Last week I had the opportunity to attend a professional development session by Matt Miller, a High School Spanish teacher from West Central Indiana. Matt is the author of the Ditch That Textbook blog and is obviously a great teacher. The tips that he shared on how teachers can use digital tools in the classroom were both practical and helpful to teachers looking to integrate technology in the classroom. I would highly recommend reading Matt’s blog Ditch That Textbook and following him on Twitter, @jmattmiller.
In the days following the Professional Development with Matt I have spent a lot of time sharing the things I learned with my fellow teachers. In addition I have spent a great deal of time thinking about what makes a good professional development session and have come up with these three keys to strong teacher professional development.
Relevant - The Professional Development must be relevant to those attending the session. I have attended several Professional Development sessions on topics that were not relevant to what I was doing in my classroom. During those sessions I was disengaged and took very little of value with me back to the classroom. One of the things that made Matt’s session so worthwhile was that the tips he shared were things I could take back to my classroom and use right away.
Challenging - I feel that good Professional Development should challenge us to do more in our classrooms. Teachers should be always be looking for ways to better reach students. Professional Development that challenges us to do more and get out of our comfort zone to better reach our students, will help us grow as teachers.
Inspiring - When I have left an outstanding Professional Development session I always feel inspired to be a better teacher. There are times I get stuck in the mess of the day to day grind of teaching and school. Inspiring Professional Development leaves me wanting to learn more, be a better teacher, and get back to the classroom and use what I have learned to help my students learn and grow.
I know that not all Professional Development will be great and worthwhile. However, I have found that the longer I teach the more picky I am about what Professional Development sessions I choose to attend. I find myself searching for those opportunities that I find relevant, that will challenge my thinking as an educator, and will leave me inspired to be a better teacher for my students.
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