Case Studies On The Development And Teaching Practice Of Novice, Proficient And Expert Teachers

Teacher professional development is a hot topic in the field of education research in recent years, also is a subject of great theoretical significance which is put forward by our country basic education reform. According to relevant researches at home and abroad, a conclusion can be drawn that teachers’teaching philosophy and methods are subject to their teachers’teaching methods, training programs, teaching practice and peers’supports. Of course, it is inseparable from the teachers’learning, active exploration, teaching reflection and research.In this study, narrative inquiry and case study are adopted to collect data by interviewing three middle school English teachers of novice, proficient and expert teachers and reading their teaching reflective journals, so as to understand their growth experiences, teaching belief and skills. Specific research questions are:1) What is the key difference between the non-expert (novice and proficient) and the expert teachers?2) How can a novice grow into a proficient or expert teacher?3) What reasons promote the expert teachers’expertise to develop?The results show that:1. The key difference between non-expert and expert teachers lies in their different responses to the work environment. Expert teachers are more adept at creating an environment conducive to learning English.2. If novice teachers want to become proficient or expert teachers, they should:love the educational business, constantly explore and experiment, often accept teacher trainings, ask for advice humbly and work in cooperation.3. The aggressive personality characteristic is the critical factor affecting the formation and development of the expertise, which plays a decisive role in the growth of expert teachers.The purpose of this study is to find out the characteristics of the expertise, the process of formation and the influent factors, promote us to understand that the expertise is a progress and provide the participants with useful feedback. Due to the adoption of narrative inquiry method, the validity, reliability and generalization of the research need to be improved.This thesis consists of six chapter altogether. Chapter One introduces the origin, aims, significance of the research and then the organization of the thesis. Chapter Two is about literature review of relevant researches on teacher professional development and the development of novice, proficient and expert teachers. In Chapter Three, the whole research design is laid out, including the research participants, research methods, data collection and data analysis. Chapter Four presents the process of three English teachers’professional development. Chapter Five examines the classroom behaviors of three English teachers and describe the knowledge development embedded in these behaviors. The teaching practice such as grammar teaching and classroom management are compared in the chapter. Finally in Chapter Six, the thesis concludes with a summary of the main findings, implications, limitations and some suggestions for further research on teacher professional development.