Approaches to Teacher Professional Development: a critical appraisal*

Summary The study of teacher development has been hindered by conceptual confusion resulting from the wide variety of approaches coexisting in its description and analysis. This article seeks to contribute to the clarification of the field by proposing a classification of approaches to teacher development that includes the main theoretical models currently cited. Four approaches are distinguished, labelled (a) cognitive‐structural, (b) skill acquisition, (c) reorientation of concerns, and (d) life‐cycle. Each one is presented through its main defining characteristics, a representative theoretical model, and a critical comment.