Professional Development (PD) Activities

for Professional Growth of Teachers

Within the scope of a professional growth plan, teachers and school administrators
can undertake a range of professional learning activities including reading professional journals,
trying out new practices in the classroom and joining professional organizations. Below is a list
of professional development activities that can be undertaken individually or collaboratively as
part of a professional development plan. In the past, professional development focused on
individual development, workshops, in-service and external delivery systems. Today, the
emphasis is on school-based activities such as coaching, partnerships and team/group
development.

Action Research
In undertaking action research, educators begin by asking how current practice might be
improved. They then study the relevant literature and research to select an approach that might
improve current practice.
Teachers often use their classrooms as research sites. For example, teachers might teach a
concept in different ways to determine which had the greatest effect on student learning.
Likewise, teachers might experiment to see what approach is most effective in facilitating
cooperative learning among students.
Administrators can use action research to address issues related to their leadership role in
schools. Action research is a reflective strategy that requires the collection of qualitative and
quantitative data, which can lead to enhanced practice.
Teachers can engage in successful mini-research projects in their classrooms, while
administrators can use schools, individually or collectively, as research sites. This “action”
research often helps identify which techniques work best for particular students. Action research
helps teachers to theorize from teaching practice and experience and redefine teaching as an
autonomous form of inquiry.

Book Study
Book study groups are an effective form of professional development that educators at all
levels can use to facilitate their professional growth. Book studies work best if the participants
have similar skills and interests. However, varying viewpoints are important because they inject
diversity of opinion and enliven discussion. One of the first matters on which the group must
reach consensus is a schedule for reading and discussion. If the book study is to consist of four to
eight meetings in all, then each meeting should last between 60 and 90 minutes. Choose a book
on a topic that interests everyone in the group but that is sufficiently open-ended to encourage
new learning through reading and discussion. The book should be thought-provoking and have
enough depth to stimulate debate. At the conclusion of the book study, ask the following
questions: Did the book stimulate thought and discussion? Did the group study meet the learning
objectives? How might the group study experience be improved?

Classroom/School Visitation
Teachers visit the classrooms of colleagues to view innovative teaching practices and
expand and refine their own personal pedagogy. For classroom visitations to occur, school
boards must be willing to engage substitute teachers.
School administrators may benefit from visiting a school in the jurisdiction or another
jurisdiction to view the facility, explore alternatives for organizing resources and discuss
leadership strategies with the hosting school administrator.
Classroom and school visitations may range from a single day up to two weeks and/or
multiple visits over time.
Collaborative Curriculum Development
Collaborative curriculum development provides a unique opportunity for teachers to
delve deeply into their subject matter. Working together, teachers can design new planning
materials, teaching methods, resource materials and assessment tools.

Conference Audio Tapes

Conference audio tapes provide teachers who are unable to attend a national or
international conference with an opportunity to learn new ideas from experts. Most organizations
make available information on sessions or proceedings through audio cassettes, CD-ROMs, and
MP3s.

Conferences
Conferences can provide very effective professional development opportunities,
particularly when they are part of a teacher’s ongoing professional development plan

Community/Service Organizations
Community and/or service organizations provide an opportunity for teachers and school
administrators to develop leadership skills and gain important knowledge related to their role and
community context. Examples of community/service organizations include church, service clubs,
Scouts, Girl Guides and sporting groups.

Curriculum Mapping
Curriculum maps are tools to organize teaching. They outline a sequence for delivering
content and provide a clear scope for what must be taught to all students as specified in the
provincial curriculum. Curriculum maps, which can be aligned both horizontally and vertically,
organize content, skills, assessments, and resources over time. A curriculum map can also serve
as a tool for collecting data about the implemented curriculum in a school and in a district—the
instruction that students are receiving. By mapping what's actually taught and when and aligning
it with assessment data, teachers can modify instruction (Educational Leadership, December
2003/January 2004).

Data Analysis
Educators use data to inform their professional practice, that is, to make decisions about
what to teach, how to teach it and how to determine whether students have learned what was
taught. Data come from a variety of sources. Some data help determine the degree to which an
individual student or a group of students has achieved specific standards as measured by teacher-
made tests and assignments, norm-referenced tests, student portfolios, observation surveys and
other sources. Other data provide insight into contextual factors such as language proficiency,
preschool experience, attendance patterns and family support that may influence student
achievement. Still other data provide insight into structures, attitudes and practices that comprise
the school program—factors such as curriculum organization, instructional strategies, assessment
practices, report card, course completion rates and school satisfaction surveys. Reliable data are
multi-sourced, relevant, timely and consistent.

Examining Student Work

Student work provides teachers with a critical source of information about how a student
is learning, developing, acquiring new knowledge and applying new skill sets. Student work
includes such items as writing samples, projects, oral reports and pictures. Thinking analytically
about the work can give teachers greater insights into teaching and learning. The information can
also be used in study groups.
Focused Conversations
Focused conversation is a four-stage process that can help people reflect together about
any issue, large or small. A facilitator leads the conversation and asks a series of questions that
elicit responses that take the group from the surface of a topic to its in-depth implications.

Hosting a Student Teacher

Hosting a student teacher is a form of mentoring, except that the experienced teacher has
an obligation to focus on supporting the development of standards related to interim certification.
Host teachers are ultimately responsible for their students and therefore must closely supervise
what the student teacher does with respect to lesson planning, classroom instruction and student
evaluation. Student teachers do not have teaching certificates and, therefore, should not, under
any circumstances, be allowed to act as substitute teachers.

Integrated Curriculum Planning

The terms “integrated curriculum planning,” “interdisciplinary teaching” and “thematic
teaching” are often used synonymously. The teacher organizes curriculum so that it cuts across
subject-matter lines, bringing topics into meaningful association and allowing students to focus
on broad areas of study. Integrated curriculum planning includes these features:
 An emphasis on projects
 Sources that go beyond textbooks
 Relationships among concepts
 Thematic units as organizing principles
 Flexible schedules
 Flexible student groupings

Internet Research
The Internet provides access to a wealth of information on countless topics contributed
by people throughout the world. On the Internet, a user has access to a wide variety of services:
vast information sources, electronic mail, file transfer, group memberships based on interest,
interactive collaboration and multimedia displays. However, Internet research has a number of
limitations. Because the Internet is a self-publishing medium, anyone with minimal technical
skills and access to a host computer can publish content. Furthermore, Internet sites change over
time according to the commitment and inclination of the creator. Some sites demonstrate an
expert's knowledge, while others are amateur efforts. Some may be updated daily, while others
may be outdated.

Journaling
Journaling is a technique for recording observations and reflections. The entries may be
related to teaching, student growth, the implementation of a new initiative or any subject for
which a teacher may want to develop a record. The journal can provide a rich, qualitative record
of events and activities.

Lesson Study
Lesson study is a professional development process that Japanese teachers engage in to
systematically examine and improve their practice. In this process, teachers work collaboratively
to plan, teach, observe and critique a small number of study lessons. To provide focus and
direction to this work, teachers select an overarching goal and related research question that they
want to explore. This research question guides their work on all the study lessons. Teachers then
jointly draw up a detailed plan for the lesson that one of the teachers delivers to students in a real
classroom. Other group members observe the lesson. The group then meets to discuss their
observations. Often, the group revises the lesson, and another teacher delivers it in a second
classroom, while group members again look on. The group then meets again to discuss the
observed instruction. Finally, the teachers produce a report of what their study lessons have
taught them, particularly with respect to their research question.

Leadership Development Programs

Leadership development programs are generally designed to provide teachers aspiring to
school or district administration with an opportunity to learn about various aspects of the role
and thus increase the pool of applicants for leadership positions.

Mentors and Mentorship

Mentoring is a confidential process through which an experienced professional provides
another with information, support, feedback and assistance for the purpose of refining present
skills, developing new ones and enhancing problem solving and decision making in a way that
promotes professional development.
Studies on beginning teachers demonstrate that the first three years of teaching play a crucial role
in shaping a teacher’s perception of the profession and in helping the teacher decide whether to
stay or leave. Beginning teachers are in greatest need of the support that will enhance their
classroom management and instructional skills. They also need support systems that will help
them see teaching as a collegial, rather than an isolated, endeavour. Mentors can provide the
advice, suggestions and constructive feedback that can make the difference between whether a
new teacher succeeds or fails.
School administrators who are new to administration or new to the school district, veteran
administrators in the first few years in the role, or vice-principals aspiring to become school
administrators can find mentorship supportive and beneficial to the development of their
leadership practice. Mentorship is most beneficial when it is based on an action plan that
includes goals and strategies. Mentoring is an effective process to support teachers whether they
are new to the profession, new to a curriculum or grade level, or new to an administrative
designation. According to the provincial Teacher Growth, Supervision and Evaluation policy, a
plan for teacher mentorship can be the teacher’s professional growth plan.

Networks
Effective professional development initiatives use a variety of communication networks
and strategies. The vertical and horizontal boundaries at the school and system level must
become interrelated and mutually supportive.
Electronic networks can respond to educators’ needs to communicate with a larger and
more diverse group of educators beyond the staff at their own schools. A computer, a modem
and access to a telephone line can link teachers to the electronic village. Open systems can
connect teachers to existing online libraries, databases, list servers and other communication
systems.
Participants can discuss such issues as evaluation and assessment, technology across the
curriculum, environmental and global education, second language instruction, conflict resolution,
school leadership and school-based research.

Online PD Programs/Webinars
Some organizations and postsecondary institutions have developed online courses,
tutorials and self-guided programs for teacher professional development. Most programs have a
registration fee. But, due to the current situation, there are some institutions both public and
private offering free of charge.

Peer Coaching
Teachers and school administrators solicit and receive feedback about their practices after
being observed by a peer or other observer. Observation and assessment encourage educators to
reflect on their everyday professional lives and can take many forms. Reflective writing and
discussion allow educators to develop ideas that can be integrated into their evolving personal
pedagogy and professional practice.
Professional Portfolios
Professional portfolios are collections of credentials, artifacts and reflections that
document a teacher’s professional practice. Some teachers and school administrators have used
the portfolio development process to reflect on and improve their professional practice.

School Improvement Teams

Changes in school organization and roles within the school require teachers to rethink
what professional development means and who controls it. Decentralized decision-making
affords the opportunity to explore the talent that resides within the school. Strategic planning
empowers all members of the school community—administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals,
support staff, parents, trustees and other stakeholders—by enabling them to build their future
exactly as they want it at the professional and personal levels. The strategic planning process also
involves reaching a consensus on the expectations of the organizations. The value of strategic
planning depends on the extent to which the school administration and staff are willing to change
and to invest the time required to bring about that change.

School-Based Learning Action Cell Session or Professional Development Workshops

Buhisan National High School offers a wide range of professional development
workshops designed for school staffs. These workshops can be offered as full- or half-day
sessions or as part of an ongoing program of school-based professional development.

Self-Reflection
Self-reflection is a critical skill for the ongoing development of one’s professional
practice. Many effective teachers use three levels of reflection: reflection on action, reflection for
action and reflection in action. Self-reflection can be broken down into the following four steps:
(1) problem identification, during which teachers identify a problem or question about their
practice that they are motivated to address; (2) information gathering, during which teachers
collect data to inform the area of practice; (3) reflection and decision-making, during which
teachers attempt to find meaning in the data through reflection and analysis; and (4) application
and change, during which teachers plan how to improve their practice. Self-reflection can be
combined with other PD strategies such as action research, journalling and developing a
professional portfolio.

Study Groups
Study groups involve small groups of educators who meet regularly to work on a
predetermined project. This approach to professional development benefits both teachers and
administrators by bringing colleagues together to undertake in a group setting a task that they
would normally do in isolation. The optimum size for a study group is about six so that each
participant is equally responsible for the success of the group.
Commitment to a study group is greatly enhanced when participants are directly involved
in setting the task and its parameters. Whether the task chosen is implementing a new
curriculum, demonstrating the use of math manipulatives, researching theories of teaching and
learning, or studying strategies for school administration, the group must stay focused on its
purpose—to create an environment conducive to student learning. The study group provides the
structure; the participants concentrate on content.
To implement a study group, follow these steps:
1. Define the task.
2. Set regular meeting times and places.
3. Establish appropriate meeting behaviours.
 4. Create an action plan.
5. Choose a shared decision-making process.
6. Contemplate appropriate leadership roles.
7. Promote a climate of shared commitment.

8. Consider logistics of time, space and money.

9. Discuss criteria for achieving and evaluating goals.
As the work of the study group progresses, participants may decide to redefine goals or to
invite a specialist to attend a scheduled meeting. Study groups work best in a collaborative
environment that allows for intellectual exchange and shared experience.

Symposia, Institutes and Retreats

Institutes are intensive, specialized sessions that focus on one topic or issue. Institutes
and retreats provide opportunities for teachers to learn new teaching strategies and techniques
and to explore in depth with colleagues different dimensions of their profession.

Teachers’ Conventions
Local, provincial and national conferences provide a forum in which ideas can be
debated, analyzed and sometimes validated. They can inspire, motivate and create feelings of
renewal. Some school staffs participate in conferences and seminars as groups and then meet to
discuss what they learned and how it can improve student learning and classroom practice.

Training Trainers/Lead Teachers

One role of the teacher trainer is to help a group of teachers identify a project that is
meaningful to them and then work through the steps required to carry it out: implementing
curriculum, conducting research, holding workshops and establishing new lines of
communication among staff. By engaging in such group processes as consensus building, vision
building and conflict resolution, teacher trainers model ways for teachers and administrators to
develop and hone their collaboration skills.

Video Conferencing
Video conferencing enables teachers to consult with their peers when distance would
otherwise prevent them from doing so. Video conferencing can be used to facilitate study groups,
analyze student work, participate in workshops and view presentations.

Prepared by:

RANDY B. ALONZO, EdD

Secondary School Principal II

Approved:

BERNABE M. ALICAYA
Public Schools District Coordinator
Cluster IV, DepED Division of Davao City