Forum

1. Washington County: Thoughts on Professional Development

Posted by Scott Habeeb on August 10, 2011 at 5:03pm in Washington County, VA Workshop - 81211

For today's workshop we will be using online Forum Discussions as a way to:

  1. Model the use of 21st Century Skills/Technology
  2. Enable greater discussion than the typical workshop format would allow
  3. Collaborate
  4. Create a record of our ideas that can be used in the future

This Forum Discussion has been created as a way to practice using Forum Discussions and to make sure that all participants are able to access the AFL Ning.

When Professional Development activities or topics haven’t been “all that you could ever hope for”, what has been the reason/problem?

Answer the above question by replying in the box below.

11-8-12 Washington County AFL Handout.pdf

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Replies

  • Kristy Price August 12, 2011 at 12:59pm

    1. Professional development often follows the very models we discourage from our teachers.  We have all been in sessions where we have been lectured to or read to word-for-word from PowerPoint presentations. 

     

    2. I think that teachers also get frustrated that professional development doesn't allow for more interaction with teachers in their content area.  I know how much I learn just from being able to talk to the other chorus teachers about what's happening in my classroom... sometimes those are the most valuable lessons I leave with.

     

    3. There is a perception that professional development can feel very top-down, i.e. the administrators are the ones making the decisions about what is being offered.  It can feel like we don't have as much input into the types of  in-service that are offered.

  • Vanessa McCall August 12, 2011 at 12:54pm
    Sometimes I feel that professional development is about telling teachers what they are doing wrong yet offers no real way to fix the problem.  The topic doesn't always fit my curriculum and often cannot be changed to fit my content area.
  • Catherine Price Hicks August 12, 2011 at 12:54pm
    It is interesting to see the technology out there that can be used, but it is difficult to incorporate technology in a classroom when you only have a laptop.....oops..... I do have a projector but no smartboard.......I guess I am still more of a hands on artist who prefers creativity instead of pinging from site to site.
  • Jillian Davis August 12, 2011 at 12:53pm
    Sometimes I get some really great new ideas, but I don't have time to implement them right away. It helps me to have a PD session in the morning, and then have some time to return to my classroom in the afternoon to find a way to use what I have learned. If I don't use it right away I often forget about it!
  • Tammy Snapp August 12, 2011 at 12:53pm
    PD for the last few years have been about technology which could be taught in my building during the year.  I want district wide pd to be about foreign language, and I want it to be an opportunity to meet with the foreign language teachers at the other school for collaboration, brainstorming, etc. to better help me teach my content area.
  • Fredda Wyatt August 12, 2011 at 12:53pm
    Information given to us at the wrong time.  We are busy with preparing for students and don't have time to implement the new information/program/resources.
  • Meghan Tolliver August 12, 2011 at 12:53pm
    Professional Development activities usually "suck" because they are too general and aren't geared toward a specific content area.
  • Teresa Price August 12, 2011 at 12:53pm
    The topics seldom help me teach Spanish.  The time might be better spent collaborating with other foreign language teachers.  The technology interests me put remains impractical with the resources and time available.
  • Andrea Helton August 12, 2011 at 12:52pm
    Too close to the beginning of school to change-up my teaching style.
  • Jennifer Daniel August 12, 2011 at 12:52pm
    Professional developments should not be repeated in an identical format.  If I have already attended a session, I don't need to repeat the exact same session six months later.  We do need some sort of follow up/evaluation to see how the development is working or if it is effective, but not an exact repeat.
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