As educators we all dread the words Professional Development (PD). It is just something that makes teachers feel as if they have wasted valuable time that could have been used for something else. As long as students' needs and experiences keep changing, we will still need to engage in PD to learn the tools to connect with them. According to Weidenseld and Bashevis (2013), "teachers report a lack of respect from district personnel in regard to their time and their opinions about PD. (p. 105)." They go on to say that "empowering teachers to select the types of PD and compensating them for time outside the workday would help improve teacher attitudes and participation. (p. 105)."
In the video below, Eric Sheninger says we have to change to meet the students where they are.
First off, I think that learning can occur with so many different resources and in a lot of different places. There is no one right way to learn or to teach. Teachers have to practice their methods and they have to do so in a way that compliments their personality. Brown and Green (2020) say, "As a novice instructional designer developing your own repertoire of instructional activities, it is important to experiment with those that have the greatest potential to positively affect your students' achievement. (p.147)." At the same time, teachers have to think about their learners and how to keep them engaged and motivated.
We can do this with students and adults by including things they will enjoy. Things like videos, activities to collaborate, small projects that can be done quickly. Something I think is a great tool is Padlet. If you have not used it before, you can access a free trial here. This has unique ways to collaborate and share content with others synchronously or asynchronously. I have been designing ways to use it with students for the school year and I could apply that to use in PD sessions also. Below is an example screenshot of something that I am currently working on with Padlet to use as a "Get to know you" activity.
I mentioned videos before, but just watching them can be boring to some. You can help break up the video by using EdPuzzle. If you have not tried it, click here for a free trial. With EdPuzzle, you can take any video and edit it to include questions throughout. You can use YouTube videos with it as well. You can make voice recordings over the videos and include notes also. This is a good tool to keep students and adults engaged.
There are so many more ways to design and present a PD session. I know that my future will include a lot of practice with this. I will leave with a final video that is used often to inspire new educators. I first saw this video as a student in an education course. The video is of Rita Pierson, who was a great educator. She inspired students and teachers throughout her life and continues even after she has passed on. This video works and I would recommend it to any educators that have not seen it before.
Weidenseld, Y., & Bashevis, Y. (2013). Professional Development: Perspectives, Strategies and Practices. Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Brown, A., & Green, T. D. (2020). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice. Routledge.
YouTube. (2014). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwrLVvORugw.
YouTube. (2013). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw.
Barbara,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, many teachers do dread the words “Professional Development.” I believe that teachers know how important it is to be a continuous learner, but those “sit and get” professional developments are just not worth the time away from our classrooms. Wan (2020) states that teachers need to actively engage in learning so that student achievement and teacher effectiveness both improve. I think the keyword there is actively. Our school hired a new math coach last year and he is so excited about the role he gets to play in our school. He was fired up about implementing Professional learning communities (PLCs), but was only allowed to have one meeting due to Covid. The one PLC that he led for us was very interactive. He allowed us to collaborate, discuss, and review data together. He used humor and even ended the session with a game; which now I see was probably an assessment. Wan (2020) said that teachers should be given time to engage in dialogues and be allowed to plan together through problem solving and sharing ideas. The PLC led by our math coach was not a “sit and get.” He planned and involved us in different instructional activities. As Brown and Green (2020) state, “It is the instructional designer’s job to identify those activities that will work best based on the learners’ needs and instruction’s goals and objectives” (p.143). I feel that when professional developments and PLCs are meaningful and involve instructional activities, the learners are more engaged and will be more likely to implement their new knowledge.
Thanks for your post,
Dana
References
Brown, A. H., & Green, T. D. (2020). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice (4th ed.). Routledge.
Wan, S. W.-Y (2020). Unpacking the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of professional learning communities and differentiated instruction practice. ECNU Review of Education, 3(4), 694-714.
Barbara,
ReplyDeleteI can't agree more! So many teachers dread PDs and I was actually one of them. Now that I am an instructional coach and will have to deliver PDs, I want to change my teachers' paradigms regarding these required training sessions. Thinking back to our text in regards to instructional design and learning, when designing a professional development, I must be able "to identify different types of learning to design efficient and effective instructional interventions" (Brown & Green, 2019, p. 37). I think building a rapport and learning WHO my teachers actually are (their personalities, teaching styles, etc.), will help me to build an environment of trust with them and keep them engaged. When students are engaged they feel empowered to do their best and I believe the same holds true for teachers. Building a sense of community from the get-go will help with engagement and I can then incorporate instructional games throughout my training. Merrill and Merrill (2020) firmly believe that engagement leads to empowerment and empowerment leads to a rich learning environment. My goal is for teachers to leave my professional development feeling empowered so that they can take this feeling back to their students.
I agree with so many aspects of your post and I appreciate your viewpoint! Thank you so much for insight!
-April
References
Brown, A. H., & Green, T. D. (2019). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice (4th ed.). Routledge.
Merrill, J., & Merrill, K. (2020). The interactive class: Using technology to make learning more relevant and engaging in the elementary classroom. Elevate Books Edu.