RSA #3 - Essentials for Professional Development

Online Link: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=2&sid=1&srchmode=1&vinst=PROD&fmt=6&startpage=-1&clientid=16512&vname=PQD&RQT=309&did=1738488361&scaling=FULL&ts=1302807251&vtype=PQD&rqt=309&TS=1302807256&clientId=16512

The readings this week were fascinating! They really showed me that the Professional Development that administrators think we need is not what we, as teachers really need! Perhaps to due cost and time restraints, PD in schools is usually generic, rather than specific to particular subject areas and levels of teaching. In the article Essential Information for Education Policy, several research studies support the idea that the most effective professional development is something that is specific to subject matter. The authors state, “Professional Development that is rooted in subject matter and focused on student learning can have a significant impact on student achievement (2005)”. Teachers learn best and are most successful in the classroom when they learn with people who teach the same content, plain and simple. This doesn’t seem like a crazy idea, but this does not happen very often. I realize that I am in a unique situation in that I teach a senior level elective with only one or two other teachers in a large department, however we rarely, if ever, get PD specific to Psychology. In fact, I would be part of the statistic in the article that says, “one national survey found that in nine of ten content areas, most teachers said they spent one day or less on professional development during the previous year.” I am lucky if I get a few hours of PD a YEAR specific to the teaching of Psychology to high school students.

In the article, On a Quest for New Discoveries: Effective Professional Development, the authors support the idea that Professional Development needs to be tailored for specific teachers, not only in same subject areas, but with teachers who are in the same situation. This article focuses on PD for English teachers, but the point is that teachers who got to spend time learning with other English teachers at the same level made the most strides in their effectiveness as teachers. One contributor states that, “it took the supportive learning community” of other English teachers to “unlock her potential” as a teacher. In my opinion, the most important quote from the article says, “As educators, we value and understand the importance of professional development that results in change”. This seems like common sense, but more often PD in schools feels like something to fill time or a requirement, rather than something that will foster real change.

All in all, research supports that for PD to be effective, it needs to be relevant. This means that it needs to be done in the content area and it needs to be done with people who are in the same teaching situation. Another component mentioned in both articles is that time needs to be dedicated to improvement. An hour here and there isn’t going to be enough. Schools and administrators need to dedicate realistic amounts of time to PD. Teachers want to get better. Teachers want to help their students be successful. Any chance given to teachers to accomplish these two goals will be taken. I wish that schools would find a way to reconcile budget and time constraints with what is really necessary and ultimately possible.

References:
American Educational Research Association (AERA). (2005). Teaching teachers: Professional development to improve student achievement. Research Points Essential Information for Education Policy, 3(1), 1-4. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED491587.pdf

Henkin, R., Harmon, J., Moorman, H. & Pate, E. (2009). On a quest for new discoveries: effective professional development. Voices from the Middle, 16 (4). May, 2009.