Even if well prepared, new teachers often are assigned to the most challenging schools and classes with little supervision and support. Nearly half of all teachers leave the profession in their first five years, so more attention must be paid to providing them with early and adequate support, especially if they are assigned to demanding school environments.
Mentoring and coaching from veteran colleagues is critical to the successful development of a new teacher. Great induction programs create opportunities for novice teachers to learn from best practices and analyze and reflect on their teaching. It is critical for veteran teachers to have ongoing and regular opportunities to learn from each other. But how can you avoid those mistakes? Many school leaders will admit that professional development is the last thing on their mind in the middle of a busy school day.
If you want to improve teacher professional development and build a positive school culture , this post is for you. Teacher professional development is any type of continuing education effort for educators. Learning can take place in formal or informal settings. Formal settings include conferences, courses, seminars, retreats and workshops. Informal opportunities for teacher professional development include independent research or investigation, peer learning initiatives or even just chatting with a colleague in the staff room.
Professional development for teachers takes place on a number of different levels: district-wide, among teachers in a given school, or even on a classroom or individual basis. Student achievement should be the ultimate goal of any teacher professional development activities. Hayes Mitchell of Leaning Forward , a professional development organization, writes:.
They learn and problem solve together in order to ensure all students achieve success. According to one study , a third of teachers leave the profession within three years, and half of teachers leave within five years.
While there are a number of explanations for this statistic, there is no substitute for hands-on experience when it comes to effective classroom teaching. Professional development can help new and experienced teachers develop the skills they need to feel confident in the classroom. Effective professional development helps teachers shape career-long learning. Thoughtful, targeted teacher professional development opportunities boost student outcomes and promote a growth mindset. Teacher professional development encourages teachers to be active participants in their own learning, and ensures that students and teachers alike are eager to learn.
When you provide learning and support for your teachers, you communicate that the school community values the work they do and wants them to grow. A lack of professional development resources for teachers can be discouraging. There are lots of challenges to running an effective teacher professional development session: time, money, engagement, effectiveness, and more.
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Posted in Pro Tips August 30, Challenge and Opportunity According to Schoology's Global State of Digital Learning survey , the number one challenge faced by school administrators is to provide professional development that is both relevant and effective. Elements of Effective PD Darling-Hammond, Hyler, and Gardner identified several key elements of effective teacher professional development : Focus on content. Provide PD that supports specific instructional strategies in specific subjects.
For example, an English language arts session might help teachers understand student metacognition as applied to Julius Caesar and help teachers structure lessons accordingly.
Create opportunities for active learning. The theory of andragogy tells us that adults have a need to direct themselves, use prior experience, solve real-world problems, and to immediately apply new learning to current job responsibilities. Adults have an innate need for opportunities to develop autonomy, mastery, and purpose in their work. Support work-embedded collaboration. PD that helps educators develop peer observation strategies, data teaming communication protocols, co-teaching models, and more.
Model best practices. Just like a tell me, show me, involve me strategy can work with students, moving to modeling and application instead of "sit-and-get" lecture-based professional development can be powerful for adult learners.
Coach and support. Instructional coaching is a non-evaluative way to create opportunities for ongoing observation, feedback, reflection, and improved practice, whether provided by experienced colleagues or external consultants. Incorporate feedback and reflective practice. Providing teachers with substantive, specific, and timely feedback--and providing them with adequate time to reflect and act upon that feedback--is a best practice for instructional improvement.
Deliver the PD over a period of time. The one-shot PD session is the kiss of professional death when it's not paired with ongoing support and engagement.
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