We have all been there…another meeting after school titled as professional development, that ends up being a complete waste of time for all those involved. Afterward, as teachers are walking back to their classrooms, reflecting on the hour spent, people are saying things like “It didn’t have anything to do with me.” or “They didn’t even give us any ways to apply this to our classroom.” or “This is going to be another one of those one and done type meetings.” or “I don’t understand why they don’t ask us what we want to be working on.”
Adults are highly motivated to learn. They are generally goal oriented and passionate about growth and development (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001). However, all learning requires “ownership (wanting to learn the information)” (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001, p. 3). So often this is where administrators lose out on opportunities to engage their teachers. Teachers need to feel like they have something at stake in the learning experience. They need to have ownership over the problems they wish to solve and they need to feel like their time is being well spent in any professional development setting. In other words, teachers need to feel like they are in a constructive learning environment, an environment in which they can learn something meaningful to bring back to their daily classroom experience.
What does this look like? According to Lyons & Pinnell (2001), there are eight Constructivist Principles:
- Encourage active participation
- Set up small group discussions among people with shared concerns
- Provide context when introducing new concepts
- Create a safe environment
- Through conversation and shared experiences, help teachers develop their conceptual understanding.
- Allow teachers to use schema to construct new knowledge
- Track shifts in understanding over time
- Provide additional learning and experiences for those who need continued development around a topic.
Think about the best professional development experience you have had as a teacher. How many of these boxes does it check? Now think about the worst. What’s the difference? What was missing?
References:
Lyons, C. A., & Pinnell, G. S. (2001). Systems for change in literacy education: A guide to professional development. Porsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Mrs. Murray's Mind 
Hello!
Your post was super helpful and helped me see the big picture of professional development. I have definitely experienced both types. Sadly the ineffective ones have been more often. Your point about administration making sure to have teachers involved is SO important because it will help staff buy into what is being taught. With the right kind of professional development teachers will be excited to learn.
Thanks for sharing!
Brea
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I found myself nodding to each of those questions that you brought up in the beginning. Yes, we have all had those professional development meetings. Those are the most frustrating for everyone. If our time is going to be used, we want it to be worth our time! I feel very fortunate at my school and in my district. Our building administrator is great about finding and using professional development opportunities that are worth our time. If he doesn’t think it will be valuable to us, then he will cancel it to give us time or consider a different topic.
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Clare, Your comment here is spot on: “In other words, teachers need to feel like they are in a constructive learning environment, an environment in which they can learn something meaningful to bring back to their daily classroom experience.” For me good PD is all about having something to take away with me today that I can apply in the classroom tomorrow. It’s a good reminder as we develop our annual plans — to always incorporate a tangible application to the immediate, daily classroom experience. Thanks for sharing. ~Anita
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