So, EducationWorld recently threw out a few "best practices" for promoting the importance of making what is learned during professional development a bit more permanent and accessible post-learning.
I personally like the theme of this article a great deal because it implies that PD is important... important enough that it ought to remain current and at the forefront of our minds for a duration that lasts longer than the day on which it is received and practiced.
I think that we, as a teaching staff on the whole, all too often neglect to give most PD received a fighting chance at classroom implementation. That is not to say that we don't try it out, but I do think that, more often than not, it dies away fairly quickly. Why is that though?
PJ Caposey may be onto something in his book, "Building a Culture of Support: Strategies for School Leaders." Out of the six strategies mentioned as ways to promote professional development of staff members, I believe I liked the third most: voluntary book blogs.
I personally like the theme of this article a great deal because it implies that PD is important... important enough that it ought to remain current and at the forefront of our minds for a duration that lasts longer than the day on which it is received and practiced.
I think that we, as a teaching staff on the whole, all too often neglect to give most PD received a fighting chance at classroom implementation. That is not to say that we don't try it out, but I do think that, more often than not, it dies away fairly quickly. Why is that though?
Well, first of all, most teachers have already developed a routine of some sort. Either that, or one has been developed for them and it can be hard for those teachers to "change it up," so to speak. Perhaps the PD covered modifying lesson plans to better address the current capabilities of English Language Learners (ELLs) in an all-inclusive classroom, or maybe Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation methods was discussed... Most teachers, I believe, do wish to continually develop their craft, but they (at least I know I) have a hard time putting their newly discovered knowledge into regular practice until it becomes part of the aforementioned routine.
PJ Caposey may be onto something in his book, "Building a Culture of Support: Strategies for School Leaders." Out of the six strategies mentioned as ways to promote professional development of staff members, I believe I liked the third most: voluntary book blogs.
I like the idea of being able to (as a collective group) dive into a particular subject matter and discuss what is being read with one another at random times in an online forum. It allows the staff members to actually take in what is being learned and further discuss (and perhaps implement) key topics.
It also provides an on-going record of what worked (and what crashed an burned) with a particular new practice or school-wide mandate. This particular activity promotes meaningful discussion without a time constraint and meaningful discussion can only happen after critical thinking has occurred. Once critical thinking has happened, there is ownership involved in the learning, and I believe whatever is taken in through such a complicated lens is not as easily forgotten. It's just a thought...
