| By Gale Staff |
Back-to-school season is a whirlwind of setting up classrooms, preparing curricula and lesson plans, and welcoming a wave of new students. Before the first bell of the school year rings, most districts usually kick off the year with professional development initiatives to put teachers in a growth mindset.
Whether you hosted a professional learning seminar or established professional learning communities (PLCs), you may be wondering how you can inspire educators to keep this momentum going throughout the year. Here are five strategies to inspire teacher investment in ongoing professional growth, including partnering with Gale to leverage flexible professional development tools.
1. Establish Clear Goals and Expectations for Your PD Strategy
When you develop your district’s professional learning strategy, ensure you establish clear overarching goals and define specific expectations for educators.
Set a theme for the year to establish a cohesive district-wide initiative to focus your professional development objectives. This could be centered around developing subject matter expertise across disciplines, implementing consistent classroom management strategies, or even utilizing technology more in classrooms.
Next, ensure each educator has a defined professional development goal to work toward throughout the year. These goals should be SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. For example, a teacher can commit to earning a certificate or leading a presentation on a relevant topic before the end of the year.
By setting defined objectives, you can give teachers a clear understanding of what professional development they’re expected to complete and how it aligns with your school’s or district’s overall vision for professional growth. Communicate goals and objectives at the beginning of the school year in meetings and in follow-up communication throughout the year to keep professional development top of mind.
2. Make PD Personalized and Relevant
Adapt your professional development strategy to offer opportunities that are relevant to the needs and interests of your teachers.
Conduct surveys or hold meetings to get insights about what educators are interested in learning or what skills they want to develop. Maybe your teachers need more support working with English learners or guiding students with mental health challenges. This feedback can influence your district-wide professional development strategy and help you focus professional learning events throughout the year on topics educators care about most.
Aside from large-scale professional learning, empower teachers to follow their interests in individualized professional development. Tie this to their SMART goals and provide flexible resources, like Gale eBooks: Professional Learning, to let educators develop their skills at their own pace throughout the year.
By tailoring professional development opportunities to educator needs, you can inspire more motivation and engagement in professional growth.
3. Create a Collaborative Culture Around PD
Make professional development a team sport by supporting collaborative growth in your district focused on PLCs.
After receiving feedback about what teachers are most interested in learning at the beginning of the year, you can establish PLCs that will focus on those specific topics. Educators with similar interests can then learn collaboratively throughout the year.
PLCs are a great opportunity for professional development workshops. Teachers can review the same text sets around their chosen topic and meet to discuss them, or they can split up information to review and then share.
Educators across PLCs can also learn from one another. Take the opportunity at the end of the year to encourage educators from each PLC to share their professional growth insights in a presentation or an online discussion platform with their colleagues.
PLCs can be a powerful tool to help you foster a community of professional development in your district.
4. Offer Access to Continuous PD Resources and Support
Professional development opportunities don’t have to be time intensive. Leverage tools that make professional learning easy and convenient. In between PD-focused meetings and workshops, give educators access to relevant professional learning materials they can study on their own time with flexible solutions, like eBooks.
Supplement your PD strategy with a resource like Gale eBooks: Professional Learning. Curated from leading PD publishers, Gale eBooks: Professional Learning themed collections help educators keep up with trending topics in education, like the science of reading, new teacher support, and culturally responsive teaching. Plus, Gale eBooks offers unlimited, simultaneous access to content anytime, anywhere—allowing educators to access the same text at once for a collaborative learning experience or read about topics they’re interested in at their own pace.
With flexible, accessible professional learning solutions, you can support continuous professional growth across your district.
5. Provide Ongoing Feedback and Celebrate Achievements
Ensure educators stay motivated in their professional learning journeys by continually reviewing progress and artifacts, providing constructive feedback, and celebrating achievements.
Tie professional development goals to educator evaluations and focus your feedback on continuous opportunities for growth. When discussing performance, ensure professional development is a primary theme. Give educators opportunities to highlight their professional learning accomplishments, identify areas for improvement, and determine if they need to pivot their strategy to stay on a path of continued development.
Recognize professional development successes by celebrating achievements publicly, whether it’s during staff meetings, in newsletters, or even on social media. Support your district-wide community of professional learning by encouraging educators to keep track of their peers’ progress and celebrate their success.
Professional development seems daunting when there are so many other things educators need to accomplish during the school year. However, professional learning is essential for educators to stay up to date with the latest educational practices and enhance their skills for the benefit of learners. Plus, research shows prioritizing professional development can increase educator engagement and retention rates.
Investing in your professional learning strategy helps improve not only your educators’ impact on students today but also their dedication to future success in your schools. Start creating an environment that supports continuous learning, collaboration, and growth to motivate educators across your district.
Need topical resources to supplement your PD strategy? Browse Gale eBooks: Professional Learning themed collections, or connect with your rep to today.
