Why learn this if it's not an issue in my classroom?
Why learn this in a way that treats first grade and eighth grade teachers as though they are the same?
Why can't I learn in a way that relates to the direct needs of my own classroom context?
Oftentimes schools take this reality and shift toward differentiated instruction. It sounds like a great idea. The staff might have five or six options for a weekly professional development. They become mini-classes that allow teachers to delve deeper into a particular concept. However, this model tends to fail for the following reasons:
- It doesn't relate to what each teacher needs
- The focus is on teacher interest rather than student needs
- There are too few options
- The PD planners are trying to guess what teachers need rather than allow them to make their own decisions
Customized Learning
A better solution would be for teachers to create their own professional development based upon an identified need in their own classrooms. For example, a teacher might struggle with classroom management. This teacher could attend a differentiated professional development class. However, he or she might also choose to embrace a coaching model (if another teacher could model it in the classroom), peer observation, a book study, a video and a Twitter chat on the subject.
Instead of offering a menu of options, administrators could create a format where teachers could develop their own professional growth plan. This could then set up new structures for book studies, small group classes and peer modeling (give up a few preps and then get your preps back during formal PD times).
The idea here is to keep it student-centered and empower teachers to take ownership of their own learning.