School Improvement - Louisiana Department of Education
School Improvement - Louisiana Department of Education
School Improvement - Louisiana Department of Education
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Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Development: If Not a Workshop, Then What?<br />
Adult learning in schools can, and should, take many forms. Going beyond the essential “sit‐and‐get”<br />
workshop is essential. Workshops are only one way to provide staff development. Without extensive<br />
follow‐up, workshops will not lead teachers to change their practices; however, research indicates that<br />
other ways <strong>of</strong> learning have potential for improving teacher effectiveness and improving student<br />
learning.<br />
According to Dennis Sparks, Executive Director for the National Staff Development Council, “Learning<br />
will occasionally happen in workshops, but most <strong>of</strong> it will occur as teachers plan lessons together,<br />
examine their students’ work to find ways to improve it, observe one another teach and plan<br />
improvements based on various data. Those <strong>of</strong> us concerned with teacher expertise must take<br />
leadership in designing such a system for learning.”<br />
Here are some suggestions for improving staff development:<br />
• Conducting action‐research projects • Being coached by a peer<br />
• Joining pr<strong>of</strong>essional learning<br />
• Reading journals, educational magazines, books<br />
communities<br />
• Analyzing teaching cases • Doing a self‐assessment<br />
• Attending awareness‐level seminars • Shadowing another teacher or pr<strong>of</strong>essional in the<br />
field<br />
• Joining a cadre <strong>of</strong> in‐house trainers • Participating in a study group<br />
• Planning lessons with a teaching • Keeping a reflection log or journal<br />
colleague<br />
• Consulting an expert • Enrolling in a university course<br />
• Being coached by an expert • Viewing educational videos<br />
• Making a field trip • Listening to video/audio recordings<br />
• Forming study or support groups • Participating in a video conference call<br />
• Giving presentations at conferences • Visiting model school/program<br />
• Researching on the Internet • Developing curriculum<br />
• Leading a school wide committee project • Doing school improvement planning<br />
• Developing material displays, bulletin<br />
boards<br />
• Examining technological resources to supplement<br />
lessons<br />
• Coaching a colleague • Being a mentor<br />
• Being mentored • Joining a pr<strong>of</strong>essional network<br />
• Writing an article about your work • Observing model lessons<br />
• Observing other teachers • Being observed and receiving feedback from a<br />
trainer or principal<br />
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