This discussion post is used in conjunction with EYPD Education courses. The purpose is to increase awareness on the specific topic that may coincide with courses.
Having professional development available is crucial to the success of developing quality educators. It has to be organized and implemented with a flexible schedule. Many schools and districts use some of the best educational resources. Yet, it is not a sustainable model that can empower long-term growth. We believe that schools and districts should continue to utilize great resources that includes consultants, speakers and online tools. However, they need to begin developing and implementing their own professional development in parallel to using those other resources. Earnyourpd.org can help by providing a solid foundation in this area. Governing your own local professional development can be intimidating but you will reap the rewards of having this model in place. Please post your comments.
That is so true. Teachers need more opportunities to get professional development that you can get CEUs. It is hard to take time off from school to go to workshops. I like being able to do the professional development online.
I completely agree we as teachers have hard time finding pd much less taking the time to go it is so much easier to do them online
I agree that teachers need more opportunities for professional development. It’s hard to take time off from school to go to workshops. I like the opposition of taking an online professional development.
I agree with you Heather we do need more professional development. It is hard taking time off from school to go to workshops.
I agree that quality professional development is very crucial for teachers to grow professionally. We need more opportunities for professional development. I would like to see more professional development offered in our school district so that we might obtain CEUs. I find it difficult working two jobs and worrying about having enough CEUs for re-certification. I agree with Heather, it is hard to take time off from school to go to workshops.
This is so true. As professional educators, we need to, and are expected to be lifelong learners. However, real life happens; our own children have events to attend, elderly parents get sick, cars break down. I’ve found online training to be especially useful to me as a single working mom. The information is accessible to me at any time. Thank you for providing this!! Also, I strongly believe districts should allow professional development days for teachers. We shouldn’t have to use our sick days or weekends to attend workshops.
The culture of a school is an important factor for the sustainability of the professional development’s effects. I’ve always been fond of “Cooperative and Collaborative” learning classroom settings. However, it takes dedication and commitment to follow through, even when your team of teachers continue to say: “those kids can’t do that”! With so much at stake- I can’t give up on them; so I choose to teach the way my students learn best.
Professional development workshops are a necessity. The time to offer the workshops is a problem. I agree to ask, how many schools are going to allow teachers to take off for professional development. My biggest question is, “why don’t the professional development workshops , automatically offer CEUs?”
Many times I attend workshops and learn valuable information but it is hard to bring back to the classroom and implement. So, I do agree that schools should have PD that is parallel. We have school and district wide PLCs, which would be a perfect resource for implementing new ideas AND earning CEUs.
I believe PD is important and should run parallel with school PLCs. Too often we have PD workshops and hear a lot of great ideas. However, we seldom have time to see those ideas through. District and School PLC meetings would be a good time to extend those ideas and find a way to work them into our classrooms. Also, CEU credit should be given for PLCs that is a time in which teacher collaborate with ideas and ways to use data.
I agree. I think PLC time would be a great time to find ways to implement and incorporate new ideas in our classrooms. I also feel that some of our PLC and professional/staff development should give and allow us to earn CEU’s, during those times, even if it is something online that we can work at our own pace. I’m so glad that we do have online professional development to help us and that it allows us to work at our own pace, especially when we have other things to juggle. Thank you EarnYourPD.com!
I feel that high quality professional development is important for teachers as we continue as lifelong learners. Professional development is easily accessible with online opportunities and onsite classes/training. For teachers juggling home, children, aging parents, and other responsibilities, finding time to be a part of professional development can sometimes prove to be a problem. I find that online workshops provide me with the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers and share ideas that can I can implement in my own classroom.
I agree with these statements. It is so hard to find valuable professional development in my area. Not only valuable, but interesting! Online professional development is the answer and until I found this site I was not able to have this opportunity. The class I am currently enrolled in is very interesting and I am learning valuable information that will help me in my classroom.
If schools and districts can up with PDs that were directed more towards issues in their districts or more in house PDs where CEUs could be earned, I think teachers would take advantage of that.
I feel that professional development is most effective when it is applicable to the teacher. I love being able to select professional development courses that are most relevant and interesting to me. I love that I’m able to do this using this site, and I love that it is so affordable.
Just as we differentiate instruction in the classroom, teacher professional development should also be differentiated. It could involve both formal and informal activities that engage teachers in new learning about their instructional practices that could be applied immediately. Maybe even the colleges and universities could provide a system for gathering and reporting teacher feedback on their teaching and learning experiences. Such an approach may even provide new opportunities to quickly and easily organize, summarise and share information on topics of interest to the emerging 1st teachers. 🙂
Some online courses or workshops can be much more beneficial for teachers than many of the in-service sessions planned by the district office. The topics are ones teachers choose themselves and more relevant to their interests or needs. Broad topics chosen for everyone are less beneficial.
I agree with the fact that PD needs to be completed in house with CEU’s available for those who would like them on a yearly basis. Having the ability to complete them online is great, but I would like something that is going to be focused on my specific area at the high school level. Many times PD is available, but the ins and outs of how to accomplish it at the high school level is not an area that some of these PDs offer. I would like the models of full implementation that many say we need to be able to show our students in the classroom. That is the real issue. Don’t just tell me; show me.
Some districts offer their teachers the opportunity to attend PD for relevant training and receive CEU’s for their certification. If more districts would offer PD for training educators might be more inclined to pay closer attention to information being presented. Truth be told after a long day at school with everything having gone wrong, the last thing a teacher wants is to be told they must sit through a 45 minute presentation that most of the time is irrelevant.
Professional development is a must to keep up with all the new and changing technology. Many times the student knows more about the technology than the teacher. This is not all bad in some cases, but teachers must be kept current. Districts need to use all resources in professional development, in house and external programs. Programs brought in from vendors is great when a district can afford it. But many districts have resources within that can be just as informative as outside people, and sometimes those within are more in tune with who needs and who will benefit the most from a particular PD.
I have found that more experienced, older teachers have a hard time with the changes that are frequently made in education. At some point, I empathize with them. Thanks to very informative PDs, all teachers can gain an aspect of how and when to use certain technologies to reach the new generation of students.
Teacher Professional Development is absolutely necessary in the growth of teachers. They are used to deepen understanding and teach new aspects of education in ever-changing field. It is crucial that they are cost-efficient and made opportunistic for all teachers; especially for teachers who teach in low-income areas and do not have the funds to always support the PD that is necessary.
I believe that quality professional development is crucial in teacher and student growth. So many times, the “professional development” opportunities offered through schools at the beginning of the year or on professional development days are irrelevant to what I need to know in order to grow as a teacher. I try to find PD that will actually help me grow as a teacher. I can then use those learned techniques, which will benefit my students in my classroom. Finding time to complete professional development at an affordable cost is also difficult for teachers. I have enjoyed completing some professional development online due to COVID but I do miss the one-on-one and group PD sessions. I believe veteran teachers and new teachers have the opportunity to learn and grow with professional development.