WE NEED MORE DATA! Institutions are largely doing the same kinds of workshops and no one seem to know which efforts are really paying off. As an example, one participant suggested that we need to rebrand teacher training since professors do not respond to this word "training." Training is what kids do at McDonalds, she explained. She could be right, but I'd like to see the data that shows increased attendance and/or improved results from sessions renamed "workshops" or "PD."
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL! Professional development efforts are a strange beast, not just at Kirkwood, but I think this is a part of the larger culture. The approach assumes teachers are inherently good learners. And some are, perhaps most are (Anyone know the average GPA of their faculty?), but usually even the good learners' skills are very focused in particular areas. And these areas naturally drive their interest in PD - informing and misinforming their PD decisions. I am no different. I want to learn more about what I am interested in and not so much about what I need to do my job better. Most of the time we are not aware of our needs, but are acutely aware of interests.
DELIVERED ON THEIR TERMS - delivery often happens in a way that produces dependency, rather than inquiry. Is attending PD sessions just part of the job? I don't see this job mentality too much, but it's there, and it's especially present when LMS training is apart from what is interesting/useful. Many schools shared success stories of embedding their training into department visits which, I'm guessing, would allow for some of this focus (of course, it would also limit the amount of cross-pollination of ideas that I personally believe in - without data of course.)
