There was recently a tweet from a fellow educator in Conneticut that provided some suggestions for improving professional development initiatives for staff. His blog made me think about my role in developing meaningful initiatives as an effective instructional leader. So my brain starting churning...
When I consider the role of an instructional leader, the white elephant in the room - at least for me - is professional development. Over and over we as teachers have complained about the irrelevance, the boring presentation style, and the mandatory learning opportunity. So as an aspiring leader, how will I transform those school improvement and staff development sessions into something meaningful and - dare I say - FUN for all of my staff? (And of course I need to assure the initiatives will also positively impact learning and student achievement.)
Time and time again leaders, researchers, and professional organizations have openly stated that professional development in education MUST change. Yet I have not come across a "best practice" for engaging staff in PD initiatives. Thus I am left wondering what I will do when faced with designing the development plan as an instructional leader... And my best solution is this...
I WILL ASK MY TEACHERS WHAT THEY WANT AND NEED AS LEARNERS AND EDUCATORS.
Of course this will enhance my own accountability because if I ask for their input, I definitely need to use the feedback to guide my decisions. It is my hope as a future instructional leader that I can tailor learning opportunities to the needs of my staff - just like we differentiate for our students interests and needs.
Until next time...
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