PDF version What Is Effective Professional Development? What Have We Learned About Professional Development? Priciples of High-Quality Professional Development Some Guiding Questions for Selecting Professional Development Activities Lessons from Adult Learning Theory Finding Time for Professional Development What Makes Professional Development Ineffective? Some Alternatives to Short-Term, "One-Size-Fits-All" Workshops |
What is Effective Professional Development?
Is an effective professional development activity one that is rated positively by participants in terms of satisfaction with the experience (often called the "happiness quotient")? Most would agree that the standard must be much higher. Many educators are now advocating a direct link between the professional development experience and an observable impact in the classroom before the term "effective" can be applied. Little (1997) suggests that the "test of effective professional development is whether teachers and other educators come to know more about their subjects, their students, and their practice, and to make informed use of what they know." Today, the call for establishing a link between a teacher’s professional development experience and a change in the classroom that ultimately translates into improved student learning and performance is gaining strength.
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