Many teachers are resistant to change because it occurs so frequently in education. The things we change aren't always what is best for students, and sometimes the things we change are changed again the following year! Technology comes in many forms, and teachers are not always given the proper professional development to prepare themselves for the changes that technology brings.
Watch the video below please!
Has your school provided you with effective professional development? Please share your thoughts?
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that my district is pretty good at providing effective professional development for the teachers at our school. The professional development provided is always relevant to what we are doing in our classrooms and in the school. However I have been at some districts were it was not very effective and really did not take away much from the training. The district I am in now is flexible with allowing us to pick professional development that we see to be beneficial or they will provide us with professional development based on what the need is in our school. Furthermore, we also have technology specialist that provide different trainings on apps or programs that we have bought. The tech specialist offer professional development that is optional if we think the tool they are trying to teach us about is beneficial to us. Great question and blog post.
Mike Grice
DeleteMichael,
I think that my district is getting better at giving us choices as far as professional
Development is concerned. I still believe that teachers should have say in what they want to learn about. Technology is such a big component of teaching and we are constantly introducing new things to our students, yet no one really trains us on how to teach the new concept or technology tool to them. My team and I do a lot with technology and we rely on one another to figure things out and teach each other. I wish our tech specialist would offer more technology related PD. I am sure that we will in the future. The problem is that we are all at different places when it comes to technology so we need to provide teachers with various options.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of professional development for technology is offered in your school?
Hi Katherine,
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up such a valid point, and one that probably resonates with virtually every teacher! One of the biggest complaints I hear from my colleagues each year is how our district has to change numerous things every, single year. The district is always "rolling out" something new. New curriculum, new grade book, new technology, new interventions, new mandatory websites (only to be done away with two years later) etc.
The short answer to your question is NO. No, the district does not provide adequate professional development on these things. I work in a very large district so I am sure that there are many things to consider when planning PD for teachers, but I wish that the powers that be would consider asking teachers what they need and plan accordingly. You can never please everyone, but there has to be a better way to effectively provide professional development that meets the needs of all teachers...that is what we are expected to do all day long, right? Differentiate...all teachers need PD in different areas. Some might need help in the technology department and others might need a refresher on Words Their Way, while others sill might need some ELL support. I think professional development in my district could be more beneficial than it is. Even though administration probably has the best intentions, these days often fall short (in my opinion).
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your post. Teaching is such a wonderful and rewarding job, but more and more is expected from us. Districts need to do a better job preparing us for the various new tasked that are introduced to us. Time is a huge issue when it comes to professional development, as well as money. Do you spend a lot of time seeking out your own preofessional development?
My school offers professional development for technology in the summer and it is only offered to a set number of teachers each session. It is hard for all teachers to do the summer in the first place and when you apply and then don't get into the session you requested, it is frustrating. I find myself having to do PD on my own and on my own time. It would be nice if my district would focus on one or two main learning platforms and provide teachers with PD on those and even provide students with tutorials and support on them so that all in the district would be comfortable working with those platforms. Instead, all teachers use different sites and tools and students are overwhelmed by the number of technology tools they are using and getting confused by using them all. It's hard to make students feel comfortable with a tool, I am not 100% sure of either.
ReplyDeleteAndrea,
ReplyDeleteHow does your district decide who gets the professional development slots? Is it first come first serve or do they pick specific teachers? Picking two main platforms to focus on is a great idea! Maybe you should become an administrator!
HA! No way Katherine! I am not ready for that yet! It is a first come, first serve basis but people who are teaching blended learning courses at our district get to bump people out so that is one of the problems. They may tell you that you are in and when schedules come out, a new blended learning teacher could bump your spot! We have been asking for more technological PD during the school year for all so hopefully they will take that feedback when planning SIP days next year.
Delete