PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS

Education is a never-ending process. It doesn’t stop after

earning a degree and starting a career. Through continuing

education, career-minded individuals can constantly improve their

skills and become more proficient at their jobs. In the field of

K-12 education administration, it is particularly important for

school administrators to encourage teachers to pursue

professional development, not only to ensure the best learning

outcomes for their students but also to be more effective and

satisfied in various other aspects of their work.

Students Have Better Learning Outcomes

Educational technology, school district guidelines and curriculum

standards are constantly changing, making it challenging for

teachers to keep up with trends and best practices in the field.

Professional development transforms teachers into better and more

apt educators by enabling them to create relevant and tailored

course instructions for today's students. Research by the U.S.

Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences

concluded that student achievement can improve by as much as 21

percentile points as a result of teachers’ participation in well-

designed professional development programs.

National Board Certification is one path for teachers to pursue

professional development and keep up with the latest educational

standards to ensure optimal student learning. One study by

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools found that student performance on

end-of-course tests in Algebra II, Biology, Civics and Economics,

Chemistry and Geometry was significantly higher for those

students taught by National Board Certified Teachers than

students of teachers without National Board Certification.

Teachers Learn Better Ways to Teach

When educators discover new teaching strategies through

professional development, they are able to go back to the

classroom and make changes to their lecture styles and curricula

to better suit the needs of their students. However, these

changes are hard to evaluate because they are typically

implemented gradually. Professional development for teachers

makes them more efficient in their presentations and course

evaluations by exposing educators to new delivery methods,

evaluation styles and record-keeping strategies.

Teachers Develop Better Organization and Planning Skills

In addition to the hours spent presenting in the classroom, much

of teachers’ time is spent on student evaluations, curriculum

development and other paperwork. Professional development

training can help teachers to become better at planning their

time and staying organized. This ultimately makes teachers more

efficient and gives them extra time to focus on students rather

than the paperwork.

Teachers Gain Knowledge and Industry Insight

Students expect teachers to be subject matter experts for the

topics they teach. This means teachers should be able to answer

any question a student throws their way. Professional development

programs can enable teachers to expand their knowledge base in

different subject areas. The more professional development a

teacher undergoes, the more knowledge and industry insight he or

she gains.

Teachers Want to Continue Their Education

It's easy for teachers to become burdened by the grind of

teaching. Professional development gives them an opportunity to

step out of their routine — they get to be the student instead of

the teacher. This keeps educators engaged because they feel like

they are receiving the professional help they need to be better

teachers. After all, professional development nurtures the

talents of teachers who aspire to take on educational leadership

positions, and teachers must learn from other experienced leaders

to become effective future leaders themselves.

Implementing professional education development has benefits for

both teachers and students, but most importantly, it helps

teachers become better educators and develop into competent

future school administrators.

The state of North Carolina understands the importance of

continuing education for its teachers and school leaders. Public

Schools of North Carolina has implemented a NC Professional

Development Office that focuses on providing schools with

leadership, resources, technical assistance, and consultative

services in related to professional development with improved

student achievement as the end goal. The site lists various

resources for administrators and teachers to develop skills and

learn best practices according to the latest standards in the

education field.

One development option for teachers who are interested in taking

on a leadership role and pursuing school administrator

certification is an educational leadership master’s degree.

Queens University of Charlotte’s online MA in Educational

Leadership program offers the personal support and leadership

skills teachers need to stay current in the field while becoming

better educators and preparing to become effective school

leaders. Call our admissions team at 866-313-2356 to learn more

about Queens’ online school administration degree and how it

provides the necessary mentorship for aspiring educational

leaders to excel in the classroom and beyond.

Ongoing Development for Teachers

Professional development is important because education is an

ever growing, ever changing field. This means that teachers must

be lifelong learners in order to teach each new group of

students. Professional development not only allows teachers to

learn new teaching styles, techniques, and tips, but also

interact with educators from other areas in order to improve

their own teaching. Though some short workshops are effective in

introducing new topics, the most effective workshops are taught

over time and involve hands on activities and interaction. This

also allows for more questions and discussions to occur

throughout the presentations. Ongoing professional development is

critical for teachers who wish to be great at their jobs and

offer the best to their students each day.

New Strategies for Educators

Any professional development opportunity should be something that

will benefit the students and teacher through new strategies,

techniques, or tips that can be utilized in the classroom or

community. Professional development can be highly beneficial if

what is learned is then utilized to further the education of

students. Typically, those professional development opportunities

that are multi-day and require interaction among and between att

ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS

Professional development is both a requirement and opportunity

for teachers at every level and in every subject. There are a

variety of options available to fulfill these requirements. Some

of these opportunities are offered online through county Board of

Education offices or in many cases, through colleges that also

offer education degrees at the Bachelor's, Master's, and/or

Doctoral levels. Online professional development can be paid or

free, depending on the program. Professional development courses

may require assignments or collaboration tasks, just as a college

class might require. Professional development opportunities

should be well defined and related to something that can be

functional in the classroom. Many PD's culminate with a

certificate of completion.

There are a myriad of professional development opportunities for

teachers, from one day workshops to multi-day seminars. The

following are common and popular areas for professional

development workshops.

Common Core State Standards

Typically taught in separate sessions to administrators and

teachers, sessions on Common Core standards help each group

understand the purpose and usefulness of such standards. These

types of workshops also answer questions related to the

interpretation of specific standards in addition to offering

strategies for implementing the teaching of some content area

standards,

Assessment and Evaluation

A professional development course, weekend, or single session on

assessment and evaluation will offer educators and administrators

new and innovative ways to assess students in a variety of

content areas. Not all assessment needs to be paper and pencil

based. In fact, there are a variety of assessments from

performance tasks to informal and formal. Some assessment and

evaluation professional development sessions will focus on

specific forms of assessment that will be required for the

upcoming school year, but most will share a variety of forms in

which assessment can be used to evaluate and redirect learning

when needed.

Differentiated Instruction

Meeting the individual needs of every student can be an

overwhelming job, but one that is expected and challenging. This

type of professional development offers support for teachers as

they group and manage data, work with students on varying levels,

and creating and managing levels.

Closing the Achievement Gap

Some students come into the classroom at a disadvantage. This has

been a well-researched and well documented fact. However,

teachers are required to work toward closing that achievement gap

for all students. Culturally relevant pedagogy and the

integration of visual and performing arts can play a factor in

helping to close the achievement gap. This workshop will offer

strategies and real life situations in which the achievement gap

can be closed throughout the school year.

Early Childhood and Family Engagement

This professional development opportunity will give early

childhood educators tools to help in the classroom or home

environment. In addition to sharing strategies for teaching the

foundations in reading, writing, and math, strategies in engaging

families and community members in the classroom and at home are

shared.

Guided/Leveled Reading

Guided reading has been around for a number of years. Whether you

are just beginning to use the strategy or need new ideas to

enhance your current instruction, this type of professional

development will be helpful. Strategies and options to help make

educators strong(er) in the realm of guided or leveled reading

will be given.

Independent Reading Practices

Getting students to read and find a love of reading can be a

challenging task. This professional development opportunity will

help educators to learn how to grow classroom libraries and

engage students in the act of reading and comprehension while

reading on their own.

Nonfiction/Content Area Reading

Real world reading is most often informational in nature.

Workshops such as these offer teaching strategies that use

nonfiction writing and texts to build background knowledge and

vocabulary through scaffolding content area instructions. This

professional development opportunity also helps teachers to

foster inquiry and 21st century thinking skills through the use

of different teaching techniques.

Adolescent Literacy

Adolescent readers and writers are often reluctant to take part

in reading based activities. This professional development

workshop will teach teachers how to foster a classroom community

of readers and writers who use critical discussions, mentor

texts, and mediation. Strategies to re-engage males at this level

will also be shared.

Literacy Retreat

This multi-day format retreat offers professional development for

teachers who want to help students become better readers of both

fiction and non-fiction. In addition, teachers will be taught to

foster critical and creative thinking skills in students at

various levels. The workshop offers a look into how teachers can

create the global citizens that our current students must be in

their adult lives.

https://online.queens.edu/online-

programs/medl/resources/professional-development-for-educators