Abstract

Teachers’ professional development and leadership is a career that focuses on the growth of teachers’ knowledge and skills, among other things. As a result, teachers are more knowledgeable, keep them up to date, and help teachers develop. Teachers are also required to learn and relearn. The government should raise public awareness about teacher professional development.

Keywords: Teachers, professional development, Leadership, Teacher’s participation

Impact Statement

Teachers’ professional development and leadership in the classroom setting is germane, hence, it cannot be overlooked. It focuses on the growth of teachers’ knowledge and skills, among other things. In other words, teachers need to keep themselves abreast of the current trends in the society and the world at large. From experience as a classroom teacher, during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria, some teachers could not carry out their teaching-learning activities outside the classroom settings. This could be because some teachers might not have the skills and knowledge to carry out teaching-learning activities outside the walls of the classroom. This could also be that some teachers do not attend seminars, workshops, and training to keep themselves abreast and make innovations in the educational sector. This challenge was also faced in other nations of the world. However, this challenge was minimal in some developed countries. Hence, this paper looked into teachers’ professional development and leadership in the classroom settings. It gives the breakdown of teachers’ professional development and leadership, and the indicators to measure teachers’ professional development and leadership. The applicability of the behavioral leadership theory ensures that teachers being leaders in the classroom are capable of developing and acquiring knowledge by embracing positive behaviors and putting them into practice at work. It also urges teachers to be conscious of their behavior and understand how it impacts the output and morale of their learners. Professional development for teachers not only improves teachers’ job performance but also makes teachers more knowledgeable, keeps them up to date, and helps teachers develop and make learning meaningful and more enjoyable.

About Author/s

Professor Afolakemi Olasumbo Oredein is a Professor in the Faculty of Arts & Education, Lead City University, Ibadan, Nigeria and currently the Dean of the Faculty. Her area of specialization is Educational Management (Leadership) and Statistics. She is a chartered member of the Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (IPMN), International Council for Education Research and Training (ICERT), and Kappa Delta Pi (KDP Nigeria Chapter). Also, she is a member of the following organizations; Higher Education research & Policy Network (HERPNET), Global Education Network (GEN), World Education Research Association (WERA), Nigerian Association of Educational and Planning and Administration (NAEAP), mention few. Prof. Oredein is the Editor-in-Chief of some journals like; African Higher Education Review (AHER) an online International Journal, and the Journal of Capital Development in Behavioral Sciences (JOCADEBS). She has published widely, attended, and presented papers at local and international academic conferences. She presented her Inaugural Lecture on ‘Good Leadership for National Development: The Inevitable Fraternal Twins and Irresistible Skills as Matters Arising’ September 2016. She is from Ogun State, Nigeria; married to Rev’d OpeOluwa Oredein and blessed with children.

Chinenye Christiana Obadimeji, a PhD student in educational management, at Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. She aspires to contribute to positive changes in the world through research. Her research is based on digitalization, innovation, educational leadership, and teachers’ professional development toward improving teachers’ job performance and enhancing teaching-learning processes in the school. 

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