By Lisa Gonzales and Devin Vodicka

The fliers read: “Welcome back to a new school year, and enjoy your day!” A highly sought-after, well-paid speaker was scheduled by a reputable consulting firm. Time was carved out for teacher-led collaboration. Total cost of the day? Thousands of dollars, when you include teacher time, speaker fees, food and other incidentals. When teachers provided their feedback, it was overwhelmingly negative. They felt it had been a miserable waste of their time and was not likely to translate into positive changes in teacher practice. Almost 90 percent of the teachers indicated that the impact on student achievement would be neutral or negative.

Why was the initiative such a colossal failure? The comments fell into a few common areas.

• The “cattle call” approach of herding hundreds of teachers into an old gym with poor acoustics and improper ventilation did not create an environment conducive to professional learning.

• The overriding sentiment was that most of the content was “flavor of the month” variety, and there was very little hope that any of the topics would ever be discussed again.

• Teachers had limited choice in how they spent their time.

Sound familiar? Unfortunately, many administrators understand this scenario all too well. Equally disappointing is that professional development initiatives like this have led many veteran educators to develop negative perceptions about the process of staff training, despite the efforts and good intentions of planners.

A systematic approach

Professional development is an important component of instruction at every school and in every district, yet many schools struggle with and fail to define a systematic approach to staff development. As a result, many training sessions are not deemed meaningful (Holler et al, 2007).

Effective professional development should reflect the best of what we know from data-driven improvement efforts. The process should begin by referencing the mission, values and goals of the organization, as well as identifying gaps between current reality and the desired future (DuFour, 1991). Evidence such as student achievement data, school climate surveys and feedback from students and the community should be used to indicate focus areas.

Once these focus areas have been established, the following principles should guide the professional development planning process: grouping messages into content chunks, peer teaching, use of technology, and use of humor and follow-up.

Content chunks

The flaw most frequently made in professional development sessions is to cover too much material in too little time. The brain holds only a limited amount of information in its short-term memory. Providing small chunks of related information is the most effective way of delivering content to participants. Active engagement coupled with lesson segments that focus on a single theme lead to long-term retention of information (Jensen, 2000; Wiggins & McTighe, 1998).

The brain recalls most effectively the first piece of information presented in a workshop; the second most recalled is the last information delivered. The issues of primacy and recency must be considered when designing adult training sessions. Information in the middle of a workshop, the middle of a school year or even the middle of a staff meeting is least remembered (Sousa, 1995).

What can be done to chunk information more effectively? First, a training session should be limited to one or two key points or over-arching strategies. Second, since storytelling and discussion among participants allow for synthesizing information, allow for talk time around specific prompts.

Finally, end with a bang! A high level of energy and engagement at the conclusion of a training session will result in attendees having positive feelings about the session.

Bitsey Stark, director of curriculum and instruction in the Los Gatos Union School District, has been coordinating training and trainers for years. She says, “Whenever I host a session, especially with a curriculum council, one key topic is covered. We may talk about four or five examples of how to support that one topic, but limit it to the one so that everyone walks away with a key understanding of what was covered. My staff appreciates this approach and doesn’t walk away on information overload.”

Peer teaching

Learning is a social act, and the experience is deepened when adults are able to learn from one another. DuFour (1991) proclaimed that coaching and peer teaching are critical, integral parts of professional development. Joyce and Showers (1995) echoed that teamwork and partnering were needed to support new learning. Whether cooperative learning, peer teaching or group learning, the simple focus of working with others allows for the sharing of responsibilities and tasks, as well as the reinforcement of social skills. Powerful teacher and administrator education is more than a matter of learning and practicing promising techniques and best practices; it involves engagement with others in the exploration of pressing challenges and issues (Bullough, 2007).

When teachers and administrators take responsibility for each other’s development, the professional learning that takes place lends itself to the learning and implementation of new skills. The reciprocity of the learning creates a community of learners who contribute new ideas to their environment, fostering the development of future mentors who can sustain the strategies across a school or district (Glazer & Hannafin, 2006).

Critical to the ongoing implementation of techniques learned at professional development trainings is the opportunity for subsequent discussions and support needed to embrace the new skills. This ongoing support is what new teachers report is most important to their success, inevitably encouraging them to stay in the profession. The same goes for the new Generation X administrators and their desire for coaching and continuing, non-evaluative support (Bova & Kroth, 1999). Effective ways to incorporate peer teaching in professional development include:

• Break an article into segments and have each member of a small group read the segment and report out to the group.

• Assign a role to each member of a group with an explanation of the role (recorder, facilitator, timekeeper, observer); assign an activity and then have the members evaluate how the group accomplished its task.

• Have a veteran administrator mentor a new administrator to provide help, be a safe ear for challenges, role-play challenging conversations and serve as a role model.

• After a professional development training, have staff members report out their successes and challenges with implementation of a new concept in a small, safe environment.

In San Jose’s Oak Grove School District, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Barbara Service works with teachers and administrators in the design of ongoing, reflective professional development sessions that intertwine peer coaching. Small groups of administrators are led by teachers or directors who facilitate training on instructional best practices.

The first of a multiple-week training cycle focuses on reading a segment of the book. In the second week, members return with examples of student work, which is analyzed by team members. The last week invites team members to celebrate accomplishments and troubleshoot ongoing challenges. Then, each participant notes “personal next steps.”

Technology as a tool to engage and deliver

Technology can be used to engage participants in professional development activities and to deliver content at individual workstations in the area of study. While it may be appropriate to have professional development offerings that are specific to particular technology tools, the value of the resources is magnified when technology is embedded into ongoing work related to student achievement areas. As with other types of professional development, the likelihood of retaining and implementing technology skills increases with regular exposure, rather than isolated, one-time events (Glatthorn & Jailall, 2000).

In the words of Southern California-based technology expert and consultant Sharon Adelgais, “Today’s students are dependent upon technology for most facets of their life and want to be educated with it as well. Our professional development needs have shifted focus to meet those needs. We have to train our teachers not only to use technology themselves, but on how they can best utilize it as a teaching tool to keep our students engaged in learning.”

Fortunately, the abundance of resources available through the Internet provides a wealth of supportive tools for virtually any professional development endeavor. For school administrators, an excellent starting point for identifying resources is the TICAL Web site (www.portical.org). The Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership provides not only original content, but also a search tool that highlights resources that have been reviewed by school administrators. For example, data analysis is a critical skill for all educators in the current era of accountability, and the TICAL site includes links to several excellent outside sources, as well as presentations and resources created by California school administrators.

County offices of education are also increasing their free technology resources for educators. As an example, the San Diego County Office of Education offers a standards management system for five different content areas, including resources for assessment, differentiation, community partnerships, culture and communication support (www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/lret2/?loc=knowledge_management_system&m=3). The California Department of Education also offers an array of free online resources such as the curriculum frameworks that may be helpful in promoting effective professional development opportunities.

Incorporate humor

As laughter is good for the brain and body, so is laughter great for lifelong learning. Intertwining laughter and stories into presentations helps the audience maintain its attention and relate and recall your messages.

Both staff meetings and professional development activities can be enhanced with the addition of humor. Laughter and lightheartedness cheer up participants, reduces stress and increases creativity and effectiveness (Feigelson, 1998). Some simple ways to painlessly incorporate humor include:

• Adding little hand clappers, high fives or sound effects to acknowledge those who accurately respond to questions.

• Playing music that has a celebratory, entertaining manner during breaks or transitions.

• Having attendees design their own comic strips, one-liners or jokes that they can add to lessons or presentations.

• Asking volunteers to tell funny stories.

“Humor is just a great brain thing. It breaks down the hierarchy between the person facilitating and audience members. Once the affective filter goes down with humor, participants feel more at ease and can take more in. It’s great when participants are able to laugh with the person presenting,” says Jennifer Abrams, educational consultant and professional developer.

Follow-up implementation strategies

The ineffectiveness of the often misused “sit and get” approach to training is no secret. The very strategies that teachers are taught to use to engage students for brain-based learning and retention of information are seldom used in the training of adults (Gardner, 1983; McCarthy, 1999).

Frequent discussions are needed to support the new professional development conversations and to address the challenges when trying to implement anything new. Unfortunately, that follow-up component is the one most often disregarded when time runs short (Byrne-Jimenez & Orr, 2007).

Regardless of how powerful and meaningful the training, the follow-up activities are what matter most. Depth of learning and daily use of new skills are attributed to a system where educators continuously seek and share learning, and then act on their learning in subsequent trainings, meetings and informal discussions (Bullough, 2007).

Conversations and consistency

Calavera Hills Middle School Principal Catina Hancock has observed that “teachers are energized by seeing the impact of their learning as it relates to students. The teachers also benefit from conversations with one another about their learning. Discussion about implementing the new learning is a critical component of effective professional development.”

Mona Miller, elementary principal in the Corning Union Elementary School District and liaison to the ACSA Curriculum, Instruction & Accountability Council, focuses on consistency. She said that “teachers attend monthly ELD training by the same presenter. In between monthly sessions, teachers meet to focus on follow-up tasks. It builds in the accountability between the training sessions, which makes the overall professional development process much more meaningful.”

Next steps

Implementing strategies such as content chunks, peer teaching, technology, humor and follow-up activities are advisable for all professional development offerings. When these sessions occur within ongoing strands aligned with organizational priorities and provide collaborative, reflective opportunities for professional growth, the value to the professionals and to the organization is vastly increased.

Just as we are accountable for student learning, educational leaders need to assume responsibility for providing high-quality professional development that positively impacts student achievement. So what will that look like? Carlsbad Unified School District is in the beginning phases of implementing an intentional, ongoing, reflective and collaborative professional development system. Thanks to a recent re-negotiation of the use of an AB 825 Professional Development Block Grant, the three days of training will no longer be of the “one size fits all” variety.

While the change process is a gradual transition, launching an online database that tracks all the approved professional development sessions and their attendees is a starting point to provide more choice, add flexibility and increase topic relevance. Teachers will have the ability to self-enroll in a series of pre-approved sessions that reflect the vision, mission, values and goals of the district. This database will provide the documentation to evaluate the impact of the training from several different perspectives.

In addition to the typical, reaction-based surveys that are often distributed at the conclusion of a training session, the data files can be used in conjunction with student achievement data to allow for analytic conclusions about the relationship between the training and the impact on students.

So where do we go from here? It has been said that “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Regardless of where you are in the process, we encourage you to take the first step in transforming your professional development system and offerings. Not only will your staff be grateful for the change, students will ultimately benefit from the adjustment as a result of improved instruction and learning opportunities. And isn’t that why we are on this journey?

References

Bova, B. & Kroth, M. (Summer 1999). “Closing the gap: The mentoring of Generation X.” Journal of Adult Education, 27(1). Online at www.eric.ed.gov.

Bullough, R. (2007). “Professional learning communities and the eight-year study.” Educational Horizons, 85(3). Bloomington, IN: Pi Lambda Theta.

Byrne-Jimenez, M., & Orr, M. (2007). Developing effective principals through collective inquiry. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

DuFour, R. (1991). The principal as staff developer. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.

Feigelson, S. (1998). Energize your meetings with laughter. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York: Basic Books.

Glatthorn, A. & Jailall, J. (2000). “Curriculum for the new millennium.” In R.S. Brandt (Ed.), Education in a new era. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Glazer, E. & Hannafin, M. (2006). “The collaborative apprenticeship model: Situated professional development within school settings.” Teaching & Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 22(2). Orlando, FL: Elsevier.

Holler, E., Callender, S. & Skinner, C. (2007). Time well spent. Principal Leadership, 7(9). Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Jensen, E. (2000). “Moving with the brain in mind.” Educational Leadership, 58(3). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (1995). Student achievement through staff development (2nd ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman.

McCarthy, B. (1990). “Using the 4MAT system to bring learning styles to schools.” Educational Leadership, 48(2). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Sousa, D. (1995). How the gifted brain learns. Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Lisa Gonzales is an elementary principal in the Palo Alto Unified School District and former director of teacher training at the NASA Ames Research Center. Devin Vodicka is the director of curriculum and instruction in the Carlsbad School District. Both are members of the Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership.