Three Major Sins of Professional Development How Can We Make It Better? .Authors:VARELA, ALEJANDRA M..Source:Education Digest, Dec2012, Vol. 78 Issue 4, p17-20, 4p.Document Type:Article.Subject Terms:TEACHERS -- In-service training -- United States
TEACHER development -- Methodology
PROFESSIONAL education -- United States
CAREER development
TEACHERS -- Training of -- United States
CLASSROOM management -- Study & teaching
TEACHER participation in curriculum planning.Geographic Terms:UNITED States.Abstract:The article addresses flaws with teachers' professional development and in-service training programs in the U.S., particularly noting the lack of teacher input in professional development and curricula planning. It discusses the lack of practical demonstrations of concepts taught in professional development courses. It comments on the issues with treating all teachers and subjects the same, isolating in-service training from daily classroom practices, and ignoring follow-up. It notes the benefits of utilizing research-driven practices in classroom management and teacher training..Lexile:1240.ISSN:0013127X.Accession Number:83883062.Database: MasterFILE Premier....

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Three Major Sins of Professional Development How Can We Make It Better?

Contents
The Three Major Sins
Not differentiated
Not embedded in classroom practice
Not ongoing
How to Enhance Professional Development
Getting Started
.

Listen Select: American Accent Australian Accent British Accent ... What is wrong with the present system?

Teachers often complain about the professional development opportunities. And it is not uncommon for absenteeism to increase among teachers and staff during in-service days. The biggest problem that professional development has encountered is that it is usually developed as an isolated requirement, with no real connection to daily teaching and with almost no teacher input. The present educational system, with its emphasis on accountability, puts enormous pressures on teachers, especially those of English and the Language Arts, to teach fluency, comprehension, and critical-thinking skills as an integrated whole. However, the in-service that most schools provide turns teachers into passive learners. In this format, teachers become novice learners, lectured on "how to do it right" but never shown how new strategies work in action.

As schools work to implement the Common Core Standards, new teacher evaluations, and accountability procedures, teachers must, in turn, demand high quality professional development -- development that helps mentor, nurture, and enhance their professional repertoire. An important, yet often ignored requirement, is that professional in-services should be an ongoing process of reflective practice involving the review of students' work. Cookie-cutter approaches that do not match the real needs of teachers should be questioned. Professional development should encompass improvement of classroom techniques, which leads to enhancement of pedagogical skills that, in turn, facilitates the education of all students. The Three Major Sins
While it's known that individualized and active learning improve teachers' practice, that has been largely ignored by in-service developers. Thus, the three major sins of modern professional development are: (1) a one-size-its-all mentality; (2) in-service isolated from daily classroom practices; and (3) a lack of follow-up. Not differentiated
The one-size-fits-all mentality of many in-service sessions goes against the concept of differentiated instruction. Just as educators strive to individualize instruction for their students, teachers also have unique needs and strengths. Administrators need to look at classroom data to find patterns and seek teachers' input about their classroom needs. Directors of professional development and administrators can also gather information on teachers' needs during formal and informal classroom observations.

Teachers should be involved in the selection of professional development. They should also be able to choose the type of in-service activity that would most advance their pedagogical techniques and have the most impact on student achievement.

For instance, a learning-oriented model helps teachers become active participants in the construction and application of new knowledge. This model shows that teacher-learning does not entail accumulation of facts, knowledge, and skill, but rather is a process of renovation, provided the appropriate support system is in place. Not embedded in classroom practice
Professional development works best when it is classroom imbedded and modeled, but that is not the case with most in-service training. When professional development is not imbedded in daily classroom practices, it becomes solely a required part of a teacher's contractual obligation. Teachers need professional development directly related to what they are presently doing, not to skills and content already taught.

Conducting professional development in a realistic setting sets clear standards for what teachers are expected to do once they return to the classroom. As a result, administrators should expect professional development consultants/providers to provide workshops that accommodate teachers' schedules and model techniques and expectations in urban school settings. Not ongoing
Another major issue in professional development is that it is not ongoing. This is connected with the top-down mentality that permeates planning and delivery of in-service days. One way to address this issue is to use common planning time as an extension of professional development days.

Common planning time is an opportunity for teachers who teach the same classes to work together to develop a plan by looking at students' work and assessments. This continuation of professional development should focus not only on analyzing students' work but on how teachers teach different lessons and the results obtained from such differences. A partnership can be built to utilize the expertise of each teacher. How to Enhance Professional Development
Two basic elements must be implemented to begin an effective transformation.

Involve teachers in the analysis of data and selection of activities. While it may be easier for administrators to schedule professional development sessions based on classroom observations and interpretations of data, this does not address the needs of all staff. Teachers may not understand the value of what they are learning or see the connection between the in-service session and their students' academic needs.

School leaders must explain aggregated student data from state and/or benchmark assessments. This will show the areas that need to be targeted to increase student achievement. If teachers are involved in the analysis of the data and shown the areas of greatest need, they will "own" in-service days because they understand students' needs and have the opportunity to plan for enhancement of their teaching practices.

Professional development must be on-going. Common planning time should be used to examine student data and obtain teachers' input on areas of greatest need. But data alone should not be used to make decisions. Teachers have firsthand knowledge of strategies and programs being implemented and are an invaluable source when planning professional development.

In-service days should incorporate cross-curricular models so that teachers can obtain a holistic understanding of what is expected in other grade levels, both below and above. Again, the idea is to work together and stop the isolation in professional development. Getting Started
* Introduce collaborative practice during common planning time. Looking at students' work critically instead of judging the nature of the work can enhance the collegial nature of common planning time and make the time spent more useful. The following questions are good starting points:

-- What are the gaps between expectations and actual achievement?

-- What does a student's work tell us about the student's learning and our teaching? How can we make it better?

* Get teachers accustomed to looking at and discussing assessment data and its meaning in terms of improving teaching practices.

* Provide teachers with differentiated professional development and active learning activities. Teachers learn more from professional development that is imbedded in classroom activities and that allows practice with a particular technique.

* Provide ongoing mentoring. Incorporate mentoring into a teacher's individualized professional profile. Follow with common planning time and incorporate it with in-service days.

* Create opportunities for teachers to meet regularly to assess and address collective needs.

* Working with teachers, create an action plan for future professional development based on sharing and examining student and teacher data.

The importance of building a community of learning practitioners is clearly called for by the evolving educational standards that call for teamwork, goal setting, data analysis, and accountability at every level. However, many administrators have forgotten that teachers need individualized attention in order to aid their students. Professional development that fails to incorporate teachers' input and student data will not provide effective and productive learning experiences.

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By ALEJANDRA M. VARELA

Alejandra M. Varela, Ph.D. is a professor, Graduate Center, City University of New York.

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