Beyond One-Shot Workshops| Professional Development

a student at work
Beyond One-Shot Workshops

Short-term workshops — for years the bread-and-butter of staff development — are far from the only choice open to teachers who want to expand their skills or deepen their knowledge. High-Quality Professional Development: An Essential Component of Successful Schools, a 1998 NWREL "By Request" booklet by Kit Peixotto and Jennifer Fager, outlines several alternatives to one-size-fits-all workshops and describes promising programs throughout the Northwest. In addition to summer institutes and college courses to strengthen a teacher's subject knowledge, the authors suggest:

Action research — Whether conducted individually or in teams, action research engages teachers in designing and pursuing investigations. Teachers pose questions related to their own school goals or classroom situations. Then, by collecting and analyzing data, and sharing results with colleagues, teachers gain insights that can inform and shape classroom practices.

Study groups — Typically organized around a particular topic of interest, study groups bring colleagues together for reading, discussion, site visits, or other collaborative activities. Science teachers at a middle school, for example, could form a study group to learn how they could improve the school's science fair through the use of inquiry-based learning.

Staff retreats — Taking a cue from business professionals, educators are discovering the benefits of getting together for an uninterrupted brainstorming session to develop goals and action plans targeting specific needs of their school. Similarly, work days enable teams of teachers to focus on a particular task, such as planning a thematic unit.

Scoring student work samples — To better tie standards with staff development, staff come together to learn to use scoring guides or rubrics to evaluate student work. Such activities not only provide teachers with an opportunity to gain and practice new skills in the area of assessment, but also engage them in thoughtful conversations with colleagues about standards-based instruction.

Site visits — Teachers who are considering a new approach or strategy benefit from a chance to observe what such a practice looks like in "real life." School visits are more informative when there is a close match between visitor and host schools. Visitors will benefit from time to ask questions and discuss what they have observed with their hosts.

Networks — Whether conducted face-to-face or through electronic means, networks allow teachers the opportunity to exchange ideas, tap into the expertise of colleagues, and build learning communities. Networks are often organized around specific content areas.

Peer coaching and mentoring — Both approaches strengthen teachers' practice in the environment where it matters most — the classroom. Coaching is most often a peer relationship while mentoring typically involves a more experienced teacher paired with a novice.

The booklet High-Quality Professional Development is available at no charge from NWREL, Planning and Program Development, 101 S.W. Main Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97204. Phone: (503) 275-9720.

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