Journey to Mastery: Stages of Teaching Professionalism from Novice to Expert

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Many teacher educators refer to the initial years of teaching as the “swimming and surviving” phase for new teachers. The most significant difference between novice and expert teachers lies in their ability to interpret and manage classroom complexities (Wolff et al., 2016). To understand the process of teacher development, it is essential to recognize the stages a teacher progresses through, from the novice phase to the expert phase.

Berliner’s (1988) seminal study on teacher development outlines five developmental stages through which novice teachers evolve into experts: novices, advanced beginners, competent teachers, proficient teachers and expert teachers (see the chart below).

Stage 1: Novice

Novice teachers have limited teaching experience and rely on initial facts and ideas they have about teaching. At this stage, they are less flexible and tend to follow instructions without much critical thought. For example, a novice teacher might praise every student who offers an answer simply because they have been taught to do so.

Stage 2: Advanced

At this stage, teachers develop more contextual and strategic knowledge. However, they still lack the ability to independently make professional judgments. New teachers at this stage learn more about instructional practices and gain insights from their own experiences. For instance, they may begin to understand that constructive feedback is beneficial and that excessive praise may not always be helpful.

Stage 3: Competent

Competent teachers consciously choose their actions, set priorities, and make rational plans. They know what to focus on and what to ignore, gaining control and responsibility over their tasks. Although they are more emotionally invested in outcomes, they are not as fast or flexible as advanced experts. For example, a competent teacher will start implementing plans to address disruptive classroom behaviours within the first two weeks.

Stage 4: Proficient

At the proficient stage, intuition becomes crucial. Teachers recognize patterns and similarities from experience, allowing them to predict events accurately. They intuitively sense situations, much like a driver knowing when a car is moving too fast. Despite this intuition, they still analyze and deliberate on their actions. For example, proficient teachers will quickly recognize if the pace of a lesson is too fast or slow or if an activity does not resonate well with students.

Stage 5: Expert

At the expert stage, teachers intuitively grasp situations, responding effortlessly and fluidly without conscious deliberation. Experts in various fields, including teaching, seem to instinctively know the right actions. They engage in their tasks in a qualitatively different manner, often described as “becoming one” with their tools or environment. While they typically “go with the flow,” they can switch to analytical thinking when anomalies arise. For example, expert teachers will swiftly manage the class if something goes wrong or adjust the lesson if they notice any misalignment.

Consider the following example, which illustrates how a teacher might make decisions for a classroom case based on their developmental stage:

A sample case: A student has missed an assignment or test. They come to you and tell you that they had to take their friend to the hospital, and that’s how they missed the class.

Novice	Advanced	Competent and proficient	Expert
A novice teacher may feel confused, potentially leading to frustration or annoyance, and might ultimately respond with a simple “yes” or “no.”	An advanced teacher will seek assistance and likely reach out to available support resources for ideas instead of quickly deciding what to do.	A teacher with some years of experience will first consult the program handbook to review the relevant policies. They will then check the progress tool in the LMS and have a conversation with the student to determine the genuineness of the case. They will seek advice from a teaching expert to discuss the matter further if necessary.	An expert teacher will likely perform all the actions of a teacher with several years of experience. However, the key difference lies in the speed of their decision-making. Expert teachers experience less stress and can make professional judgments more swiftly. Most importantly, expert teachers maintain regular contact with other teaching experts.

However, it is crucial to understand that there is no guarantee that a novice teacher will reach the expert phase within a specific timeframe. The progression depends on the context and the training they receive. For instance, teachers who consistently participate in teacher training programs tend to reach the expert level more quickly compared to those who do not engage in such programs.

It is important to recognize that the teacher development continuum is not linear. The length of teaching experience does not necessarily correlate with expertise. Toloczko (2024) observes that even experienced teachers can make poor decisions if they are not vigilant, similar to novice teachers. To effectively navigate new challenges and unknown complexities, continuous reflection and reflection on action are essential. Therefore, it is crucial for all educators to engage continuously with professional development programs and reflective practices to enhance their teaching skills.

References

Berliner, D. C. (1988). The development of expertise in pedagogy. American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED298122.pdf
Toloczko, E. (2024). A Cognitive Model of Language Teacher Fossilization. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 15(5), 1518–1525. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1505.13
Wolff, C. E., Jarodzka, H., van den Bogert, N., & Boshuizen, H. P. A. (2016). Teacher vision: expert and novice teachers’ perception of problematic classroom management scenes. Instructional Science, 44(3), 243–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-016-9367-z