Sessions. Days. Meetings. Trainings. Modules. No matter how it’s framed, PD—that is, professional development—doesn’t always inspire the type of excitement that educators might like it to.
Recently, we asked our community to share their reflections about PD: what it looks like at their schools or districts, what works, what doesn’t, and what they want to see. To nobody’s surprise, the initial reaction wasn’t generally positive.
“Our PD needs a facelift,” one teacher observed. “Frequently endured, rather than enjoyed…” commented another. Both teachers and administrators felt that traditional PD at their schools and districts was lacking on a number of fronts, leading to experiences that ranged from unproductive to painful.
But we also heard about efforts to change the mindset around pedagogy. Principals told us about new formats that invited staff members to select topics they’d like to explore or present, and teachers described EdCamp-style experiences that included group discussion, hands-on practice, and topics that were relevant to what they were currently teaching and thinking about.
Our survey responses gave us some valuable food for thought. As it turns out, what educators want from PD sounds a lot like what they want from the other tools and resources they use: an experience that’s flexible and personalized.
Here’s a little more about what we learned.
"PD is the most successful when sessions are taught by teachers or coaches who have classroom experience and can speak to whatever it is they’re presenting."
"Our district has changed PD formats in the past few years. Staff members have the opportunity to attend quick meetings and share ideas that they'd like to present during PD time, and our curriculum director creates sessions from the ideas that staff members facilitate."
"PD needs to allow time for hands-on practice or application. Smaller chunks with time for implementation and feedback has worked best for us."
"Hands-on activities make for better PD, rather than listening to a lecture or reading through a presentation."
"Teachers love best-practice sharing sessions. At our school, much of our PD happens in small cohorts or peer-to-peer in organic moments of whimsy!"
"PD should relate to what we’e currently teaching. A kindergarten teacher shouldn’t sit through a 5th grade math training or vice versa, for example. And our school needs more PD on apathetic learners, whereas another school in a more funded school zone might not see the same type of learner as frequently."
"It’s imperative that we get away from the 'one size fits all' format. PD should be ongoing, relevant, and timely."
"When we design PD, we take into account the specific needs of our staff and regularly ask for suggestions and feedback from a school leadership team made up of teachers and support staff."
"I would love for our PD to be more technology-based and not necessarily require physical attendance. Online sessions would be more beneficial."
"Teachers want PD with follow-up and/or classroom assistance to plan, integrate, and practice with feedback."
"Teacher evaluation instruments require PD hours, so teachers are often looking for quality training opportunities that count toward their required hours."
"Nobody submits PD follow-up paperwork in order to get full points for participating. It's become too much of a hassle with too many requirements!"
"We have found teacher choice and teacher voice to be extremely powerful."
What’s been your experience with PD? Tell us about what changes you’d make—or what your school and district do to make PD something to be enjoyed, not endured. We’d love to hear from you!
