Education Transformation: Professional Development

Professional development and teacher readiness is a critical factor for achieving successful implementation and quality results. Teacher practice needs to change to support a more student-centered learning environment. Teachers need tools and training to adjust their pedagogic approaches to take advantage of a transformed learning environment and available technology tools.

Many education policymakers are finding success with a five-pronged approach to building the capacity of teacher effectiveness to advance the goals of the education system. Read the Metiri Group’s Professional Development Brief for interdependent recommendations on a systemic approach, insights into current trends, research on effectiveness, and best practices in professional development for elementary and secondary teachers internationally.

Intel Tools, Resources, and Professional Development for Teachers

Intel offers a wide range of professional development programs and resources for teachers, including the following:

The Intel® Teach Program offers proven professional teacher development for 21st century skills, and is the largest, most successful program of its kind. It is part of Intel’s commitment to elevate K–12 education worldwide by giving teachers the tools and resources they need. Intel ensures that Intel Teach is making a difference in classrooms by working with independent evaluators from around the world. Intel Teach promotes standards-aligned, problem- and project-based approaches to learning. Courses help teachers transform instruction to engage students in deeply relevant ways, including appropriate use of technology, Web 2.0, and social networking for learning, creativity, and communication.

In the U.S., as part of the STEM focus, the Intel foundation funds a teacher professional development course, Intel® Math Program. This is an 80-hour course for K–8 teachers who teach math. The course is collaboratively taught by a practicing mathematician and a mathematics educator. One of the goals of Intel Math is that teacher participants deepen their own understanding of math through problem-solving.

Intel holds a week-long conference, the Educator Academy, where select government officials and educators from around the world participate in panel discussions, presentations, and workshops with a goal of improving math and science education. Since 1997, this conference has enabled attendees from over 45 countries drive improvement in their mathematics and science education by promoting inquiry- and project-based teaching and learning.