies Education systemicperceptual changenew learning Late-career cohort (29–40 years) Personal love for students; love for school; fulfill aspiration; goal achievement love for students age effect, more quality life; high job demands; unfair personnel Decision; weak school support; mandatory reforms Workplacecollegial support Education systemic

8. Teacher commitment trend in Hong Kong Factors contributing to the increased commitment trend (p. 773-774)  Education systemic factors (e.g. the education reforms ‘‘have changed ways of thinking on some teachers)  Why?: Neither the early- or late-career cohorts related their level of commitment to education systemic factors  Workplace factors  Why?: Teachers in the early and mid-career cohorts made many more references to favorable workplace conditions, none in the late-career cohort gave reasons.

9. Teacher commitment trend in Hong Kong Conclusions (p. 776)  This study echoes previous findings that the ‘student’ remains a strong object of commitment to all teachers, whether they have followed a positive or negative trajectory  ‘love for student’ as a personal value and virtue involves teachers’ active experimentation in their daily interaction with students.  Certain heroes/heroines may thrive and sustain high teacher commitment irrespective of unfavorable external conditions,  the majority of ordinary people needs facilitating workplace and systemic conditions to cultivate and consolidate teachers’ professional virtue.

10. Activity 1 (15-20 mins.)  Use your instructor’s life story to enrich your mini life history case study;  Identify his commitment trend;  Evaluate his magnitude;  Identify factors affecting his commitment trend and magnitude  Reflect on the implications on your teacher identity

11. References  Choi, P.L., & Tang, Y.F. (2009). Teacher commitment trends: Case of Hong Kong teachers from 1997 to 2007. Teaching and Teacher Education, 767-777.