Winning at PD

A teacher friend recently showed me a mock BINGO card. It’s allegedly to be played during bad professional development sessions, and it nicely captures how predictable and frustrating some PD events can be. The one-line sample below conveys the gist:

Educators understand the importance of ongoing professional learning. A passion for learning is, after all, why most of them get into teaching. But I observe a kind of ennui or cynicism among teachers who have endured too many PD sessions that they did not find helpful.

A teacher friend recently showed me a mock BINGO card. It’s allegedly to be played during bad professional development sessions, and it nicely captures how predictable and frustrating some PD events can be. The one-line sample below conveys the gist:

Educators understand the importance of ongoing professional learning. A passion for learning is, after all, why most of them get into teaching. But I observe a kind of ennui or cynicism among teachers who have endured too many PD sessions that they did not find helpful.

When I asked the teachers I know for details, the most common plea was for practical relevance. One teacher said, “One of my pet peeves is PD sessions that are all theory with nothing to take away but a strong message of: Now you have to add this to your plate.” 

Another said: “I want something I can use right away. Let’s face it, if I don’t immediately practice something I just learned, the chances are high that I will not use it.“

He praised an event he had recently attended: “The presenter shared 20 instructional strategies. Each was accompanied with: 

• real-life classroom examples;
• dos and don’ts on how to implement them;
• ideas to put into your lesson for the very next day;
• a chance to role play the strategies with colleagues.”

Large-scale PD can be done well. But the world of professional learning is much bigger. Educators are exploring learning groups, online collaborations, mentorships, action research projects, and social media connections. The possibilities are exciting, and the resulting enthusiasm is palpable in this issue’s articles (see, for example, Sandie Heckel’s account (p. 12) of how an online learning group changed her approach to teaching music.) On p. 16, Stephen Hurley examines the promise – and pitfalls – in today’s PD landscape and seeks out the “common denominators” of powerful learning.

Now more than ever, students depend on their teachers to constantly improve their practice and help them prepare for an ever-changing world. Let’s make sure teachers have the time, resources and options to develop the skills and knowledge they need.

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Photo: Dave Donald

First published in Education Canada, March 2015

Meet the Expert(s)

Holly Bennett

English Editor of Education Canada.

Holly Bennett is the English Editor of Education Canada.

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