In Australia, researchers Lawrence Ingvarson, Marion Meiers and Adrian Beavis in 2005 found that the
most effective professional development programs address content, take an active learning approach, include some form of follow - up on knowledge and involve participants in some form of professional community.
To
design effective professional development programs using the arts, it is essential to understand the personal and institutional factors that enhance or undermine teachers» efforts to use the arts in their own practice and to look at the characteristics and attitudes of teachers who have been able to successfully implement the arts in various ways in their classrooms.
Coaching is an essential component of
an effective professional development program.
Since we lack a plethora of content to distribute, we need to think about ways to create
an effective professional development program for online teachers.
With models such as Loucks - Horsley et al., (2003) and Bell and Gilbert's (2004), which focus on collaboration among teachers,
effective professional development programs can be designed for science teachers to reform their practices.
Ultimately,
this effective professional development program also teaches students how to be persuasive communicators, preparing them for a future of learning, work, and civic engagement.