Good PD? It can be done!

I am a true believer that things that last in schools are organically grown. 

Ideas that start with teachers and grow with their colleagues support, encouragement, and skills are the easiest to sustain.  Educational Leaders need to know when to get out of the way and let their people go and when to guide them.  After doing a lot of research about the best ways to provide PD, I have created my go to list of items.

• I make every effort to say "Yes" to teacher ideas.  We don't fail, it is our "First Attempt in Learning".  As leaders we can not be afraid of the unknown. 
• During PD, I am always checking in with staff members.  I encourage, cheerlead (not well), get supplies, pay for time (when I can), provide treats and water (so important),etc.
• Encourage collaboration by using words like "Yes and", "what if", etc. I avoid discouraging staff by saying "Yes but" or "That doesn't make sense..."
• One size fits all does not work in the classroom and it does not work in PD.  You need to be able to differentiate PD just like you differentiate in a classroom.
• We don't want students to just collect "points", why build a culture where teachers play the same game to just collect "hours"?  Make sure they are receiving something they value, GIVE THEM CHOICE.  Treat Teachers like they are the professionals we know they are.  Sign in and outs just remind people they have to be there, we want them to WANT TO be there.  This is when the most learning will occur.
• Attitude is the key ingredient for professional development - if they don't want it, they won't "get" it. Make sure, again, the interests of the group of are met. Establishing a culture of trust and respect is key. This begins with building relationships with your people.
• Plan early and often. No one wants to attend something that was not planned well and don't show thought. Your teachers are taking time out of their day to learn, make it meaningful and show them you value it.

The big focus is what did you learn during the PD and how are you going to apply it to the learning in your classroom?

Make sure you PD circles back to time. Give time during PD to plan and create a product. Teachers are much more likely to use the PD if they can apply it the next day.

Finally, reflection is key.

Give people time to reflect and think about next steps. Teachers don't have time to do this when they leave. Build the time into the PD. Ask questions that lead to more questions. PD should not be a "one shot deal". It should be something built on over time.

My pearl of wisdom for the post: Find a webinar about PD and listen. I sort of stumbled onto one today with Bright Bytes (http://www.brightbytes.net/) and it was a great 30 minutes. So much information. Make sure you participate in the backchannel discussion. It was even better to help clarify thoughts and have discussions.