Unit 6: Unit Overview

The previous unit highlights the importance for teachers to possess pedagogical content knowledge and showcases some exemplars for teaching history, mathematics, and science. Since not all teachers were born with natural talent to teach, it is critical to provide effective trainings to support teachers’ professional development. In this unit, we will discuss learning opportunities for both in-service and pre-service teachers. We will also explore the constraints and issues that should be considered when developing professional development programs for teachers. Moreover, many discussions about teachers’ professional developments argues the importance of building learning communities to assist teachers. Thus, we will also explore six specific perspectives that are associated with teacher learning and adult learning:

• Vygotsky’s Constructivism
• Social Constructivism
• Cooperative Learning
• Adult Learning
• Transformative Learning
• Creativity