Earlier today, I came across a Bored Teacher's (2020) back-to-school meme on Facebook that read “Brace yourselves... unnecessary professional development is coming".
When I read this, I immediately thought about my Wicked Problem Project. This project focuses on enhancing the wicked, or difficult to solve, problem of ineffective and irrelevant professional development. In my experience, the meme was spot on, and its underlying message was the motivation for me to apply Warren Berger’s why, what if, and how questioning structure to solve the unnecessary professional development issue.
Why do so many teachers find little value in traditional professional development?
What if administrators reimagined professional development to make it more purposeful and engaging?
How can administrators tailor professional development to meet each teacher’s needs?
My quest for answers involved an anonymous survey sent to my professional learning network and reading through an extensive amount of peer reviewed journals. Utilizing these sources, I was able to collect and analyze valuable data, which helped me gain a better understanding of the wicked problem.
Reimagining PD must start by changing its name from professional development to personalized development(Toomer, 2018). The one-size-fits all model is ineffective, and school leaders should encourage teachers to tailor their own PD that fits their needs. Just like students, teachers benefit from flexibility, differentiated opportunities, and an environment that supports a growth mindset.
To learn more about reimaging teacher PD, check out my presentation video below.
Avidov-Ungar, O. (2016). A model of professional development: teachers’ perceptions of their professional development. Teachers and Teaching, 22(6), 653-669. DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2016.1158955
Berger, W. (2014). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.
Greenhalgh, S., & Koehler, M. (2017). 28 days later: Twitter hashtags as just in time teacher professional development. TechTrends, 61(3), 273-281. DOI:10.1007/s11528-016-0142-4
Kyndt, E., Gijbels, D., Grosemans, I., & Donche, V. (2016). Teachers' everyday professional development: Mapping informal learning activities, antecedents, and learning outcomes. American Educational Research Association, 86(4), 1111-1150. DOI:10.3102/0034654315627864
Sharma, P., & Singh, P. (2018). Teachers’ professional development through teachers’ professional activities. Journal of Workplace Learning, 30(8), 613-625. DOI:10.1108/JWL-02-2018-0029