REVIEW 2
Article Review “Adopting Stance”
Today’s classrooms are very different, and teachers face many challenges that change
over time. With these changes, teachers need to be on top of how to face these challenges to be
able to stay two steps ahead of the game. The concept of professional development can only be
understood by understanding human development first. Eun, the author of Adopting Stance
(2019) did a thorough investigation of how the role in different learning theories play in a
teacher’s training and how they implement in the classroom. In his article, he talked about how
“Professional development is claimed to be the most effective route to quality teaching, which in
turn is believed to be the key to improved student learning (Darling-Hammond, 1997; Elmore
and Burney, 1999; Stigler and Hiebert, 1999)” (Eun, 2019).
The author of this article presented different ways to incorporate PD into different
theories of human development. Eun stated that “The social cognitive theory originating in the
works of Bandura (1986, 1997) and the sociocognitive theory based on the works of Vygotsky
(1978, 1987) are chosen as the theoretical framework in which to ground professional
development” (Eun, 2019). Teachers decided to take PD that is offered to them or take a
professional development training that is recommended to them to not only equip them with new
ideas to bring back into their classroom to help make a difference in a student's life. They also
help teachers with different challenges that they may encounter.
Analysis
The first theory that Eun talked about was the social cognitive theory and it talked about
how Bandura applied it to research human development. Eun stated that “The basis of social
cognitive theory is an interactional view of individuals and their environment” (Eun,2019).
Teachers can better comprehend human development by recognizing the interplay between
REVIEW 3
individuals and their environment. The second theory that Eun talked about was the
sociocultural theory. Eun stated that “As with the social cognitive theory, the sociocultural
theory is premised on an interactional view of individuals and their environment. Originating
from the works of the late Russian and Soviet scholar Lev Vygotsky, the theory is characterized
by social primacy (Leont’ev, 2002)” (Eun, 2019).
The only difference between social cognitive theory and sociocultural theory is that
sociocultural theory divides human development into two tiers. The first tier according to Eun is
where two or more people engage in some type of social interaction. The second tier according to
Eun is the instrumental plane where the knowledge and skills that were negotiated on the
intermental plan get internalized to serve individual cognitive functions (Eun, 2019). In contrast
to the social cognitive theory, which examines how various interactions with individuals and the
environment can affect human development, the sociocultural theory concentrates on the effects
of learning to understand such encounters.
Personal Application
A successful professional development program should concentrate on providing
instructors with fresh, creative ideas while also equipping them with the tools they need to
overcome any barriers. Teachers may encounter this when attempting to put these creative ideas
into practice. A sound implementation methodology is necessary for professional growth to be
effective. Anytime that professional development is offered by my district if it can help me grow
in any shape or form and benefit me in my classroom, I always take the chance. I always love to
grow in ways that will help me be the best teacher that I can be.
