Most of us will interact with teachers during at least two stages of our lives, first as students, and later on as parents. It is no surprise, then, that societies worldwide often feel heavily invested in the teaching profession and its development. Indeed, few professions are as debated, examined and re-examined as teaching, especially by those who are not themselves practitioners. But teachers, in turn, are also invested in the societies they serve: 90% of them say that the chance to contribute to society and influence children’s development was an important reason for becoming a teacher, according to the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS).
TALIS aims to make the voice of teachers and school leaders heard all the way up to the policy level. The survey asks teachers about their working life in school, covering everything from their school environment and how they interact with colleagues, to their teaching practices and participation in continuous professional development. TALIS also covers the experience of school leaders, addressing areas such as their role in school policy implementation, their concerns about school resources and their own professional development and training.
Following on from the first two cycles of TALIS in 2008 and 2013, the results from this third cycle examine the level of professionalism in teaching and to what extent teachers see their profession as offering relevant and attractive careers. Professionalism is analysed in TALIS 2018 by looking at five pillars: the knowledge and skills required to teach; the perceived prestige of the profession; career opportunities; the collaborative culture among teachers; and the level of professional responsibility and autonomy of teachers and school leaders.
This first volume, Teachers and School Leaders as Lifelong Learners, focuses on the first pillar: the knowledge and skills involved in the work. It first looks at how teachers apply their knowledge and skills in the classroom in the form of teaching practices, with due attention given to the demographics of the workforce and socio-cultural makeup of classrooms and the school climate that provide the context of learning environments. It then assesses the ways in which teachers acquired their knowledge and skills during their early education and training, as well as the steps they take to develop them through continuous professional development.