Professional learning and development should always be a consideration for educators as a profession. Improving our practice helps us to do our jobs with more confidence, as well as better serve our students. A neat thing that we started last year was the creation of a professional learning library section in our school's Library Learning Commons.
Some of the thinking that led to this was that it:
Visibly shows staff that we support teacher development.
Visibly shows students that staff are learners as well
Is cost effective professional learning
While the first of these two may seem obvious, the last may seem strange in the sense that not everyone may want to use it so how can it be cost effective? We ask staff for input on which books they would like and have plans to add more each year. The cost of one book is usually less than $50, and when compared to the cost of a substitute teacher per hour, the book is far more cost effective even if only one person reads it. When you factor in that multiple teachers can read the same book, it becomes even more so. Reading on a particular topic can also spark a learning conversation between teachers helping to spread new ideas.
Now I know that there are who would immediately protest that teachers should not be required to do professional learning on their own time, and I agree with that! However, it is also true that some, like myself, may want to. For me, learning helps to fill my cup. I like learning and improving my practice because I feel it helps me to be a more confident educator and leader.
Having a professional learning library helps out those who want to take it upon themselves by reducing costs and making literature available without imposing it on anyone who does not want to. Giving choices with options that some will take advantage of and some will not is a practice that we try to promote in our classrooms, so why wouldn't be promote it with our staff as well?
Some considerations though if you are thinking of developing a learning library:
Ask the staff what they want to learn. Getting books or materials that you think are good is nice, but getting things to support their learning journey through self identified materials is even better.
If you can find time to give them to read to support its use, that also helps. This can of course be difficult at times depending on the needs of your building.
Don't track what they are reading. This sounds counter-intuitive if you want to be a learning partner with them but it also may make them feel it is less voluntary if you push it too hard.
An extension of this may be to start a school book club to share in the experience and learning. Book clubs are a great way of bringing educators together to discuss different thoughts and ideas. The book itself becomes a vehicle for these conversations and you may even find that some members may stop reading the book but still contribute a lot to the conversation!
A school-based book club is also a great way to build collective efficacy and strengthen relationships for those that attend. It is a great experience to have a forum where people can voice their thoughts on educational ideas in a space where decisions are not necessarily being made. If you do decide to try this out (and I would encourage it) be sure to provide books for those who are interested. Giving them input on the book is also highly recommended!
I have also had the pleasure of also being a part of book clubs across our school district, where different learners from across the district meet virtually to discuss different books. Some speak regularly, some come to listen. I find the positive energy that gets brought to the learning space makes me feel much better than when I leave. It is similar to exercising in that sometimes you have to make yourself start it, but once you get in there and start your workout you usually feel great right after you finish. I also love to meet colleagues from different places and expand my professional learning network.
Ultimately, whether you do a book club or not, having common resources like a Professional Learning Library can be a catalyst to increasing teacher efficacy and professional learning. It is an easy way to support staff who want to take advantage of it. And maybe, the staff that aren’t as interested can pick up a few things when the learning conversations about pedagogy start happening around them.