Informational vs. Transformational PD
I recently realized why most professional development sessions, including the ones I led, did not have our intended long term impact. I have provided professional development since 1997 in two arenas:
1) inservice learning to currently practicing teachers, specialists, and transition coordinators and
2) preservice preparation of undergraduate and graduate students earning their teacher certifications.
Regardless of the topic, I always started (as any effective teacher knows) with a list of the knowledge and skills I wanted my participants to gain. I did my homework; I was prepared; I planned interactive learning opportunities; but I was missing an important distinction that could have dramatically changed the impact of my work.
Most of the time, I celebrated when those attending my learning sessions came with an open mindset to learn new information. They leaned forward, took notes, asked clarifying questions, and engaged in my planned learning activities.
They wrote positive comments on their evaluations and thanked me for their new understandings. Still, a haunting sense of dissatisfaction lingered. My mission is NOT to spread the word about effective practices. My mission is to change practices so that practitioners become more effective, students succeed, and job satisfaction blossoms.
I didn’t want these teachers to come seeking information. I wanted them to come seeking transformation. There’s an old saying that knowledge is power. That’s not true. Knowledge applied is power. What good does it do to be able to explain the seven collaborative teaching structures if you never use them in your teaching? What’s the point of defining self-advocacy and the reasons why it’s vital for students to be able to request their own accommodations if you never talk to a student about her disability? So what if you could list five practices for engaging families in their youth’s successful transition?
I love it when professionals attend my sessions with the clear intent of finding at least one new strategy or approach to transform their practice. I’ve looked deeper to figure out what made those folks tick. How could I foster that mindset?
The status of their teaching certificate was irrelevant (general education teacher or teacher candidates were just as likely as special educators to be looking for new wisdom). Likewise, age, gender, years of experience, or other demographics didn’t matter.
Here’s what I’ve discovered: It all boils down to whether an individual clings to a “MY ANSWER” framework for learning. Adults who are responsible operate this way in most aspects of our life. We might say, “This is how I manage my laundry/ my finances/ my housekeeping/ my wellness.” We fall into a regular pattern and do things the same way we’ve always done them – good or bad. Diets, gym memberships and New Year’s Resolutions have little long term effect because our habitual pattern reasserts itself. We may read an article or blog or listen to an informational CD and resolve to change, but in the end it’s easier to fall back into our pattern.
The same thing is true for teachers. How can we spark them to approach professional development as a transformational opportunity, not an informational opportunity? How can we help them shift into a growth and looking mindset? What is the role of supervisors and school administrators? Clearly, there is a strong push for school reform, but it won’t happen without teachers being open to transformation of their practices. Since all change starts with yourself, I’ve looked at how I can be open to changing my habitual ways of operating. I’m starting to experiment – what an adventure! Your ideas are welcome!
