Throughout a school year there are many professional developments that teachers and principals and school leaders take part in that sometimes they start to blur and become on. It is always a good idea to analyze different professional developments and take on different roles to really make sure that the purpose and goals of professional are met and that teachers and leaders actually have a takeaway and that the professional developments goals are met within the audience. Every person attending has a different role, from presenting, to being aids to making sure the PD is actually executed.
Before a teacher or a leader can actually use the professional development is to make sure that the PD offered is going to increase staff knowledge but is also going to align with the schools mission and vision. “Actively pursuing professional development ensures that knowledge and skills stay relevant and up to date. It also allows employees to be more aware of changing trends and directions in an industry” (Crawford, Sept )With the professional development offered to me, “SEL for Students” I want to make sure that a connection between the school vision and the professional development is there. When reading the school vision, one thing that the school wants to make sure is that students are ready and prepared to be good citizens, with this PD that was offered students can be prepared because there are multiple strategies that are going to be taught to grasp attention and respect. One strategy taught at this PD is to use a feelings chart for the students to describe emotions. This is beneficial for the students since they are going to learn to read their own emotions and how to respond to them, which students will need to know once they have left school.
As a school leader, the principal has many different roles to incorporate this professional development in the school. One thing that they need to note is the teacher’s instructional abilities and the classroom environment. For example, one strategy taught during the development was “popcorn” that being passing a ball around and answering different questions that the teacher gives. If the class that this strategy is presented is already a hard behavior class, and it’s going to make the learning process harder and more disruptive towards the teacher and student, then this is a strategy that the teacher does not need to use. This is where the principal comes in and develops a different strategy with the teacher or has that tough conversation about not using it at all and finding something that works for everyone. The principal here is putting the teacher’s abilities and developing the classroom learning at a pace that the students are going to be successful.
Aside from the principal, a teacher also has a major role in developing the professional development. A teacher’s role in this is giving the professional development the honest feedback to make the professional development beneficial for all teachers. For example, if this PD is repetitive, or the strategies are not something that can be completed in a classroom, that is feedback that needs to be heard. Next, it is up to the teachers to actually execute the strategies and then whether they are successful with the students or not the teacher has to let the principal know so that that feedback can be taken back and that will help the professional development become better.
One great thing about the professional development and the strategies teachers where taught on how to manage more SEL strategies is that they all align with the schools improvement plan. One big thing is that all the strategies presented to us are positive strategies that are all strategies that we can use to make sure that the student behavior improve, the teacher’s classroom learning environment improves, thus improving the school plan. One example is morning and afternoon meetings with students, although this is not a new strategy it was presented in a way that made it look like it. Instead of having a meeting about what are your feelings today, have the meeting on more important events, happening in the world, and have the students share their feelings on that, this improves the continues plan because students are having open conversations and learning this skill is beneficial to the school since more communication is happening.
As we were presented many strategies to incorporate SEL in our classroom in different ways, one of the things that needs to be remembered is the best practices and why we incorporate SEL in the classroom. This professional development gave us the best practices, popcorn, morning meetings, feelings chart, but why are these important? Research shows that “With SEL, students not only experience less anxiety, less hyperactivity, and less aggression, they’re generally happier and more attentive, too.” (Frezza, September) Which is one thing that us educators want. We want students to be happy and attentive, this makes the whole classroom flow better, and the most learning happen. One thing that teachers can do is make sure that the PD is fulfilling these expectations by matching research to the strategies and the results. If a teacher is using a strategy multiple times a day and that strategy isn’t meeting the expectations, then is it the strategy, the way that its executed, or the classroom. “Schools need definitive, quality data to guide SEL programming selection, implementation, and outcomes assessment in order for administrators to monitor staff participation and training outcomes, and for teachers to effectively and efficiently evaluate student participation and progress.” (Frezza, September) Meaning that if the teachers can pin point the different outcomes either vocally or through data (testing data, assessments, or general classroom data) than that PD needs to have changes. Education is a forever changing field and professional developments is a way that we can make sure that teachers are keeping up with the changes, and that the changes are the most beneficial for the students than anyone.
Crawford, M. (Sept , 1 2016). Why professional development matters to the success of a company. Retrieved from The Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2016/09/professional-development-matters-success-company.html#:~:text=Professional%20development%20helps%20employees%20continue,but%20also%20excel%20in%20it.&text=Actively%20pursuing%20profe
Frezza, D. (September, 4 2018). Four Reasons Why Students—and Teachers—Need SEL Embedded Into School All Day, Every Day. Retrieved from EdSruge: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-09-04-four-reasons-why-students-and-teachers-need-sel-embedded-into-school-all-day-every-day
ROSCORLA, T. (2017). 5 Ways Education Leaders Can Support Teachers. Retrieved from Digital Education: https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/5-Ways-Education-Leaders-Can-Support-Teachers.html