As the CEO of Canopy Ed, I spend a great deal of time working closely with school systems and state departments of education to mold our educator support platform to the specific needs of each system. This collaboration continues through the training and implementation phases and has helped us learn a great deal about both the types of support educators desire and how leaders want to provide that support.
I’ve learned that a lot has changed since I worked as an instructional coach 10 years ago. The tips below are a synthesis of what we have seen from the passionate leaders and educators we work with. Together these tips can serve as a foundation for a new vision of educator support.
- The Content is Not the Point – The content of the training is not the point. The point is what educators can do with the content of the training.
Most PD is anchored on the content of the training and then includes a ‘take 10 min to plan for how you will apply this idea in your classroom’ direction at the end. This direction may pass for ‘relevance’ but it still centers the content as opposed to the educator. Teacher-centered relevance is about figuring out how teachers may want to apply the content before the training even begins.
This is the difference between: asking teachers to do something with content that was shared with them and offering teachers support to do what they said they want to do.
- Use Blended Learning – In-person learning should leverage its greatest strength: the ability to collaborate and discuss ideas with colleagues.
This means the content needs to be delivered in a self-paced learning module before the in-person session. Surveys and assessments from this self-paced module can then be used to customize the in-person session (see tip #1).
Research has consistently shown that blended learning models are more effective than both in-person and self-paced delivery methods. Participant morale is also higher because educators tend to enjoy talking practically about how to apply ideas with their colleagues.
- Build Trust: Follow through – New habits and trust are both built by demonstrating consistency over time. We cannot expect educators to take PD seriously if the PD leaders do not demonstrate that they take it seriously.
The best way for leaders to communicate that the outcomes of training and support are important to them is to follow up on the themes of the PD in the weeks that follow. Research has shown that just telling teachers that there will be a formal follow-up in 2 weeks dramatically increases the percent of teachers who apply the ideas from the PD.
This follow up can take the form of a classroom observation, but more often it can just be the teacher sharing an artifact related to their implementation of the PD content.
The bigger point here is that professional learning must be continuous, consistent, and predictable. This requires a shared commitment from both leadership and educators.
Now it is unfortunately common for relationships around PD to end up being defined by compliance and sometimes even fear. But none of the above will be effective unless this work is rooted in respectful and trusting relationships.
Of course, all of this is easier said than done. The actual implementation of these strategies takes time and a lack of time is already the biggest stressor on educators at every level of the education system.
This is where our educator support Canopy can help. The promise of technology is that it allows us to accomplish more in less time. Systems that want to prioritize educator support love Canopy for exactly this reason. Canopy allows them to implement the tips above (and others) while still allowing educators, coaches, and PD leaders to save time overall.
To learn more check out www.CanopyEducation.com.
Or reach out to us for a demo at [email protected].
