Problem - 

  • 8% of teachers leave every year. 
  • Attrition is high, and enrollment in teacher preparation programs has fallen ~35 percent over the past five years
  • Professional Development is costly
"Preparation and mentoring matter a lot. Teachers who are well-prepared leave at more than two times lower rates than teachers who are not fully prepared...If we could prepare teachers well, mentor them when they come in and give them decent working conditions, we would be very close to the 4 percent solution."  (avg. for other countries)
- except from Linda Darling-Hammond, president and CEO of Learning Policy Institute and founder of Stanford University's Center for Opportunity Policy in education. 
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/15/493808213/frustration-burnout-attrition-its-time-to-address-the-national-teacher-shortage​

Inspiration...

​Improving professional development was identified and included in a mid-sized school district’s improvement plan. 
“While employees reported satisfaction with working for (the district), there were lower scores related to feeling there are long-term career opportunities for professional growth within the district.”
“The best opportunities to improve employee engagement relate to…reviewing professional development offering to help employees meet the learning needs of their students, and ensuring that meeting the needs of students is one of the district’s top priorities.”
​While, there are many challenges that occur with working with diverse teachers of varying expertise, the benefits of professional development in its current form is inconclusive (Belland, Burdo, & Gu, 2015) and therefore a proposed change is sought. 

Intro - 

A successful professional development program is sustained over time, is goal-orientated, requires active participation, occurs in a socio-structured environment, and is applicable to the learners’ occupation (Desimone, 2009; Sandholtz & Ringstaff, 2014; Van Driel, Meirink, Van Veen, & Zwart, 2012).  

Theory & Research - 

  • Learning does not efficiently occur if the content is acquired out of context nor is it optimally synthesized. Authentic connections need to be made between the student and content wherein the information becomes synthesized with their prior knowledge. 
  • Professional development designers need to be cognizant that one learning theory is not any more valid than another; they all have their applications and a mixed-used approach may garner the best results
  • Most research in the use of mobile device in education have been limited to using mobile devices as a teaching tool in classroom settings.  The surface of using them for professional development is just getting scratched. 
  • Socio-structured approaches have yielded positive gains in teacher development and student achievement in several recent studies 

Method - 

This qualitative paper seeks to investigates the depth at which school districts have allowed educators to select their own professional development using a socio-structured online environment.  Successes, or the lack thereof, where this has been implemented will be studied.  

Discussion - 

  • Professional development designers need facilitators to guide sessions; however, it needs to be recognized that the students are themselves educators and, with proper support, can guide their own learning and discourse while synthesizing the content (Hennessy, 1993).  
  • Moments of self-discovery increase when implementing reflective teaching practices in a socio-structured setting (Farmer, Gerretsen, & Lassak, 2003; Van Driel, Meirink, Van Veen, & Zwart, 2012).   
  • Being viewed as trusted professionals increases transferability of content from professional development, even more so when educators are active participants in choosing their own professional development (Van Duzor, 2010).  
  • The socio-structured setting supports the accessing of valuable prior knowledge that may not have occurred in a solitary setting. Accessing this prior knowledge is critical for personalized professional development as it spirals back to build on prior lessons or life experiences (Bruner, 1996).

Conclusion - 

  • Research is needed regarding the impact of professional development on the self-efficacy of elementary school teachers (Sandholtz & Ringstaff, 2014).  
  • Related, Belland, Burdo, and Gu (2005) noted that there is a need to study the effects of professional development on a greater number of teachers rather than small groups. (Profession can exponentially expand and further itself if knowledge was united and shared.)
  • Mobile devices have shown to be beneficial in disseminating professional development, however, substantial research in this area is lacking (Baran, 2014).  
  • Teachers succeed when given opportunities to collaborate and learn from one another; they achieve greatness when motivated, treated like professionals, and work in supportive environments.  

Implications for the teacher...

Teachers will be - 
​Active learning
Access prior knowledge
Personalize curriculum
Social engagement
Build PD through feedback

Implications for the system...

What will drive its success...
Increased student achievement
Less one-size-fits-all PD
More time available for teachers
“PD” days can be reallocated to work
Collaborate and learn from other teachers
Build personal learning and professional networks
​Desire
Self-evaluation
Discovery Learning
Social Exploration

​Anticipated Benefits

  • Teachers having a more active role in choosing professional development shows them that they are trusted professionals and increases transferability of content from professional development to the classroom (Van Duzor, 2010).
  • Peer learning facilitates active and effective professional development (Belland, Burdo, & Gu, 2015).
  • Exploring different instructional models allows teachers to adapt learned pedagogical skills directly into their content lessons (Farmer, Gerretsen, & Lassak, 2003).
  • The use of reflective teaching strategies in a socio-structured setting enables teachers to synthesize materials from the professional development with their professional knowledge (Farmer, Gerretsen, & Lassak, 2003; Van Driel, Meirink, Van Veen, & Zwart, 2012).  
  • Teachers will access valuable prior knowledge and participating in social learning (Bruner, 1996)
  • Personalized professional development spirals back to build on prior lessons (Bruner, 1996)