Education is a profession that is constantly evolving. As educators, we are in a profession that requires continuous education, recertifications, and annual improvement measures. Most educational systems throughout the country require teachers to meet a certain requirement of continuing education units or credits, and all schools have a professional development plan designed to help teachers grow and maximize their teaching abilities and urge staff improvement. Teachers are constant learners, always trying to improve and stay ahead of their students and master a variety of teaching methods to best meet the needs of their students.
As school leaders and administrators, it is key to provide these opportunities for improvement, but not do it in a way that feels forced upon teachers, overbearing, or pushy even. When implemented correctly, professional development for staff can improve teacher practice and student experiences. However, when it is done wrong, it can have little to no impact and end up frustrating teachers and staff who don’t see any connection or relevance to their work.
Regular Professional Development
In order for improvement to occur in teaching staff, several methods of support can be utilized. These strategies are definitely designed to include staff and not come across as overbearing or burdensome. First, many school districts require teachers to take professional development courses, either to keep their licensure updated or to meet requirements for advancements in salary. No matter the motivation, professional development is one of the best ways to improve teaching skills. It is essential to understand that professional development takes time.
School leaders must understand that professional development cannot be a quick fix or a one-time-only session. Thorough and effective professional development takes time and includes revisiting, reflecting, and reviewing what was done for months and years. By doing this, teachers will see the impact on a grander scale, and not feel as overwhelmed and burdened by a one-stop shop session that doesn’t connect with them.
Secondly, improvement plans and professional development that teachers themselves lead will always be the best and most effective professional development. Teachers will be more apt to listen to one of their colleagues discuss or demonstrate effective strategies they have found success with, and teachers leading other teachers will result in a great connection and understanding to the improvement plans or development, and is often seen as more relevant to teachers than an outside consultant or group brought in.
When teachers are given the chance to lead their peers in improvement strategies and support, the environment created is more relaxed and intentional, leading to less stress and feelings of being forced to implement strategies from an external source.
Cultivate Positive Relationships Amongst Staff
Next, it is imperative to establish, promote, and cultivate relationships amongst staff. Teachers can’t focus on improving their practices or teaching strategies if they don’t feel supported overall in their current role or environment. Great school leaders and administrators know that having established trust, positive rapport, and a sense of belonging will make it easier when it comes to professional development or improvement practices within the classroom.
When positive relationships exist amongst staff, difficult conversations about improvement don’t seem so difficult because the teacher or staff member knows that it is not personal, rather more about the classroom practices that will ultimately pave the way for them to be a better practitioner.
Seek and Utilize Stakeholder Feedback
Next, another way to support improvement without being overbearing is to seek and properly utilize stakeholder feedback. When staff are given the opportunity to provide feedback and express their opinions about situations, they feel more connected and have a sense of ownership and belonging. As school leaders and administrators, harnessing and utilizing their specific feedback when implementing improvement methods or targets for your upcoming school year shows a direct connection to the feedback of staff and the creation of goals that is driven by a group effort.
When utilizing specific items from staff, they see that you are listening to them and taking their suggestions and building it into your staff development plans. This shows a commitment to their feedback and makes it more personalized for teachers. Doing this results in a collaborative sense of engagement and camaraderie, instantly connecting staff to their own improvement, because their feedback feeds it.
Peer Collaboration and Coaching Opportunities
Finally, peer collaboration and coaching opportunities are key. Evidence suggests that teachers can and do learn from each other, and that when schools promote collaboration, teacher practice and student outcomes improve, in a way that is not overbearing. In order for staff to feel that improvement is practical and not pushy, the coaching model can be used to help model instruction, co-plan lessons, provide direct feedback, and other methods of support.
By having a partner and a coach, staff can ultimately improve in a manner that feels safe, protected, and collaborative, not forced or unnatural. Another component to this is shared and protected time for collaboration, where staff can dedicate themselves to improving their practices. The focus on shared and specific goals for improvement rather than a vague meeting one time can only bolster the fact that staff have the ability to improve their practice over time with the appropriate support, and it does not feel rushed, hurried, or burdensome.
Ultimately, educators are dealing with a new reality of challenges post COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher burnout, effectiveness, recruitment, and retention are not new challenges to the profession. However, they seem to be more exacerbated than ever, and educators have a lot on their plates. Teacher stress levels are high, and the pressure to identify ways to deal with learning loss are paramount. As school leaders, it is imperative that we find ways to make professional development effective without being overbearing or pushy. Finding opportunities for teachers to engage in professional learning is critical to the future of our profession, and implementing the strategies outlined above can help reduce the challenges we face in the long run.
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