A Guide for the Professional Development Plan
My specific Goals
Short term goals (0-12 months)
My immediate goals are…
I will provide more consistent feedback During a discussion with my grade four
to students about their development.
I will implement technology resources
to bolster instructional strategies and
engage students.
Rationale Actions and strategies for
class on creating a classroom contract,
students expressed they wanted more
opportunities to discuss their academic
progress. This comment made me
consider the importance of helping
students understand their learning. It is
valuable for students to understand
where they are developmentally, their
strengths, and what they can work on
to improve. I would use “grade talks”
to facilitate open communication
between the teacher, students, and their
families. Therefore, all stakeholders are
aware of students’ progress.
I have noticed that beyond creating
slideshows and including videos, my
use of technology in the classroom is
limited. I think my instruction and
Target
achievement dates
Review
Completion
I would implement monthly grade
checks with students. These talks
would consist of one-on-one
discussions where students could
evaluate their understanding and I
would discuss students grades. An
important element of these discussions
would be to discuss and co-create an
action plan to further support students’
learning.
I will research technology resources to
implement in the classroom. I will also
pursue technology professional
development opportunities.

Middle term goals (1-3 years)
My intermediate goals are…
I will incorporate more opportunities to
engage with the natural world into my
classroom.
I will include more real-world learning
opportunities in my teaching situations.
activities will improve by incorporating
more technology into the classroom
because I can include new ways for
students to engage with the content
presented and their peers.
I think it is increasingly important for
students to connect with the natural
environment in the 21st century.
Studies show that when children
engage with the natural environment
there are cognitive, moral, affective,
and physical benefits (Adams &
Savahl, 2017). Therefore, to support
students overall development I will
connect their learning to the
environment around them.
I believe that students learn the most
from learning actively. If one aspect of
a teacher’s role is to prepare students to
participate in society, it is vital to
Furthermore, I will reach out to my
professional learning community to
learn what resources they are
implementing in their classrooms.
Subsequently, I will attempt to adopt
them into my practice.
Review
I will try to include at least one outdoor Completion
lesson in each subject every month. For
example, during a lesson on fractions,
students could complete a fraction
scavenger hunt that includes prompts
like: collect 6 rocks where ⅓ of them
are black. I will also pursue
opportunities for professional
development related to this topic. For
example, I have signed up for a
workshop on place-based education
created by the Teton Science School. I
want to develop my ability to include
the natural environment in my lessons
during the next three years.
I will include one real-world
summative task in each subject every
term. To achieve this goal, I will
complete research to develop a

Long term goals (4 years and more)
My lasting goals are…
I will differentiate the content of my
lessons for my students based on their
unique needs.
provide real-world learning
opportunities. These real-world
learning opportunities will also help
students to develop lifelong leadership,
communication, and interpersonal
skills.
Every student in the classroom has
unique strengths, needs, backgrounds,
and perspectives. Throughout my
career, I want to develop a toolbox of
differentiation strategies to ensure that
I can best support the development of
all my students.
repertoire of potential tasks I could use
in the classroom. For example, during
social studies I could host a mock
election or town hall meeting. I will
ensure to incroproate real world tasks
into my classroom consistently.
Review
Completion
Each year I will ensure to know my
students and try to make a
differentiation plan for each of my
classes. This plan will help me
understand the needs of my students
holistically. I will create and update a
list of differentiation strategies I will
consistently implement into my
classroom. For example, if I know
multiple students need support to write
texts I will provide opportunities to
share their knowledge through other
methods. For example, by allowing
them to do an oral presentation or by
using speech to text devices. I will then
use the differentiation plan throughout
my lessons.
I will actively pursue professional
development opportunities throughout
my career.
As the education field is constantly
evolving, I want to ensure that I am
continuously growing as a teacher to
provide the best learning opportunities
possible for all of my students.
I will pursue one small professional
development task every two weeks and
one larger professional development
opportunity every term. Smaller tasks
may include listening to an educational
podcast, reading a journal article, or
engaging in professional development
discussions with my professional
learning community. Pursuing a larger
professional development opportunity
could be attending a webinar or a
conference through my school. I will
commit to pursuing professional
development throughout my career.
 References

Adams, S., & Savahl, S. (2017). Nature as children's space: A systematic review. The Journal of

Environmental Education, 48(5), 291-321.