This morning I was reading an article on Chalk.com called “How to Deliver Effective Professional Development (PD).” One of the key points the article focused on was personalization. They asked the question “To what degree is PD based on the interests and needs of staff members?” This question got me thinking because while I have been involved in education in several states, the teacher professional development tends to be the same. The district either pays someone and they come in and talk to teachers for half a day or a full day. Another alternative, which was my personal favorite, was when my administrators would present information from the district office. Oftentimes, they presented the information just fine, but there was no depth to the information. 

At one school, we came as close as I have ever come to teacher directed professional development. There, we had professional development that was scaffolded for teacher needs and teachers had the ability to self select professional development options. All choices were related to the school and district goals, but at least the offerings were at different skill levels. 

As an administrator, one of the quickest lessons I learned is that admin has very little control over the type of professional development and this is mostly dependent on the district initiatives and the beliefs of the principal. Regardless, I always appreciate the opportunity to follow best practices for teacher professional development. 

Thomas Guskey, a professor who is considered an expert in teacher professional development, conducted a literature review in 2003 and determined that teacher development that is based on identified needs was one factor that makes PD more effective. When we think about it, fundamentally we know and understand this to be true. If we have interest in the topic, we will pay closer attention – this is just basic human nature. However, when it comes to teacher professional development, we have to ensure that teachers have buy-in. Otherwise, what is the point?

And keep in mind – the we is the proverbial we. It could be district leadership, site leadership, or even teacher leaders on campus. The key is to offer choices. Can you offer different skill levels within the learning? Maybe one for new vs veteran teachers? Perhaps it could be based on skill within the initiative? 

These seem like common sense questions and on the surface they are. But too often in education we rely on either what is quickest or what has always been done. We have to be willing to rethink professional development, even if all we change is one small piece. Can you ask teachers about what their preferred modality is for learning? Can you offer flipped lessons and then use a teacher trainer model? 

I challenge you, in whatever your role, to find a way to integrate teacher choice and conduct your own experiment. How is your teacher engagement? 

Feel free to leave a comment about how this works at your site. 

Guskey, T. R. (2003). Analyzing Lists of the Characteristics of Effective Professional Development to Promote Visionary Leadership. NASSP Bulletin, 87(637), 4–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/019263650308763702