Much of 21st century education philosophy urges instructors/teachers to meet the needs of their students by creating authentic learning experiences. To do so, one must take the time to understand their students, their needs, learning styles, and talents. As many instructors/teachers have become excellent at adapting their content and lessons, institutions and educational systems as a whole are lagging behind in providing a similar experience for their instructors/teachers.
I can only imagine how many hands would be raised if asked, "How many of you recently sat through a school-wide training, that offered very little practical use to your professional development needs?" Institutions across America feel the need to prescribe 'canned' professional development to all instructors/teachers to ensure the same content and message are delivered. What if that message isn't needed by EVERYONE? What happened to the exact message we are preaching to instructors/teachers about creating unique learning experiences? Shouldn't the same apply to adults?
Clearly, the answer is yes - we must do a better job of meeting our instructors/teachers needs. While the answer is easy to see, the solution is a greater challenge that all learning institutions must be willing to tackle. Individualized Professional Development requires a great deal of collaboration, brainstorming, communication, planning, knowledge of instructor/teacher needs, and TRUST! As learning institutions begin to explore and implement Individualized Professional Development, students will begin to see and feel the impact on their educational success.
Individualized Professional Development may look at feel different across learning institutions, however, the main goal should always be to identify opportunities for growth, while supporting instructors/teachers in a growth mindset. In order to identify and support a growth mindset, learning institutions must create a culture of reflection, evaluation, and growth. Too often, institutions of learning and instructors/teachers are too concerned about looking 'good' in the eyes of the stakeholders (i.e. Administrators, principals, parents, students, accrediting bodies, etc.) We must make a dramatic shift in looking at deficiencies as opportunities for growth!
One of the greatest examples of a growth mindset can come from sports. How many top-notch athletes do you see that don't look at how to improve? Most athletes identify their areas of weakness and build them into strengths. Instructors/teachers ought to have the same mindset - what am I not good at and how can I improve? Only then can instructors/teachers begin to create a unique, Individualized Professional Development plan.
Perhaps one of the greatest tools to instructors/teachers in improvement will be through instructional coaches. Instructional Coaching fosters a rapport between coach and instructor/teacher, creating a safe learning environment, and opening the door for opportunities of growth. The instructional coach becomes and outside eye and ear in the classroom to aid the instructor/teacher in identify strengths and opportunities for growth in a collaborative nature. Provided the instructional coach remains unbiased - a non-evaluative observer - an Individualized Professional Development plan will begin to unfold over time.
So what's the dilemma? Time and resources continue to be stretched. Yet, Individualized Professional Development will only foster instructors/teachers to become reflective practitioners. If it's good for our students, then it needs to be good for our instructors/teachers. I fear this is only going to become of greater need as funding and state laws alter whom is deemed eligible to be an instructor/teacher (sorry, I'm from Wisconsin!) Just as Ghandi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
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