Professional Development

Last week I wrote that educational goals without plans are just wishes. Toward the end of that article I wrote:

Last week we published an Around the Web article, Is the U.S. All Wrong? Teacher Training Breaking the Mold, that garnered a lot of conversation. Education thought leader Regie Routman provides her perspective discussing the role Professional Development/Learning play in educating teachers.

Howard Pitler, fresh off his latest op-ed on value added assessments, talks with Dr. Rod to discuss the behind-the-scenes business of educational consulting. Pitler talks about experiences that were sold as thoughtful Professional Development meetings only to reveal cattle call environments. Pitler also discusses the responsibilities of audience members and presenters drawing a stark line between the effort each group should put forth for successful outcomes. 

By Dian Schaffhauser In a shift away from policies enacted with NCLB, Congress’ latest rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act puts some distance between the federal government and …

Amy Peterson discusses research and the impact of multi-tiered systems of support in educational settings.

Jaime Singer spent time with us exploring the state of afterschool offerings, how parents can evaluate their own school and ways to get involved. Singer is the co-author of the book, Beyond the Bell: A Toolkit for Creating High-Quality Afterschool and Expanded Learning Programs (4th Ed.).Interviewee Jaime S. Singer is a senior technical assistance consultant at AIR, where she works on projects for afterschool and expanded learning programs. She designs and implements state and national learning opportunities for the field of afterschool, provides technical assistance to afterschool practitioners on systemic support, and participates in afterschool policy meetings.She is co-author of the fourth edition of the seminal afterschool resource, Beyond the Bell®: A Toolkit for Creating High-Quality Afterschool and Expanded Learning Programs (4thEd.), a resource for afterschool program leaders and staff.————Research shows that afterschool and expanded learning programs work best when they are high quality and evidence-based. Beyond the Bell® (4th edition) is a suite of professional development services, products, and practical tools designed to help afterschool program leaders and staff members create and sustain high-quality, effective afterschool and expanded learning programs. AIR takes the guesswork out of designing, implementing, evaluating, and improving afterschool and expanded learning programs by staying abreast of the research on what works and turning that information into accessible improvement tools.Beyond the Bell®: A Toolkit for Creating Effective Afterschool and Expanded Learning Programs contains practical resources, tips, and tools and substantive information about all aspects of program design, management, partnerships, delivery, evaluation, and improvement, along with 96 ready-to-use tools. Each tool is designed so that program leaders and staff members can take action to improve their programs, taking the book off the shelf and bringing to life the concepts covered within. In the chapter on program delivery, for example, staff may read about how to create a warm and welcoming environment in their program. The related tools then enable staff to think deeply about their practice. A youth development checklist, for example, encourages them to examine current practices that foster positive growth in youth, whereas the activity planner supports staff in integrating best practices into their everyday programming. Additional tools provide concrete activity ideas that foster relationships among young people in the program and between staff and youth.Although the Toolkit may be used as a standalone resource, AIR also offers professional development on how best to use the information and associated tools. These workshops help afterschool and expanded learning programs build capacity to implement quality programming and staff development. The goal of each workshop is to help program leaders and staff implement practices in the Beyond the Bell® Toolkit effectively. As a result, participants come away not only having learned new information and ideas for implementing practices effectively, but also with hands-on experiences using tools and developing actionable strategies and practices that can be implemented immediately in their program.Through this Beyond the Bell® work, AIR is known as a recognized leader in providing professional development to the afterschool field. AIR staff members and Beyond the Bell® training specialists serve as keynote speakers at major afterschool conferences, statewide, and local trainings throughout the country and present workshops in more than 30 states. To learn more, visit www.beyondthebell.org.

Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach talks about her experiences with professional learners and the communities and opportunities most impacting their work in classrooms all around the world.Sheryl is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of  Powerful Learning Practice, where she works with schools and districts from across the United States and around the world to re-envision their learning cultures and communities. She also consults with governments, school districts and non-profits that are integrating online communities and networks into their professional learning initiatives, including the US Department of Education’s Future Ready Leaders initiative; Alberta, Canada Initiative for School Improvement’s (AISI) online community of practice; and Victoria, Australia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s literacy coach community. Sheryl is a sought-after presenter at national and international events, speaking on topics of 21st Century reform, teacher and educational leadership, community building, and educational issues impacting marginalized populations such as the homeless.She is an advisor to the U.S. Department of Education’s Connected Educators Initiative and a leader in the annual worldwide Connected Educator Month. She currently serves on the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Board of Directors and The National Science Foundation’s CS10K Board. Sheryl also served on the New Media Consortium’s 2012 Horizon.K12 Report Advisory Board and their 2013 Horizon Higher Education Report Advisory Board. 

Interview Emily Liebtag, Ed.D talked with us about VIF International Education’s support of Connected Educator Month, the impact international educators can have here in US classrooms and how we can all get involved. If you would like to contribute your voice to the global discussion please visit What Does it Mean to be a Global Learner? Emily Liebtag, Ed.D is the Manager of Curriculum and Instructional Services at VIF International Education. Liebtag creates educational resources and professional development focused on global education. Liebtag taught in Durham Public Schools in North Carolina and has studied Elementary Education for the past 10 years. In addition to her work at VIF, she received her B.A. in Elementary Education and her M.Ed. in Science Education from UNC-Chapel Hill and is a Ed.D candidate in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the University of Virginia.

Something I recommend in my work with schools and districts is to leverage social media to their advantage as a professional development tool. When I ask a group of educators how many are using Twitter, either personally or professionally, I am frequently saddened by the lack of hands I see raised. Many teachers think of Twitter as something with no value in the education realm. After all, how much content can you receive in 140 characters. Just the opposite is true. Twitter might be the strongest professional development tool available – and it’s free!The secret to getting the most out of Twitter as an educator lies in knowing how to use hashtags (#) – those things we used to call the number signs last century. I would recommend educators new to Twitter do a few things to begin getting the most out of this great resource.First, if you don’t already have one, get a Twitter account. It’s fast, easy, and free. Go to www.com, click on login on the top right, and then click “New User.” Fill out just a little information and you now have a Twitter account. Be sure to complete your profile and include in that profile that you are an educator. This becomes very important when you begin building your professional learning network (PLN).Once you have an account, look for the search window on the top right next to your name. In the “Search Twitter” window, type #edchat and then return. Edchat is one of the oldest and largest education focused chats on Take a few minutes to browse the archives. Read the rich discussions that happen every week on this chat. You can also browse the archives by going to https://edchat.pbworks.com/w/page/219908/FrontPage. Every weekly Edchat conversation is archived there. Look at the listing by date and then click to read. Some of the top names in professional development are regulars on Edchat.While Edchat is it one of the largest and oldest chats on Twitter, there are scores of focused chats that might appeal to you even more. Find a chat that most appeals to you by going to https://sites.google.com/site/twittereducationchats/education-chat-calendar. This Google calendar lists all of the major chats by interest area and lets you know when they are live.Some are geographically-focused like #MOEdchat for Missouri educators or #Africaed for African educators. Others are content-focused. #ELAChat, focusing on English and Language Arts, and #Precalcchat, discussing Pre-Calculus issues, are just two examples. There are also job-alike sessions like #ElemMathChat, #SpecEdChat, and #SuptChat. At first you probably will join a chat and just watch the conversations. This is called lurking and is a perfectly acceptable way to get started in live chatting. At some point though, you will have a question or feel compelled to reply to a comment. Just compose a tweet and be sure to add the hashtag of that particular chat at the end of your tweet so it appears in the flow of conversation. That’s it!The final step in getting the most out of Twitter is to follow smart people. When you follow someone you will see his or her tweets when you log onto Most people will follow you back. The more people you follow the wider and more powerful your PLN becomes. Unlike Facebook where friending someone you really don’t know in person is frowned upon and just a bit creepy, following other educators on Twitter is widely accepted and considered smart. Start by following me @hpitler and I promise to follow you back IF you have mentioned in your profile that you are in education.Once you get involved in Twitter as a way to grow professionally, the possibilities are almost limitless. Gather research for an article or blog post by posting questions to your PLN. Receive constructive criticism on a lesson plan, presentation, or idea from other educators. Share tips and get advice on things like parent/teacher conferences and open houses. Collaborate with others to solve a specific issue at your school. Once you get started you just might become an evangelist. I know I did.Howard Pitler, Ed.D. is an author of “Classroom Instruction that Works,” 2nd ed., “Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works”, and “A Handbook for Classroom Instruction that Works,” 2nd ed. He has worked with teachers and administrators internationally for over a decade to improve outcomes for kids. He was named a National Distinguished Principal by NAESP and is an Apple Distinguished Educator. He can be reached at hpitler@gmail.com, on Twitter at @hpitler, or on his website, www.hpitler.com