Professional Development: What do teachers really need?

Much attention has been focused on teacher Professional Development (PD) over recent years, bringing to light a growing problem of wasted time and money.

Not only do teachers self-report their disdain for professional development, it has not proven to improve teacher quality or student achievement. On average, districts spend $18,000 per teacher per year on professional development, culminating in over $8 billion annually, according to the study conducted by The New Teacher Project in August 2015. That study, researching 10,000 teachers, concluded that professional development, as we know it, was largely “a waste of time.”

According to another study conducted in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, teachers report that PD makes them feel like they “are being held hostage” and believe it is a poor use of time. “Don’t read powerpoint slides to me,” says one frustrated teacher.

In response to these frustrations and lack of results, a new way of PD is developing. Understanding that teachers are professionals, their colleagues have valuable information worth sharing, and that everyone has precious limited time to carve out for lengthy workshops, the New Way of Professional Development delivers bite-sized, relevant, and actionable professional learning when the teacher needs it.

As it turns out, students respond best to the same characteristics of learning found in the new way of Professional Development! According to research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, small “kernels” of learning help students make small adjustments to their social and emotional behavior. Over time, these focused strategies, chosen based on need, work together to fill in skill gaps. 

What do you need as a teacher? What professional development has been most useful to you?

Comment below or email us at info@educationmodified.com