Educators express desire for relevant professional development opportunities and strategies

Educators discuss common shortcomings of professional development including lack of relevance in instructional strategies, lack of time to implement learning and lack of support from administration to learn from fellow teachers. Some educators express a desire for time to observe and collaborate with fellow teachers, while others express frustration with ineffective co-teaching situations.

  • “School and district leaders: Teachers don’t need more instructional strategies or tools. We need: 1) Relevant professional development. 2) Research-based interventions for struggling students. 3) TIME TO IMPLEMENT 1 AND 2.” —High School ELA Teacher in Texas
    • “Wouldn’t the research based interventions be instructional strategies? As I work with instructional coaches, we discuss that new strategies are in response to a goal determined by the teacher. Sometimes, there isn’t a strategy, just discussion and follow-up.” —Educator in Missouri
      • “Interventions can be instructional strategies! But there is only so much a ‘strategy’ can accomplish without other interventions (community partnerships, providing breakfast).” —High School ELA Teacher in Texas
    • “In my humble opinion, most of those interventions involve helping students heal their nervous systems so they can learn.” —Educator, N/A
    • “Also smaller class sizes and targeted early intervention for struggling students.” —Retired Educator in Canada
    • “I agree in part, but I also feel most teachers are using the wrong tools and strategies; therefore, instead of more, replace these with what students need – Agility and tools and strategies from the Creative Problem-Solving field. These work. I know from experience.” —Educator in Virginia
    • “We also don’t need more assessment tools with modules to ‘show growth.’ Guess what school leaders? Students struggle in reading! Teachers know that after about 3 days. No need for expensive software. Give me one good intervention to help a high schooler reading at 3rd grade level.” —High School Teacher, N/A
    • “While so many companies are writing curriculum books, teachers need intervention guides based on research based pacing and specific lessons with relevant probes. And the schedule should be built for intervention time weekly.” —Educator, N/A
      • “I worked in a high school that had built in intervention time. You could call students to your room during this time or students could request to come to you. Otherwise, it was a study hall. I thought it worked really well, and students and teachers seemed to appreciate the extra time.” —Instructional Coach in Texas
    • “What if that PD was differentiated? Adults who struggle are taught how to build relationships. Others are taught how to deal with student (and adult) trauma. Still others are taught content and offered support. The possibilities are endless… If they just ask what we need.” —Middle School ELA Teacher in North Carolina
    • “I do wonder how much of this kind of thing happens because of outside pressure on education in general. Like lawmakers want education to run more like businesses, so they keep changing things when it never works the way they think it should.” —Elementary School Teacher in Ohio
    • “When you expect things to progress via free labor of teachers outside our contract time (or as the result of a one-hour workshop) and it doesn’t work out, that’s not a teacher problem. That’s a leadership problem.” —ELA Instructional Coach in Washington
    • “I love education! Education literally changed the trajectory of my life. Which is why it saddens me to think how often I felt professional development wasn’t relevant to my specific goals as an expert in the field.” —Educator in Washington, DC
  • “#Edutwitter – does your school encourage learning walks/observing other teachers on your campus or across the district? District admin – do you encourage your teachers to go observe other teachers on campus or across the district?” —Social Studies Educator in Texas
    • “Been at a school for 2 and a half years now. I’ve yet to see another teacher teach.” —High School Government and Economics Teacher in California
      • “I learn so much from watching my colleagues. The other day, I sat in on a class for an entire period. Great experience!” —History Teacher in Massachusetts
      • “That is so often the case. Schools don’t budget time for that. I wish they did. Let’s change the narrative!” —History Educator in Florida
        • “When I was a K-12 social studies supervisor I would take over a class so my folks could observe other peers. I loved it and I think the teachers and kids did, too! We need to see others and learn from each other.” —Educator in Virginia
    • “I have my undergrads do this during student teaching, and I wish administrators would provide space for in-service teachers to do this. You learn SO much and it forces you to reflect on your own teaching.” —Previous High School History Teacher in New York
    • “Yes but it’s been logistically challenging for the past couple years with all the emergency substitute coverage. But we recommend peer observation a lot and if I ever have the substitute coverage to do it, I’d love to re-institute learning walks.” —Science Educator, N/A
    • “If we ask and there is a substitute available we can watch another teacher. The other teacher has to be good with being observed.” —Middle School Teacher in California
    • “I SO wish we did this! This sounds like such a great idea. I’d love to see different perspectives in my own campus, as well as around the district.” —High School Teacher in Texas
    • “When I ran our inquiry institute, observing each other was part and parcel of each cohort… and we arranged it on our own, switching preps to make it happen.” —Educator in California
  • “Pssssst…. Co-teaching without dedicated co-planning and co-assessment time is not truly co-teaching. It’s often just ‘sticking an extra body in the classroom for a period’ … and it can quickly become a huge waste of talent, skills, and resources.” —ESL Specialist Educator in Canada
    • “Sometimes co-planning is a team meeting. Sometimes co-planning is via email or shared docs. Sometimes co-planning is done through text messaging. Sometimes co-planning is several quick conversations. All of these are reality, but it’s not co-teaching without co-planning.” —Elementary ELD Specialist, N/A
      • “Yes! Co-planning can happen in many different ways, but providing a regular time in the schedule for co-planning is a commitment that honors the importance of this collaboration.” —ESL Specialist Educator in Canada
  • “US teachers on average spend 28 hours of their work week in face-to-face instruction. Finland? 21 hours. Japan? 18 hours. Who could have guessed that giving teachers more time to plan, assess, give feedback, engage in professional learning, etc. would improve outcomes?” —ELA Instructional Coach in Washington
    • “Teachers NEED teachers. We NEED to be able to meet, collaborate, and plan together. The smartest people I know are K-12 teachers. LISTEN TO TEACHERS.” —High School Teacher in Minnesota