What do you believe about professional development?
14/08/09 03:27 Filed in: Professional
development
One component of an effective professional
development plan is a set of beliefs about
professional development. This set of
beliefs guides your professional development program
and can be used to
enhance your professional development program.
Question: What do you believe about professional development?
Answer: I believe that effective professional development:
So, what you do believe about professional development? Talk with other staff members. Develop shared understanding about what constitutes effective professional development. Then document your organization’s beliefs about professional development.
Pursue excellence. Today.
*This blog entry is part of a 6-part series:
Question: What do you believe about professional development?
Answer: I believe that effective professional development:
- Focuses on achieving the mission. In other words, the purpose of professional development is to increase the likelihood of achieving the mission.
- Supports the implementation of the strategic plan.
- Addresses current/future job responsibilities.
- Helps individual staff members achieve their annual growth goals.
- Is powerful and ongoing. Staff are the chief resource. Professional development is a professional investment in staff.
- Is research-based.
- Is differentiated. Not everyone needs the same professional development.
- Is based on an assessment of the current reality.
- Is designed using a process involving planning, implementation, and evaluation.
- Takes place in a variety of ways, in addition to workshops.
- Involves using new knowledge and skills during the training.
- Involves reflection.
- Involves teams.
- Involves follow-up.
- Results in staff applying knowledge and skills (not in having knowledge and skills).
So, what you do believe about professional development? Talk with other staff members. Develop shared understanding about what constitutes effective professional development. Then document your organization’s beliefs about professional development.
Pursue excellence. Today.
*This blog entry is part of a 6-part series:
- What do you want to focus your organization’s professional development on?
- What are the components of a professional development plan?
- What do you believe about professional development?
- How can you enhance your organization's professional development program?
- How can you increase the impact of professional development?
- What are your organization's professional development needs?