By Dr. John Meyer
The kinds of continuing education activities that most Lutheran teachers prefer are the least likely to help them grow in their skills.
Lutheran teachers prefer continuing their education in the summer through one-shot workshops or courses (figures 1 & 2). That’s not surprising since most Lutheran teachers also report having insufficient time (79%) and money (71%) (figure 3) for sustained continuing education during the academic year.
Recent research reveals, however, that one-shot trainings in the summer are the least effective (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009; Gulamhussein, 2013).
Short, one-shot workshops aren’t bad, but we need to be realistic about what they can accomplish. A one-shot training can raise awareness of instructional procedures and methods or provide simple make-it-and-take-it projects and activities.
Such experiences are unlikely, however, to enable changes in teaching. Only about 10% of teachers who hear or read about a skill are able to transfer the skill into practice (Bush, 1984).
The idea that a workshop can enable a person to adopt new teaching practices stems from an over-simplification of the change process—that the only thing needed to effect change is knowledge. It ignores the “implementation problem” (Gulamhussein, 2013, p. 10). Learning about something is not the same as be able to do it.
If knowledge or skill demonstration is sufficient, then a would-be golfer need only watch a how-to video and go out and play par golf. The reality is that seeing and doing are two very different things. Learning any new skill requires repetition, coaching, and practice.
The best investment of a Lutheran teacher’s time and money is continuing education taught over several weeks during the school year. Recent research agrees that adding new teaching skills and methods requires time, practice, and ongoing support. Teachers require 50 or more hours of instruction (Yoon et al., 2007) and 20 instances of practice (Joyce & Showers, 2002) to master a new skill.
Effective professional development must be job-embedded, intensive, ongoing, collaborative, and connected and aligned to school goals (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2014; Darling-Hammond et al., 2009; Gulamhussein, 2013). Such training can only occur alongside classroom teaching, and this idea is gaining popularity among younger Lutheran teachers (see figure 4).
Lutheran teachers who want to adopt new teaching practices—like formative assessment, differentiation, or technology integration—should seek professional development that includes (a) theory building, (b) demonstration, (c) practice, (d) feedback, and (e) coaching over a period of time (Gulamhussein, 2013; Killion, 2012). Martin Luther College has developed an instructional model called Teaching that Works that carries out the principles of effective professional development.
Teaching that Works courses have four components—each involving collaborative work with peers and the instructor. The four components are spread over five weeks of online instruction.
- Research & Theory (week 1)
- Modeling (week 2)
- Planning and Implementation (week 3)
- Reflection and Revision (weeks 4 & 5)
Each course in the series is only taught during the school year so teachers can immediately practice it in their classrooms using the lessons they already have planned.
To be sure, a teacher does not always participate in continuing education to adopt a new teaching practice, and there is value in gaining awareness, exploring perspectives, and affirming existing practice. Lutheran teachers also benefit from spiritual growth and renewal.
But if the goal is to learn a new skill or method, an ongoing, intensive, job-embedded continuing education experience is a wise investment of time and money.
John Meyer, PhD (DMLC ’87) is the director of graduate studies and continuing education at Martin Luther College, New Ulm MN.
References:
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (2014). Teachers know best: Teachers’ views on professional development. Seattle, WA: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Bush, R. N. (1984). Effective staff development in making schools more effective: Proceedings of three state conferences. San Francisco, CA: Far West Laboratory.
Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R. C., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the U.S. and abroad. Stanford, CA: National Staff Development Council.
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Alexandria VA: Center for Public Education.
Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through staff development. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Killion, J. (2012). Meet the promise of content standards: Professional learning required. Oxford OH: Learning Forward.
Yoon, K., Duncan, T., Lee, S. W.-Y., Scarloss, B., & Shapley, K. (2007). Reviewing the evidence on how teacher professional development affects student achievement. Washington, D.C.: Issues & Answers Report, REL 2007-No. 033.
Thanks Dr. Meyer….your article really gave me a different perspective. I always have considered going back to school a disservice to my current classroom; where will I find the time for my lessons/ prep if I am also doing graduate work? This article really points out the reality: when I’m not studying my best, I often get into the rut of the curriculum and my lessons start to look similar and book driven rather than research based/ student driven.
Reasons to take real classes over weekend workshops: If I’m paying for it, I put a lot more sweat and tears into a paper than I do sitting through a lecture. As we know from brain research; I’ll retain something that I’ve also worked with myself, ‘hands on’.
Time: WELS teachers really do have time constraints. Mult-age classrooms are twice as hard to plan for and correct paperwork on the weekends. We are also often running athletics, study clubs, extracurricular drama/forensics, Church volunteering, and Music ministries (let’s be honest, some people get paid to do that as a part time job alone). Are you also the school principal? Do you have a family at home?
$$$/ Incentive: Now, I know at the last Synod Convention, this is an issue being looked at. But the really sad reality is that public school administrators are retiring on a nice cushion before 60, while a WELS principal is making about $1,000 more a year for a 40-hr extra amount of work per week according to our current pay scale. Not to mention as me, a woman, (unless there are extenuating circumstances, which I have seen) will never be offered an admin position even if I get a PHD in education. MLC really is the best deal I have seen money-wise comparing $380 per credit to the local $1,500 per credit. But still, you multiply 380 by 36 credits and no foreseeable pay increase an this translates to no incentive or even negative incentive.
Necessity: Immeasurable. We don’t have on-site SPED personnel to ask advice or enroll into IEP’s. Most do not have a principal with a master’s and 20+ years of experience. For the sake of the families, children, school, and church? Yes, higher education would go a long way to helping our Synod as a whole foster a learning community to solving issues instead of wishful thinking of what “could be”. But then again, we have the situation where MLC students are gaining a 5-year EC degree and all the debt that comes with it, but churches are unable to hire them to run WELS preschools and instead pay uncalled staff with no benefits about $8-10/hr.
Just for fun, I took a couple of graduate courses at MLC online. Time consuming, but they were very rewarding. I feel like I still implement the research and ideas I learned from them as I prep for my daily lessons. However, I have also been to some very powerful workshops as well. I think it all depends on your mindset when you go: most come with the thought to a weekend conference (usually costing about $200ish…”if I could just come away with one thing, it would be worth it”. I have come out of a 3 credit course thinking, “wow…my whole outlook on a few concepts has changed for the better and I want to keep learning” for about $390 plus text book and lots of late nights/ caffeine binges. So in the end…what do you want to accomplish with your teaching career and what are you willing to pay for?
Thank you, Doctor Meyer.
I am particularly interested in your research on workshops. Through my experience, the one thing that does come from a short workshop is: I am just a bad teacher. There is no real opportunity, in most cases, to learn to implement something that was shared in a workshop, which brings me to a new question.
Are the District Teachers’ Conferences designed to improve our teaching? It seems from your research that the way most conferences—that I have attended—focus on 1 hour topics. Are we using those days wisely? Is the conference simply a vacation with a purpose? a chance to meet with other WELS teachers for fellowship at the cost of the congregation?
Your paper should help us all evaluate the purpose and timing of any of our professional development including the agenda for our Teachers’ Conferences.
Pete, You’re questions are good and worthy of consideration.
One-shot workshops and summer classes serve a very important function for busy WELS teachers. The purpose of my article is to help WELS teachers understand which type of professional development to choose to accomplish their learning goals.
As I stated in the article, a short, isolated workshop is not bad, but it is important that we understand its strengths. Here are some potential benefits:
exposure to a concept
basic understanding of a concept
opportunity for professional dialogue with colleagues in an area of mutual interest
helpful tips for practices we already understand
The above, in addition to the fellowship you mention, are valuable reasons to get together for a teachers’ conference. Teachers at a conference expand their conception of what is possible in their schools and classrooms – a valuable thing. Teachers also are reaffirmed that they are using best practice – another valuable thing.
For example, a discussion of the Common Core State Standards at a Lutheran teachers’ conference permits teachers to hear from someone well-versed in the topic, discuss and refine their understanding with peers, and gain a deeper understanding of the standards and their value. The teacher and presenter would be naive to think that by such a presentation teachers will be able to go back to their classrooms and implement those standards in the way they are intended. Research shows that only 10% of teachers are able to make such an application.
If a teacher’s goal is to be able to implement a new concept or strategy in her teaching (change her practice) then professional development that is modeled, ongoing, embedded in the teachers’ day-to-day practice, and provides opportunities for reflection and discussion with others is needed.