Professional Development Reimagined

I believe that most PL is ineffective for quite a few reasons. I think the district, or at least mine, is trying to get the most bang for their buck. They want to provide us information, skills and tools for both teachers and our students, but there is only 24 hours in a day. We cannot cover everything that should be covered and needs to be covered in that amount of time, and it remain effective...it's impossible, yet we see it time and time again. I also think that there is no accountability for our professional development. We're asked to sit in these 8+ hour trainings, but we all know when we step foot out of that room that nobody is going to make us do it. Again, at least for my district. I appreciate the information and I do think that it is resourceful and informative, but when it's not put into action and there is no support or reinforcement, then it's ultimately useless.

I think a way for me to promote this into my own organization is by doing it myself and allowing my colleagues to see the progress it makes. I think others will see the success I have in my own classroom and want to know why. This will allow me the opportunity to say, "Here's how I did it. Here's the research on why it works. But show me how you're going to implement this information in your own way because I won't be there with you every minute of every day to prompt the next move."