Texas Social Studies Framework - Department of Geography ...

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• The third step is for teachers to work with
someone else in a follow-up activity to reinforce
the new knowledge. This person might be a
curriculum specialist, a trainer, a technical
specialist, or a colleague with expertise in a
specific field. The purpose of this follow-up is to
practice implementation with feedback and
suggestions for adjustment.
• Finally, the teacher works with students, applying
the new information in a classroom setting
and using appropriate assessment models to
determine the effect and influence of the
teacher’s new knowledge on students.
Content is the “what” of staff development and refers to
the skills and knowledge that effective educators need to
possess or acquire. Teachers in Texas express a need for
training in TEKS for Social Studies implementation.
Other areas of content address issues such as recognizing
and addressing the developmental needs of students,
effectively managing the classroom environment,
understanding diversity, thinking and learning, varying
teaching strategies, and assessing performance. Further
content of staff development is determined by needs
identified in the following areas:
• teachers’ knowledge and understanding of
subject matter and skills
• operational methods of social scientists such as
historians, geographers, economists, political
scientists, anthropologists, and sociologists
• district and campus goals
• specific interests and needs of students
• current research about teaching and learning
social studies
• reading strategies
• the writing process
• math tools used for social studies content
• science as it relates to social studies processes
and content
• fine arts and cultural concepts
• technology as a tool for teaching and learning
social studies
Determining the exact content of a given staff development
experience emerges from a careful assessment of
the teacher’s professional needs, the first step in the staff
development process.
Attention to all three categories of staff development,
context, process, and content, is necessary for effective
Chapter 7: Professional Development in Social Studies
and quality staff development. The context defines the
level of support for teachers in pursuit of their staff
development goals and creates the boundaries for
implementation of the process. Fully following the
process ensures understanding and use of the content.
Altogether, procedures that maximize positive and
effective context, process, and content lead to the
ultimate goal of staff development: providing powerful
learning experiences that increase student success.
EXAMPLES OF MODELS OF STAFF
DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIAL STUDIES
Effective staff developers rely on a variety of approaches.
Five distinct models (Sparks and Loucks-Horsley, 1990)
are described here, each of which contributes to an
effective staff development program. An example
relevant to professional development in the social studies
follows each model description.
• Individually guided staff development: In this
model the learner designs the learning activities.
Teachers address their own problems through
careful study and application.
Example: An effective example of individually
guided staff development is the Social Studies
Educator Recognition Program (SSERP),
sponsored and conducted by the Texas Council
for the Social Studies (TCSS) and supported by
SSCED. Teachers participating in this program
identify their staff development needs and then
design their learning activities according to the
elements defined in the SSERP. At the close of
the school year, teachers submit to TCSS a
portfolio that describes their staff development
and its effects on student learning. Teachers who
meet SSERP standards will receive a distinguished
performance award from TCSS.
Teachers not participating in the SSERP process
can design their own staff development and
identify and use resources that will aid them in
professional growth. Such resources include
journal articles, professional videos, workshops
and institutes, mentors, and university course
work. Teachers can proceed individually or
participate in study groups.