J.P. Prezzavento - The Bits and Bytes of Education:

This school year I embarked upon a new journey in my teaching career:  serving as a cooperating teacher to two of my department's three student teachers.  At first I was reluctant to take on student teachers because I wasn't sure if I was cut out for job of helping two pre-service teachers in what will be one of their final preparations before they get their own classrooms.  However, after a colleague and close friend reminded me serving as a cooperating teacher is one of the most valuable forms of professional development , I realized that this was an amazing opportunity for me not only to offer PD to the students assigned to me, but also this would be an opportunity for me to grow as a professional. Throughout the semester I have or will do the following activities with my student teachers: I introduced the student teachers to everyone they need to know in the building including principals, secretaries, department chairs, and custodians. I created a structured ...

Today I was at my district's professional development committee meeting and was talking to my building's co-chair, @Thompson_shs , when an interesting question was posed: What does high quality professional development look like? Seeing as we were at a district-level meeting, there were representatives from elementary schools, middle schools, and of course the district's two high schools.  Since the needs of learners in each level of school is different, should professional development look different at each level?  Or should it look the same at each level since strong instructional practices are similar all across education?  I am not sure that PD should be similar or different in each level of education, but here is what I do know about high quality professional development: High quality PD meets the needs of all the participants. http://goo.gl/YFfMd High quality PD is not quiet .   Teachers are talking, moving around, and interacting. Hig...

Does the talk of professional development in your building make teachers cringe and hope to plan their next root canal on a PD day?  Professional development doesn't have to be painful or boring for teachers.  Under the guidance of a forward-thinking principal, @MrGrimshaw , and with the help of an awesome present and past PD rep, @thompson_SHS and @justintarte , respectively, at Seckman High School , we have been able to add fun and interactivity  to our PD days. Now teachers are getting more out of professional development and more teachers are getting involved with PD.  Here are 5 strategies we have used to increase teacher engagement and enjoyment of our professional development days. 1.  Make sure each activity is part of your PD plan. The first step to a successful PD day is to have a long-range professional development plan.  Scheduling random sessions with no rhyme or reason to them will leave teachers unsure of what to expect on professional d...