Professional Development: Lifelong Learning for Teachers

Professional development "is not a frill," insists Lola Major, social studies teacher at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in Lethbridge, Alberta, an enthusiastic participant at professional development sessions, both as observer and presenter. Professional development for one teacher benefits the entire school, she says, by bringing fresh ideas, insights and enthusiasm to everyone.

Educational expectations and curricula are constantly evolving. Advances in technology require new skills and offer new ways of learning, both in school and later in a complex and changeable job market. Professional development helps teachers keep up with those changes and pass them on to their students.

And there's something for everyone, Major adds. Professional development is more than large conferences offering a variety of sessions to a large number of participants at one time. There are workshops and seminars, bringing an expert or experienced teacher to an interested audience for a guided practical discussion of an educational situation within a smaller group. Round table discussions, similar to workshops, allow a group of stakeholders to share their views on a situation or educational issue.

Professional development can be a solo effort, too. Books, magazine articles and lesson plan packages provide a resource and reference for teachers unable to attend professional development sessions. University courses to upgrade a teacher's skills and knowledge in a formal, regulated way, offer the opportunity to move into a new area of expertise or broaden understanding of the needs of a particular student group.

Finally, mentoring, the exchange of one-on-one advice and guidance between two teachers can be an excellent opportunity for new teachers to benefit from their mentor's experience and experienced teachers to add new skills and knowledge to their repertoire.

With such a huge number of professional development resources available, Major comments, it can be as much of a challenge choosing which resource to access as it is to actually upgrade teaching skills. The effort is well worth it, though, she adds.

Professional development is a terrific resource to the whole of education, Major continues. It simultaneously challenges teachers to "do better" and offers suggestions on how to achieve that goal. At the same time, professional development sessions develop peer networks and give teachers an opportunity to share their ideas with the educational community. It's a two-way street: ideas travel from professional development sessions to the classroom, and from the classroom to professional development sessions.

In the process of developing an individual teaching style or when faced with an educational challenge, teachers will develop lesson plans, teaching strategies and approaches that are uniquely their own, explains Barry Lindahl, a social studies teacher at West Vancouver Secondary School in West Vancouver, British Columbia. Often innovative, imaginative and exciting, these strategies shouldn't be kept in just one classroom, Lindahl continues, they should be shared through professional development. Other teachers may be facing the same challenge, need the same insights or be excited by the opportunity to add something new to their teaching experience.

Ultimately, professional development benefits the student behind the desk. After the inspiration, the excitement and the satisfaction of a professional development session, a refreshed and inspired teacher, with a new and interesting teaching strategy and a better insight into the educational abilities and needs of students, is a better teacher.