Professional Development Makes the World a Better Place
- Lauren Morris
- May 19, 2023
- 2 min read
Professional Development makes the world a better place!! Lifelong learning thrives with Professional Development. This year, I have been blessed with the opportunity to attend so many professional development sessions, virtually and in person. I have also led many professional development sessions for my teachers and administrators.
Professional Development can often be seen as boring, redundant, and a chore by many educators. However, PD is a blessing. We are able to continuously enhance our practice with the newest practices and tech tools. We can learn from experts in our field and peers to benefit our students and staff. Turing around your PD is also very important to keep your staff motivated and focused on the best practices of instruction. I suggest doing PD with your staff once a month. I also suggest sending out a biweekly or monthly newsletter for virtual PD also. You want your PD to be something that educators can "grab and go" meaning they can turn around and implement the next day if they want to. That is the benefit of the digital newsletter I send out called Morris's Memo. You can go to this link to see my virtual PD hub that hosts my Morris's Memos and all other PD provided so far.
How do you know what PD to lead for your staff?
Easy! Surveys!!
Surveys give coaches and administrators valuable information about their staff and school! I send out surveys frequently and will be sending them out quarterly this upcoming school year to stay in the know on the vibes and climate of the school, what PD is needed, if my staff feels supported, etc. This is also how I partially determine if I am being effective or not. This is one small way to see if staff feel like you have their backs, are helping them, and where you can start pitching in more. Data in coaching cycles is the most effective way to measure your progress but this can also help! My administration and I used a survey this year to decide what topic we want to focus on for our staff wide book study next year! Another way to decide what PD is needed by your staff is to do walk-throughs and gather evidence!
As an Instructional Coach, staying on top of PD is VITAL! You need to be up to date on all the instructional practices and trends, newest tech tools, etc. This will tremendously help your approach in coaching cycles. Filling your coaching tool box is necessary. You can do this by doing book studies on your own, with colleagues, as a staff, etc. I have a tab called "Books I Suggest" that will help fill your toolbox. Click the link to see it! You can also attend PD virtually or in person. Twitter is an amazing place for quick PD too! See the list below for people to follow! Attend Summer PD Conferences like ISTE where I will be presenting this blog at!
You can never participate in too many PD sessions! Live to learn and learn to live. By learning more about educational practices and tools, we can enhance education and continue to implement the best practices for our students every day.
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