Your teachers are the most important people in your child’s life. That’s why it’s so important to invest in their growth as professionals. A vibrant teaching culture helps young minds grow and thrive, creating lifelong learners. Teachers need time to plan effectively, reflect on their practice and collaborate with colleagues. That’s why investing time in professional development is so critical. It helps teachers elevate their skills and builds confidence that drives them to continuously grow. Here are five ways you can differentiate professional development for teachers:

Do your teachers ask for customized Professional Development?

Offer customized professional development based on the individual teacher's needs, interests, and learning style. If you can see it, you can learn it. It's not a matter of if — but rather when and how. Most teachers are aware of the need to continuously update their skills in order to stay relevant and competitive in the job market today. However, many new teachers tend to be overwhelmed or intimidated by all that change seems to demand from them. Moreover, many beginning teachers don't have access to the resources they need in order to continue advancing their skills on their own time.

Are your teachers keeping up with the latest research and teaching methods?

Focus on incorporating technology into teaching methods to keep up with the changing times and student needs. If you’re a teacher, then chances are that you deal with technology on a daily basis. However, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. You need to know what apps to use when and how to incorporate them into your classroom curriculum. From an educational perspective, this is not the easiest thing in the world to do. In order to integrate technology effectively into your teaching methods, you will need to take some time and figure out what works best for YOU. This article on tech tools should help you get started as they outline some of the engagement activities that I use.

Do your teachers work together, share ideas, and participate in peer-to-peer learning opportunities?

Collaborative learning and collaborating with colleagues and sharing ideas can be more effective than working in isolation. Collaboration is essential when it comes to nurturing creative thinking and developing new ideas. Working together allows teachers to build knowledge from other people’s experiences, which can lead to increased understanding of different topics and more effective teaching practices in the future.

Do you as a leader provide ongoing support, coaching and feedback to help teachers continuously improve and grow in their professional development journey?

Teachers are faced with so many demands on their time: student schedules, assessment requirements, and coordinating activities across subject areas. Add to that the stress of juggling multiple responsibilities, keeping up with technology, and trying to figure out how to use new teaching tools effectively. Are you struggling to find time for regular professional development activities? Well, feel free to reach out to us, we provide professional development for teachers.

Are your professional development offerings relevant, up-to-date, and directly related to current teaching practices and educational trends?

As digital technologies become more prevalent in classrooms, educators need to ensure that professional development offerings are relevant, up-to-date, and directly related to current teaching practices and educational trends. Teachers are forced to accept decisions being made for them without their input time and time again. An informal survey can determine what teachers want to enhance their own learning.

Don’t become the district, that provides one choice, “a one-size-that-fits-all!

Districts often will create large-scale, one-size-fits-all professional development sessions based on the perceived needs of all the schools. However, in large districts, schools have diverse needs that might not always align. Schools in one part of the district might need PD on English Language Learners. Whatever you need, reach out to Educational Innovation 360 for support. Schools in different areas of the district might be working on major instructional technology initiatives. We should always include teachers in creating a professional development plan for the future.

Citations:

360, E. I. (2022, December 30). What's holding you back from using these 5 free web tools to boost student engagement: Educational innovation 360. Teaching Observations, Instructional Coaching. Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://www.educationalinnovation360.com/blogs/whats-holding-you-back-from-using-these-5-free-web-tools-to-boost-student-engagement

O'Scanaill, M. (2020, August 28). 5 ways to differentiate professional development for teachers. Dyknow. Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://www.dyknow.com/blog/5-ways-to-differentiate-professional-development-for-teachers/