One of the best ways to ensure student success is to make sure teachers receive highly effective professional development. Like other professions, teachers are required to participate in continuing education in order to improve their practices and stay licensed. Besides university classes, teachers attend trainings given by their schools and districts. These trainings are usually on a range of important topics that support the improvement plans and goals of the larger organization.
Some of these presentations may be tailored to and accessible by most teachers. But what often ends up happening is that all teachers have to sit through professional development on programs or processes that they do not intend to use. This can be frustrating for the presenter, who is looking for participant buy-in, and for the teachers, who feel like the training is not a good use of time.
So how do you design a professional development experience that teachers can get excited about?
Check out these ideas for effective teacher professional development (PD).