Successes And Struggles

Literature studies show that the early teaching period is a decisive phase which exerts great influences towards teachers'professional development, and that the first year of beginning teachers is the key phase for their professional adaptation and development. The primary concern of what can teacher education and admission instructions provide the appropriate supporting system with is what beginning teachers will experience. Based on beginning teachers'real experience, surveys, interviews and other related materials, this study proposes and implements a"success-struggle"model, which draws a conclusion that the external policy, in-class/classroom management, content and pedagogy, and personal issues are the factors that most concerns new teachers in the first year. Meantime, based on the author's research and the periodic interviews with five new teachers, the author divides new teachers'professional development in the first year into three phases: honeymoon phase (August-September), struggling phase (October-December), adjustment and reflection phase (January-June). Each phase deals with a different problem. The external policy, in-class/classroom management, content and pedagogy, and personal issues are the major problems confronted by beginning teachers in their first year's teaching. The external policy and in-class/classroom management are the main problem needed to be solved in the honeymoon phase, in-class/classroom and content and pedagogy in the struggling phase, content and pedagogy and personal issues in the adjustment and reflection phase. On this basis, the author analyzes the needs of the beginning teachers in each different factor and the corresponding strategies to help them develop, so as to make contribution to the sound system of teacher education and admission instructions.