I just sat through another full day of “professional development.” As a middle school science teacher, I’m interested in many topics related to my subject, but this day was a series of generic presentations to the entire faculty. I kept thinking about better ways to use my time.
—Heidi, Bellingham, WA
I know exactly what you mean! It is frustrating to sit through a session on a topic you’re already comfortable with or does not relate to your teaching situation. These one-size-fits-all workshops also can be frustrating from the perspective of the presenter. When my colleague and I were invited to conduct a workshop on cooperative learning, we asked the administrator for particular issues to address or if we could provide several sessions based on the experience levels of the teachers. She insisted all the teachers needed “the basics.” It was not a great day for anyone.
It’s important, however, to differentiate between training and professional development (PD). If the school is implementing new software for attendance, grading, or communications, then all teachers and staff need the training and subsequent updates. Other topics—such as safety, regulation updates, or district-wide initiatives—may require periodic training events.
From an administrator’s point of view, scheduling a large group session—a presentation or “motivational speaker”—is the easiest form of PD. But just as we differentiate our instruction based on students’ needs, PD should be differentiated based on teachers’ needs. Early-career teachers may need more on basic strategies such as cooperative learning or classroom management, while veterans may have more specialized needs.

Does your school or district have a PD committee? If so, who is the representative from the science department? What voice does he or she have in terms of expressing your needs?
Would it be possible for the science department to design its own PD (taking into account any “training” the school would require)? Ask the teachers to examine your curriculum and standards to identify science topics in which they need background knowledge or cutting-edge instructional topics for which they would like more information or experience: inquiry, science notebooks, formative assessments, laboratory procedures, reading/writing in science, inclusion, technology, safety, content background. The result of your discussion should be a set of goals reflecting the needs of your teachers.
Ask your administrator for any state or local PD requirements and for district or contractual stances on activities such as independent study, teacher-directed activities, or professional learning communities. Find out what types of pre-approval and documentation would be acceptable for these nontraditional activities.
With the approval of your administration, identify potential PD activities that could help teachers reach the goals: teacher-directed study groups, action research projects, independent study, online courses, connections with higher education science departments, collaborations with other school districts (including videoconferencing), events at nearby museums or science centers, webinars, online collaborations via discussion groups or networking sites, and/or presentations by your own teachers (for which they should receive a modest stipend). Rather than listing a series of unrelated events, be sure your planned activities connect with your identified goals.
I’ve worked in a district that encouraged teachers to design PD activities. If we did activities on our own time, we were excused from the full-day workshops during the year. It was a lot of work to plan and document, but it was worth it to have experiences that met our needs.
The NSTA Learning Center http://learningcenter.nsta.org/ has resources to help you create and document PD plans and portfolios to help you chart your progress toward meeting the goals.
Don’t write off the concept of ongoing PD, based on a few bad experiences. I would hesitate to use an accountant whose last attended a tax seminar in 1995 or a doctor who bragged she never bothered to learn new medical procedures. The mechanics in the garage I use display the certificates they earn from their ongoing training. Teachers, as professionals, have the obligation to maintain and update their skills and knowledge base.