Reading the readings have helped give me with SOME insight with PD. When I hear the word Professional Development I immediately think of workshops. The district I work for has used the word Professional Development for workshops we attend.
I think the sustained professional development article and WSQ chapter 9 fit together. To begin on p. 126 of WSQ it discusses that teachers need support throughout their career in order for professional development to be effective. The article showed that Chula Vista spent several years with PD to acquire the goal for their students. It is important to continue PD through the years so that teachers can continually build on their knowledge and collaborate with each other the best practices for the students.
I also felt that the readings really demonstrated the idea that the teachers were able to collaborate and have a say in the content. Both mentioned allotting time for lesson planning. This was mentioned under the Role of the Administrator in WSQ and under Implications for Teachers in the article. Another concept the readings mention is allowing for teachers to reflect on their teachings.
I still am a little confused on the difference between PD and workshops. Do you girls have any suggestions that might help me separate the two? I think I might not have a clear sight of how a PD is set up.
I'm not sure if this is right, but I think PD is both sustained and workshops. Workshops are a type of PD. Just like the sustained learning framework Chula Vista implement is a type of workshop. I think of PD being an umbrella word that encompasses a multitude of ideas. I agree, I have always thought of PD as workshops or conferences. This idea of sustained PD over several years is new to me. I like the idea thought. I think people want to see instant results, so this idea over several years is out of the picture. Yet, I think if schools tried this, there might be real change
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kaitlin. I think workshops are one of many types of PD. This article was the first example I've read about that spent several years on PD. That is amazing to me! It definitely requires collaboration and a team mindset.
ReplyDeleteErin, I was also struggling with the difference between a professional development and a workshop. Thank you Kaitlin for explaining that. So how long should a professional development be sustained? Until you feel like the team has mastered the desired outcome? Until something new is introduced? I know it probably depends on what it is, but I am just curious as to what you ladies think.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was so incredible that the Chula Vista school district invested so much time and energy into preparing their teachers. And that is really what it is, an investment. When you prepare your educators, your students are better prepared too. I don't know about you ladies, but I have often felt like a ton of different things have been thrown at us, but there has been little to no follow up to check on progress. I truly believe that checking in on progress, allowing for feedback and questioning would make professional developments so much more meaningful, or at least it would for me. What do you guys think?
You're right, Jacqueline. Sustained PD is absolutely an investment in teachers and students. I agree with your comment on follow ups. I think I'm guilty of that myself. I think I throw information at my teachers and don't follow up as much as I should, which is exactly what I've experienced in the past.
DeleteYou make a great point about the length of PD.....how long should it be? I think maybe based on feedback from teachers we'll know when it's time.
I would think there would be lengths of times. Some of the PD lengths might be established before the PD is implemented... and others might be spur of the moment. You might evaluate the school and decide if it's still needed.
DeleteThanks for the clarification! It makes complete sense now. I do think we live in a society that wants instant results and if we can't get them then we need to move onto the next thing. PD should be sustained for as long as it takes to master the concept; however, I don't think it is ever over. I think that there can always be changes made, data to evaluate and knowledge to share with peers. Maybe the collaboration does not need to be as often as it was when the concept was being built.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Erin! After the readings and reading the blogs this week, I can see how sustained PD can be time consuming and potentially expensive, but essential to teacher and student growth. Jacqueline nailed it when she called it an investment.
DeleteI agree Erin. I completely agree PD should be sustained until it's mastered. Like you said is it ever mastered. with new teachers coming in constantly, I guess having a PD to catch new teachers up might be implemented.
ReplyDeleteInteresting discussion! I think that you are all on target on the issue of how long is long enough. It depends! But it definitely is more than 1 workshop with no followup!
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