Developing as a teacher: changing conceptions of
teaching and the challenges of applying theory to
practice
Gwyneth Hughes, David Baume, Ayona Silva-Fletcher & Linda AmraneCooper
Framework mentioned in text —
Peter Kugel’s framework describes how university professors and college instructors develop as teachers over time, rather than classifying student degrees. First proposed in his seminal 1993 article, How Professors Develop as Teachers, this model outlines 5 stages of pedagogical growth. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Kugel’s 5 Stages of Teacher Development
Instructors typically move from focusing heavily on themselves to focusing entirely on student learning. [1]
- Stage 1: Focus on Self
- The teacher focuses on their role, classroom management, and presenting information accurately. [1]
- Stage 2: Focus on Subject
- The teacher masters the discipline and emphasizes their understanding of the material. [1]
- Stage 3: Focus on Student as Receptive
- The teacher shifts to considering how well students absorb the provided content.
- Stage 4: Focus on Student as Active
- The teacher creates methods to help students actively apply what they have learned.
- Stage 5: Focus on Student as Independent
- The teacher’s ultimate goal shifts to helping students learn and explore on their own. [1]