What Does Effective Professional Learning Mean to Today’s Teachers?

By guest blogger Leanne Link, communications assistant at the Center for Teaching Quality

Who better to lead conversation around teachers' PD than the people who have experienced it? In May 2012, seven teachers shared their visions for the future of PD. Here are elements that participants said could make PD particularly effective:

Teacher Ownership: Teachers should have more choice on focus topics, format, and who's in their PLCs, suggests Delonna Halliday. And when teachers lead their peers in PD, colleagues listen, Sarah Brown Wessling emphasizes.

Social Media: Meenoo Rami and Jennie Magiera find professional inspiration from colleagues on Twitter (and via Twitter chats).

Professional Learning Networks: Jennifer Barnett explains why her PLN is her most valuable form of PD—and how to persuade colleagues and schools to get on board.

Self-Reflection: Teachers need time and space to reflect on their own needs and experiences, says Jessica Shyu.

New Models: Jessica Hahn describes her positive experience with an education book club in her district. Meenoo Rami encourages teachers to participate in an edcamp.

Hybrid Roles: Sarah Brown Wessling shares what she learned from her year as a part-time classroom teacher and part-time PD instructor.

Virtual Spaces: Even when conducting PD in person, giving teachers a chance to follow up and reflect on blogs and wikis can complement live interaction, says Jennie Magiera.

Add your comments to the bloggers' posts below—and make sure to join us next month, when participants discussed extended learning opportunities.

—Leanne Link

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Sarah Brown Wessling

One of the undercurrents in this forum has been the role of teachers in creating their own best professional learning experiences. Whether through personal reflection, participation in online conversations or attendance at an "unconference," we teachers are asserting ourselves in new ways. The landscape of professional learning is vast and what we most need are those assertive teacher voices, bringing our classrooms into the conversations with the confidence that we, too, are experts. In order to develop and utilize that necessary teacher voice and experience, many schools and districts are creating hybrid positions where teachers are both in the classroom and in leadership positions at the same time.

This year I took on a hybrid position that taught me a great deal about the challenges and celebrations of having this kind of dual role. My assignment was to teach three high school English classes in the morning and then coordinate professional development for the district in the afternoon. Honestly, I didn't think there could be a more ideal situation. I would be able to hone my leadership skills, have a larger circle of impact and still keep my feet firmly grounded in the reality (and magic) of the classroom. Here's what I learned.

Credibility of Being in the Classroom
Whether I was working with administrators or teachers, being able to talk about my own successes and vulnerabilities in the classroom spoke volumes. I wasn't a talking head, but a colleague who was also trying to make sense of the gradual release of responsibility model (the work of Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey) in my classroom as much as through the research.

Power of Teacher Voice
When a school district or building principal sees the importance of teacher voice in professional learning, the culture for creating a system of effective teaching takes on new potential. Recognizing and cultivating this voice is not only important in our own communities, but will benefit our entire education system.

Balance Is Crucial ... and Tough
Perhaps the greatest challenge of this role was feeling as though I was never in the right place at the right time. On paper it seems clear enough: teach in the morning, leadership in the afternoon. But despite educators' predisposition to compartmentalizing (i.e. bells every 44 minutes), the reality is that both jobs don't live in compartments, they thrive on waves. The classroom may need to take precedence for a few days and then it's leadership's turn. Learning to ride these (sometimes simultaneous) waves without falling under is the real challenge. However, having a network of trusted and like-minded colleagues makes all the difference.

So as we continue to understand how to provide the best professional learning for our teachers, we must also remember the ways in which cultivating teacher voice in our processes will lead us to more vibrant communities of learners.

Sarah Brown Wessling is a high school English teacher at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. She is also serving as TCHr Laureate for the Teaching Channel and was the 2010 National Teacher of the Year.

Posted by Sarah Brown Wessling at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Jessica Shyu

I've been out of the classroom and managing adults for the past five years. And yet, everything I know about adult management and coaching I learned from my middle schoolers.

It was my students who shared with me life-long gems such as, "You can't make me learn if I don't want to." They taught me that positive reinforcement and direct feedback works, whether you're 13 or 31. And most of all, they taught me that showing is always far better than telling.

This last one particularly resonated for me as a new special education teacher. I remember in my first semester struggling to wrap my mind around all the silly, overly fun differentiation techniques we were reading about in our graduate school textbooks.

Then, on my own, I tried kinesthetic differentiation strategies like the pacing strip and flour balloons. I tried playing the math board games that my grad school Professor Zaiga Cress created from folders. I learned to read a graduate-level chemistry textbook at my instructional level using guided reading.

And after that, I was sold. I could imagine how my students could focus better as a result of moving in a structured way. I saw how their engagement would soar with the independent-practice games. I experienced how powerful guided reading is—and how painful it can be when the text is beyond your instructional level.

When approaching adult professional development, "showing" and not "telling" is one of the hardest things for me to do. When you have only 60 minutes to hit your objectives to 50 adults, it's far more efficient to flip on the PowerPoint slides and hand out a couple packets. But just as when we teach students through handouts and lecture, it's ultimately aiming for something low level, and therefore less likely to stick over the long term.

Far more effective (and fun) is to have teachers experience what they would want their students to experience themselves, whether it's a math strategy or management technique. And then have them synthesize and discuss how they felt, what made them feel that way, and how they'd adjust it for their own students. After that, have them practice executing the technique themselves on others, preferably on other teachers so that they can provide further experience and feedback.

Doing this takes far more time and planning, and I'm the guiltiest for not doing this enough in my trainings. But if you need any more proof on why experiential learning matters for adults, consider the fact that seven years later, this blog entry is about Prof. Cress's math board games and not about some PowerPoint slideshow.

Jessica Shyu is Vice President of Regional Affairs and Training & Support with Teach For China, a part of the Teach For All global network. Prior to joining Teach For China, Jessica was a special education teacher and staff member with Teach For America.

Posted by Jessica Shyu at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Jessica Hahn

In my last post, I wrote about my vision for professional development. I believe that professional development should foster deep understanding in teachers. So what might this professional development look like within a school?

One of the best PD experiences I've had in the last couple of years was a book club. Four of us, ranging from a first grade teacher to middle school math teachers, chose to read a book about math discussions in the classroom. We read, we discussed, we tried out some of the "talk moves," and debriefed. We then decided to videotape ourselves trying to use the talk moves. We met again to watch each other and give feedback. We talked about spots in our lessons in which using a certain talk move would be beneficial. And the school's math specialist knew that using these talk moves in my math shares was a goal of mine.

At first, I didn't use the talk moves. Then I misused them. Finally, I was able to incorporate the talk moves in meaningful ways. Now, a school year later, those talks moves are mine. My lessons are better and my kids do more of the math talking and thinking than me.

So what made this book club such a powerful form of professional development?

• The topic and book was self-selected.
• The process was contemplative and took time.
• Each teacher was able to come away with something specific for her.
• There was little uniformity in the learning process.

I still want quick take-aways. I still want to watch other teachers, whether live or digital, and get ideas. But schools have to also make space for the kind of thinking work that the book club allowed me. The kind of thinking work that we ask our own students to do.

Jessica Hahn has taught elementary grade children for six years in Phoenix and New York City. She has a master's degree in literacy from Teachers College and began doctoral work in curriculum and teaching there as well. She currently teaches 1st grade in Brooklyn.

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Delonna Halliday

My fellow Teaching Ahead authors have been writing about how teachers can develop their own innovative plans for growth. Many of us seem to have an innate drive to grow and improve our craft, learning on our own even if the "system" doesn't support it. But some of our colleagues don't do this. At least, they don't yet.

And in some ways, I get it. After all, here's how many administrators approach the lack of interest: "If we pay them to attend this great PD opportunity, they will come and learn, thereby becoming better teachers."

But here's what I hear in the halls:

"I have another PLC tomorrow."

"Yeah? Why?"

"Because it is that mandatory one. I have to go meet with those teachers (from that school). They are so hard to work with. All they ever do is complain."

"What are you going to talk about?"

"That article from 2001 on a new method for teaching."

"Oh. Bummer. At least you get paid!"

"True! I'll just sit there, put in my time and let them vent. Sometimes I get something good out of it."

Sound familiar? If so, what would it take to shift teachers' attitudes toward professional learning?

Notice the helplessness in the dialogue: "I can't do anything about it, so I'll just go and get paid ... maybe I'll learn something." Humans have an innate desire for control—and for meaning.

Offering teachers greater autonomy would feed our desire to learn and grow.

What if PD systems gave teachers more control over at least one of these areas?

1) Area of improvement. One thing I valued about the National Board process was that I chose my area of study. If districts and schools develop rubrics aligned with their goals and initiatives, teachers could assess themselves, identifying their own PD needs.

2) Format of professional development. It is easy for us to accept that students learn in different ways—why not teachers, too? Consider alternative PD forms: action research, mentoring, PLC's, studio classrooms, observing and reflecting with peers, collaboration with other organizations, guest speakers, Make-it/Take-it workshops, collaborative learning groups and many others.

3) Cohort of colleagues in one's professional learning community. If we don't have the freedom to choose with whom we work and collaborate, establishing norms with integrity can be difficult. The commitment just isn't there.

What do you think? If you could have control over one of these three aspects of your professional development, which would it be?

Delonna Halliday is a 4th Grade teacher at Grant Center for the Expressive Arts in Tacoma, Wash. She has a background in TV/movie production, spent a year teaching in China, and earned a master's degree in education before launching her classroom career in the U.S. A National Board-certified teacher, Delonna is a member of the Washington New Millennium Initiative team.

Posted by Delonna Halliday at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Jennifer Barnett

My guess is that many of this roundtable's readers are familiar with personal learning networks. But is there a similar awareness among those who design PD for the teaching community? What if administrators were willing to make room for this type of learning within existing structures? And how do we convince them to do so?

I'd like to propose four basic strategies for teacher leaders who value PLNs and want to get the idea across to colleagues and school leaders:

1. Share specific examples of the power of your PLN—including its impact on your practice and your students' learning. Make it real to them.

A couple of days ago Austin, one of my 9th graders, told me that "every book we read in English this year was epic" (his exact words). Another teacher heard his assessment and asked me how I am able to pick books they love. Bingo! This opened the door for me to tell her all about #titletalk on Twitter, my Goodreads network, and other several other methods for using your PLN effectively.

2. Use your network to assist district/school leaders in solving problems, identifying resources, and promoting successes in your district/school.

The teachers and students in my district look forward to showcasing their technology/project-based learning for the year at a giant event held each May. I always promote this event in my network. When colleagues from my local PLN come to our showcase, I make a point to introduce them to my superintendent and ask them how they learned about our event. Their answer proves the point!

3. Model the use of a PLN and support other teachers interested in growing their PLNs.

As much as teachers love questions, many of us love answers more. If you listen to what teachers need to know and match them with the place/group that has that information, you have your foot in the door. I send a Friday Five roundup of tips and resources to all staff in my district each week. In doing this, I try to model how a PLN can provide valuable "just in time" answers to very pressing issues for teachers. Each week I also try to share something they can be doing to grow their own network.

4. Use your network to connect your students with experts, other classrooms, and others for specific learning purposes. Invite school leaders to witness the exchanges.

One project I hope to repeat this fall is my Election Project, where students discovered their own perspective of voting in a national election by engaging in dialogue with adults using various web tools. Inviting school leaders to the post-election forum demonstrates the value of connecting students to those outside our classroom doors. The countless ways we can and should be making these connections makes my head spin! Our students deserve these types of authentic learning experiences.

Jennifer Barnett is an English and social studies teacher and a technology specialist in Talladega County, Ala. She is a co-author of Teaching 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools, Now and in the Future.

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Meenoo Rami

"I came to Edcamp Philly today from DC because I like the unstructured nature of it. In the past, when I have gone to conferences, I was expected to sit back and receive information from experts. But here, I am expected to participate, voice my opinion, bring new ideas to the table. For example, I created a wiki for today's sessions so presenters can easily share resources. I am part of something bigger than myself when I come to an Edcamp."—Alecia Berman-Dry, Technology Coordinator at St. John's Episcopal School Olney, Maryland

Over 150 educators met on the campus of University of Pennsylvania on Saturday to take part in Edcamp Philly. Edcamp is what is known as an unconference—there are no hired expert speakers, no registration fees, no sponsors, or even a set agenda for the event. Attendees lead sessions and the day's agenda is set by them as well. It is another form of the kind of PD I discussed in my last post, PD That's For Teachers, By Teachers.

The power of edcamp lies in the belief that we are all learners. It breaks down the hierarchy of a traditional classroom (and PD workshop) and invites all participants to share ideas, raise questions and find solutions together.

One of the most interesting session I attended Saturday was actually led by a 4th grader and a 7th grader. I think it is safe to say that they are the youngest presenters in the Edcamp movement. Their session focused on use of Minecraft in an English classroom. Minecraft is an online game that allows users to build a fictional 3D world using textured cubes. The possibilities of what you can create are endless, and during the session we discussed way this game could be incorporated in the classroom. Imagine for a second if you asked your students to build the world of 1984, Alice In Wonderland, and Gulliver's Travels in Minecraft and asked them to deal with the decisions the characters have to make in these works. The learning that would happen around this inquiry would be powerful and authentic. I haven't tried this idea out but I can't wait to share it with my students on Monday.

What do you think about the Edcamp movement?

How do you think it can help shape professional development for teachers?

I look forward to learning about your experience.

Meenoo Rami, coordinator of the #engchat weekly Twitter chat for English teachers, teaches English to students at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.

Posted by Meenoo Rami at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Jessica Hahn

When I first began teaching, I had one measure for the quality of any professional development experience: Did I walk away with something I could implement the next day in my specific grade?

I loved sessions where a teacher of my same grade would tell me a bunch of math games to play or how to set up centers during guided reading. Better yet were those sessions I walked away from with a packet. It could be a packet outlining books for certain writing skills, listing songs for morning meeting, or containing actual pre-made centers ready to cut out. No matter what was inside, I had information that was mine to keep.

Recently I've noticed a trend around coaching teachers. Coaches will come in your classroom and either whisper to you the exact words to say in that moment, or interrupt you and model what you should say and how in the moment. I see the value in modeling and in giving teachers specific language. We do that with our students. We model for them. We give some of them sentence stems to get them started. I've even whispered into a child's ear the exact question I wanted her to ask her partner right then and there.

But something in this coaching doesn't sit right with me. Underlying this style of development seems to be the belief that teacher learning is about a transference of skills. I believe that professional development, no matter how it's done, must be about teachers developing a deep understanding rather than just a set of skills. I hold myself to that same expectation when teaching my own students. For example, I don't just model writing a realistic fiction story and expect them to do it. We talk about why and when you write one. We discuss our mistakes and why our really good ideas are really good. That way my students can write independently in different contexts.

Now, after six years of teaching, I still love a session when I walk out with a handout or an idea I can use the next day. But it's not my only measure, and it's certainly not my most important one. I want a session or a coach that explores problems in student learning with me or guides me to deepen my understanding and practice. Now that is truly information that is all mine to keep.

Jessica Hahn has taught elementary grade children for six years in Phoenix and New York City.

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Sarah Brown Wessling

I like to tell my students that in our classroom, we're working to flatten the hierarchies that separate teacher from student. I remind them that anyone who comes into our classroom—students, administrators, community members—gets elevated to the status of learner because there isn't more crucial work we do. Yet, living this elevated learner culture is a tall order when it comes to leveraging that philosophy across an entire school, district or state. In my inaugural year as a hybrid teacher (½ the day in the classroom and the other ½ as professional development coordinator for our district) I've learned a lot about what it means to use professional learning to impact not only student achievement, but also learning culture. Here are five snapshots from my learning this year.

Presenting vs. Teaching
So many times I've heard teachers say, "Please don't stand up and talk to me about inquiry, teach that way too!" I agree. Professional learning undermines itself when we don't teach it. If we're extolling the virtues of productive group work, then our learners need to be learning by doing productive group work and not just sitting and passively hearing about it. If we want teachers to be learners first then we need to help them feel that same struggle, nurturing, and excitement they will recreate in their own classrooms.

When Teachers Do the Teaching
When teachers are put in positions to lead their peers, to share their own struggles and successes, colleagues listen. When teachers can close that gap between research and reality, between the vision and how to get there, we're offering our learners a peek into the metacognition of teaching. When teachers can "think aloud," when they can make what's intrinsic, suddenly extrinsic to each other, we can shift that culture.

Systems Thinking
Rather than having the mindset that we're aiming to develop stronger teachers, we must think about cultivating better teaching throughout a system. When I work with administrators, I've often asked them to consider what their "teaching moments" are during a day. Part of our professional learning plans must address the ways in which we all teach everyday, how we all live learning every day.

As a system sees itself comprised, not of isolated parts that work best on a linear path, but as a flattened hierarchy with a compass towards teaching and learning, we'll not only see the impact of curious pursuit, we'll also see that teacher-leader or leader-teacher really means lead learner.

Sarah Brown Wessling is a high school English teacher at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. She is also serving as TCHr Laureate for the Teaching Channel and was the 2010 National Teacher of the Year.

Posted by Sarah Brown Wessling at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Jennie Magiera

In my last post, I talked about Bionic PD: a magical meld of in-person teacher-centered PD sessions and digital professional learning networks and online resources. The thought was that the teacher discussion ignites curiosity and the digital resources sate the curiosity after the discussion is long over. However, this interest-sparking discussion, as well as PD follow-up, can also take place digitally.

Our school has had a 1:1 iPad grant this year, and as part of this grant we needed to collaborate as a PLN to learn about our practice. However, the team was already laden with after school commitments and regular meeting times were not abundant. So, we decided to start our collaboration online. We created a Blogger site on which we all vowed to post weekly. We could write anything from questions about our practice to share a lesson or student work or simply complain about a dysfunctional app. The beauty was that we could log on anytime, anywhere at the convenience of our own schedules.

It took some time to get used to, but eventually the discussion on the blog became fluid and fruitful. We were able to share openly, include pictures and movies and comment on each others' thoughts, questions and work. Additionally, now we have an archive of our "discussions" and learning journeys. This not only serves as a resource to ourselves but also to teachers hoping to hop on the iPad train next year.

We still have to meet in person periodically. About once every few months we get together to have a more traditional conversation, ask questions, share work and take advantage of the flow and spontaneity of being face to face. However, the discussions were more pointed and effective as we had already been "inside" each others' classrooms and minds through the blog on a weekly basis for so many months.

I would also suggest this model as a follow-up for live PD or even virtual sessions. Being together for a handful of hours for professional learning can be great, but so often we leave with a myriad of great ideas to try ... then get caught up in the rest of our "to do" list and never get to them. Giving participants an ongoing virtual space—such as a blog or a Wiki—to continue to collaborate, push and support each other would only extend and enrich that experience.

Our schools are truly beginning to leverage the power of the Internet and ubiquitous technology to empower and improve student learning. They are exploring opportunities for students to collaborate and learn anytime, anywhere. Why shouldn't teachers follow suit?

Jennie Magiera is a 4th and 5th grade math teacher and a technology and mathematics curriculum coach in Chicago Public Schools. A Teacher Leaders Network member, 2012 Chicago Public Schools Tech Innovator of the Year, Golden Apple Teacher of Distinction, and Apple Distinguished Educator, she explores best practices in math pedagogy and technology in her blog, Teaching Like It's 2999, and on Twitter @msmagiera.

Posted by Jennie Magiera at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Jessica Shyu

They say love for oneself is the best kind of love of all. And so it's with great pride that I share that my best professional development over the past seven years has been what I've done for myself personally.

Don't get me wrong—I love PD. It isn't just my job, it's my lifestyle. My Friday night happy hours used to be spent debating how to balance skill-building with knowledge-sharing. I hauled my five-pound All Kinds of Minds notebook all the way to rural China. I used to have a thing for Doug Lemov.

But at the end of the day, when I think about the times I've learned and grown the most, it wasn't from an expert teacher trainer, prescribed resources, or even the perfect balance of skill and knowledge.

It usually happened when sitting in my pajamas in bed, on my laptop after a few really crappy weeks in the classroom. It often took a glass or two of wine for me to get honest with myself about all the stress-inducing questions, such as: What do I want for my kids? Where are they now? Why is this happening? What am I doing to cause it? What's keeping me from changing? What do I need specifically now?

Usually, that specific help could be found in nothing fancier than that teacher across the hall, on the Internet, or in one of the million teacher books lying around my apartment. I might have been surrounded by resource-laden Teach For America workshops, trainings led by experts, and individualized observations and feedback from my program director, but until I had initiated my personal reflections on what was needed for me and my students, those experiences weren't moving me forward.

Of course, knowing how to self-reflect takes professional development in itself. But it's just not usually the kind of development that takes place on a Friday afternoon when everyone is forced to pore over mountains of testing data and fill out a next steps template.

Self-reflection is a personal process (duh). It's almost too warm and fuzzy to mandate, but I think it can be encouraged or fostered. As head of teacher training for Teach For China, one of my strategies for the coming year includes small, in-person support groups of teachers and trainers meeting throughout the year to reflect on their experiences and development, setting up their own PD plans, and holding each other accountable. Actual skill-building learning experiences will be based on what people say they need most.

The point is to give teachers some space to figure out what they need. If some teachers reflect better with Excel and templates, that's great. But if others require a meditative hike to ponder what the heck is going wrong and right, that's wonderful as well.

Jessica Shyu is Vice President of Regional Affairs and Training & Support with Teach For China, a part of the Teach For All global network. Prior to joining Teach For China, Jessica was a special education teacher and staff member with Teach For America.

Posted by Jessica Shyu at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Jennifer Barnett

I work in a district that is wildly dedicated to implementing a project-based learning curriculum, using technology to facilitate the learning process, and practicing strategic teaching and formative assessment every day. I've witnessed the dramatic impact that our efforts have had on students' abilities to research, analyze, discuss, collaborate, and reflect on their learning. They use technological tools in focused ways on a daily basis. They are active learners.

Not too surprisingly, the best professional development I've experienced is pretty similar to my students' learning. I find teamwork invigorating, research revealing, thinking and writing liberating, and discussion necessary for formulating plans and solutions.

And my professional growth dramatically changed my practice when I began using technology for these purposes. Teachers now have access to a mind-boggling range of digital tools. I catalogue some of my favorites in My Web Wardrobe.

But my absolute best 24/7 PD provider is my personal learning network (PLN)—the evolving group of people who expose me to research, push my thinking, engage in meaningful discussions, and collaborate with me. I turn to my network for news, advice, perspective, expertise, solutions, and support.

Next year I will assume a position as a Technology Integration Specialist in a school that is shifting to a 1:1 student to computer ratio with a project based learning focused curriculum. Though the PD for this shift has been on going for some time, a variety of initiatives await my attention. For example, I am responsible for the selection, training, and implementation of the best digital portfolio tool for our students. I cannot imagine how I could do this without my PLN. Their advice and expertise has provided me not only with answers, but also with the confidence I need lead my school (and likely, my district) in adoption of student digital portfolios. Although I am on my own in this work, I am not alone.

The more I invest in my PLN (time, effort, willingness to share successes and setbacks), the more I receive. I end nearly every day energized by the power of my network to meet the challenges ahead. I wish more teachers had PLNs—and that more administrators understood and valued PLNs, incorporating them as options for required professional development. In my follow-up post, I'll share some ideas for how to advocate for PLNs.

Meanwhile, do you have a PLN success story to share?

Jennifer Barnett is an English and social studies teacher and a technology specialist in Talladega County, Ala. She is a co-author of Teaching 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools, Now and in the Future.

Posted by Jennifer Barnett at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Delonna Halliday

Call me a PD connoisseur. A class on how to use a new online math program that assesses and offers remediation? I'm there. A workshop on brain theory and how to implement new strategies? I'll pay for the three-day retreat. Fortunately, I have a husband who juggles childcare and his own job to support my passion for (addiction to?) professional development.

That said, I do have some PD pet peeves:

1) Classes I'm forced to take. Arbitrary decisions about my professional learning rub me the wrong way. It is like saying, "So, Del, I've never seen you teach, and your students' test scores are fine ... but since two-thirds of the other 4th grade teachers need help with reading instruction, you must attend this class." That's when my inner strong-willed child comes out. I'm already loathing the course, even as I click on the "register" button.

2) False advertising. Once, a "math education" workshop wound up being a two-hour discussion about an article I can summarize in one sentence: "People with a math degree teach math more effectively." That's it. No helpful strategies for those of us who were theater majors.

Enough whining. All in all, I appreciate PD—and I've sampled enough to have some solid advice for administrators:

• Separate training and PD. If there is a new math curriculum or technology initiative, the time and cost of training must be included in the implementation costs—not borrowed from PD budgets.

• Open up the definition of "PD" and invite teachers to make decisions about it. Does PD have to be a district workshop or a college course? What if PD funds could pay for a substitute so we could view other classes, or so we could set aside time for action research? If effective evaluation systems are in place, teachers should have a sense of the areas in which they need to grow. From there, they can build individual learning plans.

• Provide participants with time, space, and tools to collaborate after a "PD session." Research shows this step is critical to effective PD. After I spend some time thinking about new ideas and how I might implement them, follow-up conversations can help me fine-tune my plans.

• Set aside time for teachers to share and reflect. I love a good Show and Tell! An annual district-wide PD fair could expose us to how our colleagues have explored new teaching strategies and adjusted their classroom practice. Even when something isn't successful, that's still an opportunity for growth and learning.

And one final question I keep mulling over: If a district adhered to the approach above, how might PD link to an individual teacher's evaluation?

Delonna Halliday is a 4th grade teacher at Grant Center for the Expressive Arts in Tacoma, Wash.

Posted by Delonna Halliday at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Meenoo Rami

Every Monday night from 7-8 p.m. EST, English teachers from around the world 'meet' via twitter to share, reflect, and question their daily practice in the classroom. The topics covered on #engchat range from teaching Shakespeare to digital storytelling in the classroom. Each week, a practicing teacher brings a new perspective, ideas, and questions to the forum. Participants often leave with more questions than answers—and that's a good thing.

This is professional development for teachers, by teachers. (See a sample thread.)

When I started #engchat, I doubted my ability to turn a nebulous idea into a vibrant community. However, that is exactly what seems to be happening. #engchat has become a meeting place for English teachers on twitter. Connections and conversations extend beyond Monday night chats and teachers are sharing valuable resources in real-time throughout the week. They post daily writing prompts, readings, and lesson ideas. Those in need of inspiration or advice can peruse the feed or pose a specific question, eliciting responses from the community.

Teachers tell me all the time that #engchat is a professional lifeline, their best PD.

How can #engchat help us understand what contributes to effective professional learning? Here are some factors for administrators and professional development leaders to consider:

• Choice: Can teachers make choices about their professional learning? All have different needs: Even weekly schoolwide PD sessions cannot meet the needs of a diverse faculty.

• Leadership: Do you encourage teachers to design and execute PD sessions at your school? How are you celebrating their strengths and challenging their biases about learning and teaching? How are you encouraging them to share their expertise and to envision themselves as professionals?

• Just-in-time: How are you meeting the actual needs of the teachers at your school? How responsive is PD at your school? Let's say there's a teacher in room 208 who wants to use podcasting as a storytelling tool but feels overwhelmed by the technology. How can you help this teacher bridge the gap between the tech issue and pedagogical idea? What resources can this teacher draw upon?

• Community: Do the learners in your professional learning community demonstrate trust, respect, and willingness to collaborate? When was the last time the science teacher in your school spent some time in the history teacher's classroom?

• Iterative: What basic ideas about teaching and learning do you come back to again and again in your PD sessions? Do these ideas relate to core concerns like rigor, engagement, and connection to students' lives outside of school? If not, how might you change that?

There are many formidable challenges in education today, but there are just as many innovative teachers with insightful ideas about what works in classrooms. Let's honor that expertise by building interpersonal and interconnected learning communities in our schools.

What do you think about moving toward a "for teachers, by teachers" model of PD? What roles can teacher leaders play in making this happen?

Meenoo Rami, coordinator of the #engchat weekly Twitter chat for English teachers, teaches English to students at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.

Posted by Meenoo Rami at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Jennie Magiera

Differentiated. Relevant. Engaging. These are all words used to describe quality instruction. Yet how ironic is it that they so rarely describe the professional development of teachers. Most of the time we are talked at for several hours on a Saturday morning, or in the afternoon after a long day in the classroom, with nothing to engage us but a conciliatory bowl of candy. This would not stand in our classrooms, so why does it with teacher PD?

It doesn't have to be this way. If providers of teacher professional learning were to simply adhere to the tenants of good teaching themselves, much could be improved. I've been to extremely engaging PD sessions—all of which have been hands on, driven by participants, and immediately relevant to my practice. In these shining examples of teacher learning, the presenters acted more as resources than as lecturers—allowing us to guide our own learning and drive the content through our questions and curiosities.

After such sessions, I always leave refreshed, renewed, and excited to learn more. At the same time, I regret that the session was over. My discussions with colleagues are ended and I have to go back to the "grind." How could I continue my learning from the session?

Ah, the Internet. Sites such as TeacherTube, The Teaching Channel and social media outlets like Twitter have made self-serve PD as simple as a mouse click or hash tag. There is a simple beauty to being able to access the classrooms and ideas of teachers from around the world while sitting comfortably in your pajamas on a Sunday. So, one may argue, why have live professional development at all? Why not digitize the whole thing?

While online learning has become revolutionary for teacher learning, I believe in-person discussions are what ignites our curiosity and drive to seek out additional knowledge and interaction. I am most excited when fueled by the in-person conversations, questions, and ideas of fellow educators in these workshops. The challenges brought up in discussion push me to think differently and strive to improve my practice. It no longer is about whether I feel like clicking on that link I saw on Twitter or the video on a teaching website. I am engaged by the back-and-forth discourse and then inspired to go home and seek out that video or blog post to further my thinking.

So what I propose is for districts to consider a hybrid approach: a differentiated, relevant, and engaging live PD to whet teachers' curiosities and ignite their passions, then an online platform for teachers to continue to learn and pursue their new thirst for knowledge.

Jennie Magiera is a 4th and 5th grade math teacher and a technology and mathematics curriculum coach in Chicago Public Schools. A Teacher Leaders Network member, she is the 2012 Chicago Public Schools Tech Innovator of the Year and author of the blog Teaching Like It's 2999.

Posted by Jennie Magiera at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend