[ELTWeekly Volume 11, Issue 3 | March 11, 2019 | ISSN 0975-3036]
Being in the dynamic profession of education, one needs to be conscious about the professional development initiatives.
EduTopia contributor Alyssa Voigt has shared an article titled ‘A Teacher-Centric Approach to PD” to help teachers grow professionally.
Voigt says, “The term professional development is one that many educators have come to hate—it’s automatically equated with a lot of “sit and get” and a waste of precious time.
As a library media specialist, I have probably shared these experiences more than most, as much of the professional development (PD) I’ve received over the years has had little relevance to my job. I have spent countless hours in one-size-fits-all lectures and trainings that did not pertain to my work because I was required to attend to fulfill my professional responsibilities.
When I started teaching in Kettle Moraine School District after working in a neighboring district, I had similar expectations for PD, but I was surprised to find something different. Two years earlier, the district had shifted from traditional PD to a system of micro-credentialing, which encourages teachers to pursue new learning of their choosing and apply that learning directly to their classrooms. When teachers complete these micro-credentials—or competency-based certifications on topics—they get a boost in their base salary”.