What constitutes professional development?
When people use the term “professional development,” they usually mean a formal process such as a conference, seminar, or workshop; collaborative learning among members of a work team; or a course at a college or university. However, professional development can also occur in informal contexts such as discussions among work colleagues, independent reading and research, observations of a colleague’s work, or other learning from a peer.
How does professional development in K–12 public education differ from professional development in other fields?
In public schools, effective professional development affects students. Student learning and achievement increase when educators engage in effective professional development focused on the skills educators need in order to address students’ major learning challenges.
Why do educators need professional development? Didn’t they learn what they need to know in college?
College and university programs cannot provide the extensive range of learning experiences necessary for graduates to become effective public school educators. Once students graduate, meet their state’s certification requirements, and are employed, they learn through experience. As in all professions, new teachers and principals take years to gain the skills they need to be effective in their roles. The complexity of teaching is so great that onethird of teachers leave the profession within three years and 50% leave within five years. Even experienced teachers confront great challenges each year, including changes in subject content, new instructional methods, advances in technology, changed laws and procedures, and student learning needs. Educators who do not experience effective professional development do not improve their skills, and student learning suffers. Artificial Intelligence on Learning, Teaching, and Education Artificial Intelligence (AI) is currently high on the political and research agendas around the world. With the emergence of every new technology, there is always both a lot of hype and Scepticism around its implications for society and the economy. Although acknowledging That the foundations for AI have been already around for several decades, recent technological breakthroughs are accelerating what AI could do. To appreciate the opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence (AI) creates, we need both good understanding of what AI is today and what the future may bring when AI is widely used in the society. AI can enable new ways of learning, teaching and education, and it may also change the society in ways that pose new challenges for educational institutions.
It may amplify skill differences and polarize jobs, or it may equalize opportunities for learning. The use 104 of AI in education may generate insights on how learning happens, and it can change the way learning is assessed. It may re-organize classrooms or make them obsolete, it can increase the efficiency of teaching, or it may force students to adapt to the requirements of technology, depriving humans from the powers of agency and possibilities for responsible action. All this is possible. Now is a good time to start thinking about what AI could mean for learning, teaching, and education. There is a lot of hype, and the topic is not an easy one. It is, however, both important, interesting, and worth the effort.
Instead of a beginning of an AI revolution, we could be at the end of one. This, of course, Depends on what we mean by revolution. Electricity did not revolutionize the world when Volta found a way to store it in 1800 or when Edison General Electric Company was Incorporated in 1889. The transformative impact of general purpose technologies Becomes visible only gradually, when societies and economies reinvent themselves as Users of new technologies. Technological change requires cultural change that is reflected In lifestyles, norms, policies, social institutions, skills, and education. Because of this, AI—now often called the “new electricity”—may revolutionize many areas of life when it Is taken into use even if it keeps on driving its “one-trick” pony for the foreseeable Future. Many interesting things will happen when already existing technologies will be Adopted, adapted, and applied for learning, teaching, and education. For example, AI May enable both new learning and teaching practices, and it may generate a new social, Cultural, and economic context for education.
WHY Professional Development?
Another professional development day! What an inconvenience!” This Comment rings across kitchen tables, through grocery store aisles, on the side-lines at soccer games, and in the breakrooms in local businesses. Parents expect their children to be in school and rely on schools not only for educating them, but also for providing a safe and dependable place for Students to be each day.
Families and even employers are inconvenienced on In-service days or when the school day starts late or ends early to Provide time for teacher professional development. For business and community leaders, the quality of a community’s education system relates directly to the economic success of the community. School success translates into tax revenues, real estate values, and community satisfaction. When asked what they want for their children, parents, and community members overwhelmingly agree that they want the best teacher possible in every classroom. Research confirms that the most important factor contributing to a student’s success in school is the quality of teaching. While parents may not be familiar with the research, they are united in their desire to ensure great teaching for every child every day.
Professional development is the most effective strategy schools and school Districts have to meet this expectation. Professional development is the strategy schools and school districts use to ensure that educators continue to strengthen their practice throughout their career. The most eff active professional development engages teams of teachers to focus on the needs of their students. 102
They learn and problem solve together in order to ensure all students achieve success. School systems use a variety of schedules to provide this collaborative learning and work time for teachers. When time set aside for professional development is used effectively and parents receive reports about student results, they realize the benefits to teachers and their students far outweigh the scheduling inconvenience. When communities see their schools making steady upward progress, they applaud the role of effective professional development. Policymakers, community leaders, and parents have a responsibility to ensure that educators within their schools engage in continuous professional learning and apply that learning to increase student achievement. Learning forward offers a clear definition and standards for measuring the quality of professional development occurring within schools. By advocating for educator professional learning that meets these standards, policymakers, parents, and community members can do their part to ensure a successful education experience for every child in their community.
John Dewey reminds us about the importance of this role: “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children.”