Designing for Change: Implementing Teacher-Centric Professional Development : empowering educators: designing sustainable professional development for enhanced efficacy and well-being

Abstract

This thesis presents the development of a teacher-centric professional development (PD) model designed to enhance the well-being and pedagogical efficacy of educators. The implementation, feedback loops, and iteration of the proposed model have been piloted with teachers who have extensive experience in schools in an international context, ensuring it is adaptable to their specific needs. Leveraging design thinking and service design principles, the model emphasises educator autonomy, collaboration, and personalised learning pathways, implemented via a qualitative research methodology involving iterative workshops with international educators.

The research explores how a teacher-centric PD model can enhance the well-being and efficacy of educators in diverse teaching and learning environments. Additional inquiries focus on the influence of such models on educator well-being and the challenges encountered in diverse educational settings. Data were collected through interviews, reflective journals kept by teacher participants in the pilot phase, and feedback loops, which informed continuous refinements of the PD process.

Findings indicate that integrating design thinking into PD encourages educators to actively shape their professional growth, potentially leading to increased job satisfaction and effectiveness in diverse educational environments. While the model shows promise in fostering a supportive educational environment and improving educator engagement, the direct impact on teaching outcomes and student learning requires further exploration.

This research contributes to the field by demonstrating the potential of dynamic and responsive PD approaches that are tailored to the evolving needs of international educators. Future research should assess the long-term impacts of such models and explore their scalability across different educational systems.