As the course has unfolded this semester, there has been a recurring theme. I’ve seen the theme echoed throughout the web in practically every environment where educators hang out. The theme revolves around “professional development” and how teachers need more, better, and more relevant professional development. I’ve purposely let this subject hang fire for the last few weeks to see if anybody would make the connection. So far, it hasn’t come out as clearly as I would have liked, altho several people have tap-danced around the edges.
The idea is that teachers seem to believe that professional development is something that’s done to them. “If we could only get the district …” and “When they finally get around to teaching us …” and “They give us the software/hardware/whatever and then don’t train us how to use it …”
In “Welcome to your world,” I explained the model of professional development. What do you want to know right now? What’s keeping you from learning about it?
The tools of Web 2.0 put amazing resources at your fingertips. Wikipedia is a good start for an overview and often has follow on links. Google will give you perhaps more than you want to know, and then, once you’ve done your homework (hint, hint, for all you Classroom 2.0 people), you can start looking for people who are experts in that field. Twitter’s great for general callouts. Facebook is a good place to look for expertise.
With all this information available to you, then, why is it that “professional development” is something that waits for “District” to hold a workshop?
April 20th, 2008 at 9:55 AM
You are absolutely right about the fact that we have the power in our hands to train ourselves and to learn what we feel we need to know to be successful by accessing the internet and its tools. The concern that I have is that we are required to have a certain number of PD hours for the school year; and those hours have to be approved by the district. Also, the district requires some PDs that we may not feel is all that relevent to our situation. I know for myself it is hard to find the time to get lesson planning, testing requirements, referrals (I am in special education), IEPs, folder records, taking care of a new baby, taking graduate courses, and life in general, done; let alone taking the initiative to sit down and embrace new subjects or professional activities that aren’t an absolute must. So don’t get me wrong; the tools are at our fingertips…..it is just that sometimes life can get in the way.
April 20th, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Hold your nose, jump thru the hoops.
Learning can’t wait. Education always does.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Hi there, and forgive me for poking my nose in—I found your post when Bud the Teacher shared in in Google Reader. I agree wholeheartedly with you, and have frequently been frustrated by teachers who won’t teach themselves. On the other hand, Rachel is right. We don’t get any PLU credit for such extensive undertaking, and PLU or SDU credit is important. For instance, I started a wiki for teachers who want to learn more about Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe’s Understanding by Design. We have a lot of interest, but little activity, and I think the main reason is that we are engaging in this professional development on our own. We have a few enthusiastic contributors. I’m not even sure if the rest lurk. I wish that we didn’t have to have the carrot of receiving PLU credit to convince us to learn, but it’s understandable when we have so many commitments. Last year when I tried to renew my own certificate, my state allowed four credits of useless coursework to count toward renewal, but would not count a course my school spent thousands on and which was much more relevant and important for me as a teacher. As a result, I had to ask for an extension and take courses that were not as helpful as the professional development I engage in on my own time. If certification agencies would allow teachers to have more choice with regards to professional development, we might feel differently about it.
April 20th, 2008 at 6:21 PM
I don’t disagree. The problem is that education is about certification. It’s not about learning.
We *all* have the same problem. We have to jump thru the hoops to get the certification, and then we have to learn what we need outside the system.
It’s particularly virulent in the institutions of Education where learning actually seems to against you.
I hold a PhD in Educational Technology and what I know counts for nothing toward K-12 certification because I haven’t taken the *correct* credit hours to be recognized. I’ve actually taken more ed psych, child development, and instructional design than is required, but because I don’t have an undergrad degree in English, Math, Science or Education, nor a corresponding master’s degree, getting certified to teach K-12 means I basically start over.
So – bottom line – the system is broken. You’ll have to attend the meaningless PDs to get the CEU and PLUs to maintain the license and get your seat time in, but between those, you can do a LOT of learning with very little incremental resource.
Take an hour a day to learn something for yourself and at the end of the year, you’ll have learned an amazing amount.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:07 PM
I usually have the required PD hours in by the end of the first month of school because I attend many meetings about district stuff that I get PD credit for. PD credit is offered because the meeting is about something that deals with our district or school improvement plan. I do not get PD credit for courses such as this. The system is broken. I attend meetings and I’m a better teacher?? I just help fulfill someone’s agenda.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:24 PM
Every since last semester and being exposed to some of the professional development opportunities out there, I feel like I know a lot more now than I did going through some of my methods courses in my undergrad work. You’re right. We need to take the initiative to go seek out the professional development we are interested in. While some of the more higher price technological devices we would like to use in our classrooms may be better set in a professional development session set up by the school, there are still other things we can try out. Web 2.0 offers up a lot of tools we can learn about and get to know better. I understand we all have a lot of different things going on in our lives where time is a rare resource, but spending a little time each day will build your understanding of those great resources on the Web.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:00 AM
I was just getting ready to write a paper about the lack of professional development available to teachers, and was looking back at some of your posts—running across this one today. You are right, and somewhere you wrote that we take charge of our own learning. I will learn what I seek out to learn, and the information is out there for me to get it. I can’t wait to be taught it…..so, with that said- I have to do a podcast/vodcast today, so I better get on the web to use Garageband or http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ to help me along.
April 21st, 2008 at 11:35 PM
Everyone has made interesting points and I agree most with quality PD that is chosen. There are several times I attend a Manditory PD on things I either already know or don’t plan on using. I already have 30 + PD hours and I will take more if the PD interests me. I always look in the summer for PD’s that I’m interested in because that is what helps me the most in the classroom. I also, look into things that are blogged about or add them to my del.ic.ious so that I can read and look back into them when I have more time. I don’t have much time either as a teacer, but I would like to learn a lot of this sorftware that is coming out. I don’t know why I don’t just sit down and read on voice thread or web 2.0 since it is right at my fingertips. I did however find a site, mathplayground.com that has several software/programs that I am going to look into this week. Anyone checks it out let me know what you think.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:01 AM
Hi Nathan,
My reaction is that I don’t like to be lumped in with a category of people who do not learn unless told to. I’m on a learning binge, biggest in my life, now that so many tools and learning contexts are available. I’d have to say that frequently the professional development sessions that are run to “deliver the learning” are counterproductive: boring, alienating, dispiriting. I’d get a lot more learning done on my own or with networked colleagues. Something is trailing far behind what’s actually possible–I agree with you about that.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 AM
Yes, I agree with you, Connie.
There *are* a few — by comparison — teachers for whom the current models of learning have personal meaning. You’re one of them. I should have recognized the pathfinders in my post because they represent the evidence that some other model is possible.
My apologies for that oversight.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:46 AM
No apologies necessary… was just venting. I’m appreciative of you, being here, making a difference, spurring people on, sharing your insights, giving people a place to react. You lead the way in so many things– grateful to count you in as one of my colleagues!
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:13 PM
I agree with Rachel’s statement, “…it is just that sometimes life can get in the way.” I have always been a teacher who has gone out and found things I wanted to learn to make me a better teacher. Granted, I am also one who expects the District to provide us with meaningful professional development as well. Many other professions provide their workers with up-to-date trainings on things that would help them excel at their job (or make the company better). I don’t think it is too much to ask for some assistance from our employers. I would whole-heartedly agree to do it all on my own, if time was set aside during the work day or week for us to have time to do just that. It really gets frustrating when employers expect you to do it on your own time after school. Sometimes, real life can get in the way of doing that.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:36 PM
“Many other professions provide their workers with up-to-date trainings on things that would help them excel at their job (or make the company better).”
Actually, that’s not any more true for Business than it is for Education. As one who used to do that training for business and industry, let me assure you that the disconnects are pretty much across the board and as egregiously ineffective as the run of the mill PD.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:18 PM
I get excited about new things I find on the internet to use in my classroom. I share it with other teachers and they give me that pat answer “That’s neat but I don’t have time to learn how to use it.” I had mention previously about our district tech cordinator he has just about given up because there are only a few people who sees the light at the end of the tunnel.