Unlock teacher potential and transform education.

Greg Fisher

August 3, 2024

All schools mandate professional development (PD) for their faculty. Most of the time it is contracted from outside the school, either the district or private professional consultants and coaches. Instead of depending on external sources of PD, why not tap into the skills and abilities and natural teaching capital of your own faculty and keep things in-house? 

In a Rand study, when asked how relevant was the PD their school provided in the past year, 48% of teachers viewed PD as “irrelevant,” while 84% of school leaders thought PD was “relevant.” This is a real disconnect. The study also asked how much choice do teachers in their school have in PD. The results showed 39% of teachers reported weekly participation in collaborative learning. In another study, 48% of teachers feel they have too much PD whereas 15% of school leaders think there is too much PD. These national surveys can shine a light but they don’t reveal the totality of what your school is going through.

Let’s acknowledge that professional development matters. Can you imagine any team or organization not taking the time to invest in sharpening their saws to increase their efficacy? For schools that want to get better and achieve their goals, professional development is crucial for teacher growth. Here’s why:

• Updated knowledge and skills: Education is an ever-evolving field, with new research, technologies, and teaching strategies emerging regularly. Professional development helps teachers stay current with the latest trends and best practices, ensuring they can provide the most effective instruction. 
• Enhanced Teaching Strategies: Workshops, seminars, and courses expose teachers to new teaching methods and approaches. This variety allows them to adapt their instruction to meet diverse student needs and learning styles.

1. Increased Confidence and Competence: Ongoing training helps teachers refine their skills and build confidence in their abilities. As they become more proficient, they can tackle classroom challenges more effectively.
2. Student Outcomes: Effective teaching directly impacts student learning and achievement. By continually improving their own practice through professional development, teachers can better support student success.
3. Career Growth: Professional development can open doors for career advancement, such as leadership roles or specialized positions. It also helps teachers meet certification requirements and pursue additional qualifications.
4. Reflective Practice: Many professional development opportunities encourage teachers to reflect on their practice. This reflection helps them identify areas for improvement and set goals for their professional growth.
5. Networking Opportunities: Professional development often involves collaboration with colleagues from other schools or districts. This networking can lead to the sharing of ideas, resources, and strategies that can enrich a teacher’s practice.
6. Increased Job Satisfaction: Engaging in professional development can rekindle a teacher’s passion for teaching and help combat burnout by providing new challenges and reinvigorating their commitment to the profession.

Overall, professional development supports teachers in becoming more effective educators, which ultimately benefits their students and contributes to a more dynamic and responsive educational environment.

All teachers, to varying degrees, have a tremendous amount of talent and expertise that can and should be leveraged to transform their instructional program and school culture. The focus should be to help a school’s teaching staff to run their own professional development in order to achieve its goals. 

All organizations base their mission and vision on a set of core values. There is no one set of values that are superior to others. Nonetheless, decisions are required to realize the school culture and student outcomes that you desire. These decisions will always reflect the values, beliefs, and attitudes of school leaders and the social-political context of the community each school exists in. I would argue that if you really want to make professional development useful and meaningfulI, embracing this set of values will drive professional development in the most successful way possible. Here it is:

 Core Values That Engage Participants Differently:

• Professional development done with us, not to us (participants must choose their own adventure)
• It starts with values (embracing values that center on empathy, respect, teamwork, and learning with the courage at the center helps us all)
• Give educators a space and autonomy to make meaning of their own experiences (discuss various identities as a part of professional practice to focus on current work and why you stay)
• Design Experiences within an Experience (as professionals, they get to craft the learning and conversations they need to have to further their work)

Benefits: Below are the benefits where several significant positive results emerge by having teachers run their own professional development for their colleagues at the same school site.

1. Tailored Learning: Teachers can design PD that directly addresses their specific needs and interests, ensuring that the content is relevant to their teaching context and student population.
2. Increased Engagement: Teachers who lead their own PD are often more invested and enthusiastic. This can lead to higher engagement and a more dynamic learning environment.
3. Empowerment and Leadership: Running PD allows teachers to take on leadership roles, fostering a sense of empowerment and confidence. It helps build their professional skills and encourages a culture of collaboration and shared expertise.
4. Immediate Application: Teachers can focus on practical strategies and tools that they can immediately apply in their classrooms, leading to more effective and relevant professional growth.
5. Collaboration and Networking: Teachers leading PD can foster collaboration among colleagues, share best practices, and create a supportive professional network within their school or district.
6. Flexibility and Innovation: Teachers have the flexibility to explore new and innovative teaching methods and tools that might not be covered in traditional PD programs. This can lead to more creative and effective teaching approaches.
7. Sustainability: When teachers are involved in designing and leading PD, it can create a more sustainable model for ongoing professional growth. They can continually adapt and refine PD based on feedback and changing needs.
8. Cost-Effectiveness: Internal PD led by teachers can be more cost-effective than bringing in external consultants or trainers, as it often requires fewer resources and can leverage existing expertise.
9. Peer Learning: Teachers can benefit from the knowledge and experiences of their peers, leading to a richer and more diverse learning experience. Peer-led PD often incorporates real-world classroom scenarios and practical solutions.
10. Ownership of Learning: Teachers who lead PD are more likely to take ownership of their professional development, leading to a more proactive and self-directed approach to their growth.

Overall, teachers running their own school-based PD can create a more personalized, relevant, and dynamic learning experience, benefiting both the educators and their students.

Our Approach: An educational coach can play a crucial role in helping teachers run their own professional development (PD) by providing support, guidance, and resources tailored to their needs. Here are several ways to assist:

1. Facilitate Goal Setting

• Identify Needs: Help teachers identify their professional goals and areas for growth.
• Set Objectives: Assist in setting clear, achievable objectives for their PD activities.

2. Offer Guidance on Planning

• Design Framework: Help teachers design a structured framework for their PD sessions, including objectives, content, and methods.
• Resource Selection: Assist in selecting relevant resources and materials that align with the goals of the PD.

3. Provide Training and Support

• Skill Development: Offer training on how to effectively lead PD, including presentation skills, facilitation techniques, and managing group dynamics.
• Feedback: Provide constructive feedback on PD plans and delivery to help teachers refine their approach.

4. Encourage Collaboration

• Build Networks: Help teachers connect with other educators who can contribute to or benefit from the PD.
• Facilitate Peer Learning: Support the creation of collaborative learning environments where teachers can share experiences and insights.

5. Support Implementation

• Pilot Testing: Assist teachers in piloting their PD ideas on a small scale before full implementation.
• Adjustments: Help make necessary adjustments based on feedback and observations from the initial sessions.

6. Monitor and Reflect

• Evaluation: Guide teachers in setting up evaluation methods to assess the effectiveness of their PD.
• Reflection: Encourage ongoing reflection on the PD process and its impact, using insights to make improvements.

7. Provide Resources and Tools

• Access to Tools: Provide access to tools and technology that can enhance the delivery and organization of PD.
• Share Best Practices: Offer examples and templates for PD activities that teachers can adapt for their use.

8. Foster a Growth Mindset

• Encouragement: Support a growth mindset by encouraging teachers to view challenges as opportunities for development.
• Celebrate Successes: Acknowledge and celebrate successful PD initiatives and the progress teachers make.

9. Align with School Goals

• Integration: Help ensure that the PD initiatives align with broader school or district goals and standards.
• Coordination: Facilitate coordination with school leadership to ensure that the PD is supported and integrated into the school’s professional learning plan.

10. Provide Emotional Support

• Confidence Building: Offer encouragement and support to boost teachers’ confidence in their ability to lead PD.
• Address Challenges: Help teachers navigate any challenges or obstacles they encounter in the process.

By providing these forms of support, educational coaching can empower teachers to take charge of their professional development efforts, leading to more effective and meaningful growth for both the educators and their students. Imagine how collaboration among teachers to put on their own PD’s will deepen and enhance a positive school culture and climate, ultimately moving the needle on high stakes metrics and increasing student achievement.