DOL: through a professional discussion, I will evaluate the current professional development opportunities I've encountered and create 2 different PD experiences they'd be interested in attending/delivering.

Warm up: complete this thought: professional development needs to be...

Look at the order of the words. The PD is the first thought. You come second. If at all. Often the individual is lost as we emphasize the message.

Because there is no consideration for the individual, the message is then lost on the majority of viewers.

Discussion question: think of 2 PDs that lost you. Where did they fall short?

Traditionally, PD has been set up like the schoolhouses of old. Sage-on-the-stage, lecture hall pieces during which presenters deliver messages about differentiation, collaborative instructional practices, and cooperative learning.

Consider: don't think of boring PD experiences. Think of PD experiences in which you've been bored and revise them. What could the presenter have done differently? How could you have approached it differently?

Those who deliver these presentations often think that the message they're sending is provocative and live-changing.

Predict: what is a presenter thinking as the PD begins? Do they realize they're not getting the desired results? When?

More often than not, due to the vague or inconsistent messages, PD attendees are left wondering what the point was and what they are supposed to actually do with the information.

What is the last tool you pulled from PD that you were able to deliver to students?

So what do you think effective PD should do? We can't determine how to disseminate information and strategies to staff if we don't know what we want the attendees to be able to do with the info they're being given.

What do you want from PD? Sounds simple, but think about it, what do you really want to get professionally from your non-student work time?

Once the objective is set, the presenters can begin to design instructional strategies that best suit the audience they're going to see.

What are the best types of PD you've been involved with?

What did they have in common?

Taking time to think about what you want PD to do and how best to do it will give you an edge in creating experiences that will reach the highest number of people.

Additionally, if you're willing to engage in this type of analysis, you will find it easier to choose meaningful PD for yourself.

Activity: Think about something you're really great at. It can be anything, no matter how trivial you think it may be. It can be a huge over-arching strategy you use in your classroom, or it can be just a small success you've stumbled upon that you want to share.

1. Write down why do teachers need to know what you have to say.

2. How can you deliver the message? Again-think about the best PDs you've ever been in and what made them great.

3. What are teachers going to be able to take directly from your session that they will be able to use with their students tomorrow?