{"id":596,"date":"2015-04-14T15:00:32","date_gmt":"2015-04-14T20:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/?p=596"},"modified":"2015-11-09T08:05:54","modified_gmt":"2015-11-09T14:05:54","slug":"making-professional-development-count","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/2015\/04\/14\/making-professional-development-count\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Professional Development Count"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dr. John Meyer<\/strong><\/p>\n

The kinds of continuing education activities that most Lutheran teachers prefer are the least likely to help them grow in their skills.<\/p>\n

Lutheran teachers prefer continuing their education in the summer through one-shot workshops or courses (figures 1<\/a> & 2<\/a>). That\u2019s not surprising since most Lutheran teachers also report having insufficient time (79%) and money (71%) (figure 3<\/a>) for sustained continuing education during the academic year.<\/p>\n

Recent research reveals, however, that one-shot trainings in the summer are the least effective (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009; Gulamhussein, 2013).<\/p>\n

Short, one-shot workshops aren\u2019t bad, but we need to be realistic about what they can accomplish. A one-shot training can raise awareness<\/em> of instructional procedures and methods or provide simple make-it-and-take-it<\/em> projects and activities.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

The idea that a workshop can enable a person to adopt new teaching practices stems from an over-simplification of the change process\u2014that the only thing needed to effect change is knowledge. It ignores the \u201cimplementation problem\u201d (Gulamhussein, 2013, p. 10). Learning about<\/em> something is not the same as be able to do it.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The best investment of a Lutheran teacher\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Lutheran teachers who want to adopt new teaching practices\u2014like formative assessment, differentiation, or technology integration\u2014should 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<\/em><\/a> that carries out the principles of effective professional development.<\/p>\n

Teaching that Works<\/em><\/a> courses have four components\u2014each involving collaborative work with peers and the instructor. The four components are spread over five weeks of online instruction.<\/p>\n