As educators, we’ve all attended them.
We know what it feels like to be lectured for an hour on something we anticipate we may never use again.
We know what it sounds like to have someone tell us “engage, engage, engage” within our classroom and then we’re forced to sit and listen to that same person “discuss, discuss, discuss” with us for the next hour or so.
So how do you plan Professional Development so that educators walk out of the session feeling engaged, motivated and cheerful?
Just as students need to to feel as though they’re learning things pertinent to their own personal lives, so should the teachers!
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safe environment: educators should feel comfortable collaborating with others and sharing their ideas
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Intellectual freedom and experimenting: teachers should be able to dive into a new concept, activity or idea and see hands on how it could help their students
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Everyone is learning: including the teacher of the session. Everyone brings their own ideas to the table and should be open to hearing new ones from other people.
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Self-directed: shouldn’t be just the session leader talking/discussing. Everyone should get a chance to engage themselves in the development.
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Pacing: development shouldn’t be too much at one time. The work should not be too challenging, but should not be too easy either. Attendees should feel like they’ve learned something new, but shouldn’t feel as though they have to spend hours researching more facts in order to implement the activity into their classroom.
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Active Involement: Teachers should feel like students, being engaged in the activity.
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Regular Feedback: attendees should provide a reflection about the development, including ways to improve for next time.
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Multiple Intelligences: By reaching out in different ways, educators will be more actively engaged in the learning of new concepts/ideas.
When these strategies are put into place for teachers, it zeroes in on the key points of the development and cuts back on how many teachers walk out of the session feeling like it was a waste of time.
Rubric to help aid in creating successful and organized professional development!
Principles for adult learners
