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Personalizing Professional Development: How Empowered Teachers Can Take Charge of Professional Learning and Growth

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Personalizing Professional Development: How Empowered Teachers Can Take Charge of Professional Learning and Growth
Language: English
Authors: Goodwin, Bryan, Hall, Pete, Simeral, Alisa, McREL International
Source: McREL International. 2019.
Availability: McREL International. 4601 DTC Parkway Suite 500, Denver, CO 80237-2596. Tel: 303-337-0990; Fax: 303-337-3005; Web site: http://www.mcrel.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2019
Intended Audience: Teachers
Document Type: Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Individualized Instruction, Faculty Development, Teacher Empowerment, Educational Practices, Skill Development, Reflective Teaching, Problem Solving, Schemata (Cognition), Attention Control, Self Evaluation (Individuals), Mastery Learning, Learning Strategies, Cognitive Style, Learner Engagement, Instructional Leadership, Questioning Techniques
Abstract: Too often, professional development (PD) sessions consist of little more than delivering lists of things teachers should know and should be doing. There is little to no follow up. There are few opportunities to think about how to adapt and apply the learning to fit your own classroom context, or to try it out and compare outcomes with fellow teachers. In this report the authors tackle a question of urgent interest to teachers at all career stages: Can professional learning be better? It can, they argue, if the profession recognizes that large PD sessions--while an appropriate starting point to share foundational practices--should be followed up with a highly personalized plan of action. Reflection holds the key to identifying and addressing problems of practice as teachers advance in their skills. Also important to bear in mind: Teachers are most effective when they develop an understanding of why certain techniques work, not just what they are. The authors propose two guiding principles for restructuring professional learning: (1) Teacher learning ought to start with teachers' problems of practice; and (2) It ought to help them reflect on and refine new skills to address those problems.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2019
Accession Number: ED594080
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Too often, professional development (PD) sessions consist of little more than delivering lists of things teachers should know and should be doing. There is little to no follow up. There are few opportunities to think about how to adapt and apply the learning to fit your own classroom context, or to try it out and compare outcomes with fellow teachers. In this report the authors tackle a question of urgent interest to teachers at all career stages: Can professional learning be better? It can, they argue, if the profession recognizes that large PD sessions--while an appropriate starting point to share foundational practices--should be followed up with a highly personalized plan of action. Reflection holds the key to identifying and addressing problems of practice as teachers advance in their skills. Also important to bear in mind: Teachers are most effective when they develop an understanding of why certain techniques work, not just what they are. The authors propose two guiding principles for restructuring professional learning: (1) Teacher learning ought to start with teachers' problems of practice; and (2) It ought to help them reflect on and refine new skills to address those problems.