What is the best PD you have ever participated in? Did it cater for your exact needs? How long had you been waiting for it?
Have you ever enrolled in a course or seminar only to discover that it did not answer your questions or solve your professional dilemmas? I am sure this has happened to all of us at one point, where you walk away feeling like you have just wasted valuable time.
Solution: create your own PD! No one knows your situation, your questions, your limitations or your experience better than you do. So why not create an opportunity that will tick all the boxes?
Do you belong to a PLN (Professional Learning Network, sometimes referred to as Professional Learning Community)? This is a network of like minded individuals who are willing to share and learn with you. They could be colleagues at your school, or at neighbouring schools. They could even live on the other side of the world, but with thanks to tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Google hangouts etc, like-minded people are plentiful and accessible. I feel the benefits of networking are often underestimated. Much time is poured into formalised PD with guest speakers/presenters that deliver a 'one-message-fits-all' presentation, one that was probably delivered word for word to a different staff the day before. In many cases these presenters were once teachers themselves, coming from the era of 'chalk and talk' where the teacher delivers a lecture and you take notes.
I recently facilitated a PD day with 7 other PE teachers from schools in our district. Leading up to the day the participants were asked to think about what they would like included in their PD session. Giving them ownership of the day encouraged them to make suggestions that would be of benefit to them and their schools.
We had a very productive day. We explored a whole range of topics related to Physical Education including curriculum, programming, assessment and integrating technology into our lessons. Two of the participants were from a neighbouring district, so it was great to meet and collaborate with them as it gave us a fresh perspective on things. The advantage of being a small group was that it was more like a round table discussion than a seminar, and so all participants could contribute with their experiences and questions. I certainly came away feeling like I had gained some knowledge and ideas that I could implement into my teaching. I was able to ask specific questions and have seven experienced PE teachers help me out!
Best of all I came away inspired and enthusiastic - this was not a waste of valuable time!
So I encourage you to create your own PLN and develop your own learning opportunities. There is no better way to get what you need than by doing it yourself! No guest speaker to deliver a lecture, no presenter with a script - just like minded people you can talk to.
Want to improve your professional learning network? Try these tips.
