PD HERE, PD THERE, PD EVERYWHERE!

Do you ever have those moments where you feel like TIME simply does not allow for additional professional development opportunities with your teachers?  It's something we, as instructional leaders, wish we could implement regularly.  After all, as educators we know it is best practice to continuously learn and hone our craft so that, in the end, students are the primary benefiters.  But you probably hear it from teachers and colleagues as much as I do:  "I don't have time."  And to an extent, there is a lot of truth to this statement.  Conference times are sucked up by mandatory meetings, lesson planning, gathering materials, completing stacks of paper work, and simply sitting back to take a breath of air!  Finding subs for half or full day PD is near impossible in this day and age.  Even if we did have subs, teachers find it difficult to lose any instructional time with their students- understandably so.  And asking a teacher to stay after school can feel like asking them for their left kidney!  Even if we did have teachers willingly stay after school for a brief PD, exhaustion from the day significantly limits the functions of our brains making it rather challenging to pull off a successful PD session.

So what are we to do?  How do we ensure continuous learning for our staff with all the aforementioned barriers?  

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Enter:  PD IN A...

Stephanie Affinito originally wrote about this idea of "PD in a (fill-in-the-blank)" a good while back.  It's a strategy I latched onto when I started thinking about how to launch collaborative studies.  The idea is that you provide "on-the-go" PD for educators that can come in multiple different and fun formats. 

There are three major things I love about this kind of PD:

1. ​It allows the instructional leader to be really creative AND provides a unique "little happy" for the teacher.  I've included in this blogpost a list of possible creative avenues for PD in a (blank).
2. It provides a platform to spark conversation, a foundation future coaching conversations, and some common academic language to stand on as a professional learning community.
3. It helps to foster a culture of learning and collaboration.

Here's how I implement PD in a (blank):

• I consider the current learning targets or instructional goals of the campus.  I also think about recent classroom visits or snippets that allowed me to gather data about instruction.
• Once I determine a topic on which to focus the PD, I think about the information I want to include.  Usually, I'll try to locate multiple mediums to keep the content interesting and lively (articles, podcasts, videos, websites, etc.).  I also try to include an interactive component that encourages teachers to communicate with me or with one another.
• Once I've cultivated the information I want to provide, I consider all of the creative possibilities for delivery!  This is the fun part!  I take into account the time of year, nearby holidays, themes that match the content, or themes that match community events.  The possibilities are endless!  What's important here, though, is keeping the cost at a minimum, especially if you serve a large number of teachers.

All the Ideas!!

At the beginning of the school year, I went all out for introducing the first collaborative study.  It started with "PD on Stage" where all the content targeted classroom management strategies.  This month, since we were nearing Halloween, I decided to craft something that had to do with the current season.  Out of this idea came "PD in a Pumpkin", which included information on small group instruction.  You can grab the google slides template here!  

I got a ton of positive feedback from Facebook friends who took the idea and ran with it!  Valerie Ayers, Tia Perry, Heather Meyer, and Stephanie Kaye each posted pictures of their recreations as can be seen in the slideshow!  Reddishann Strang, Angela Parker, and Cherie Burns also used this resource and had great feedback from teachers!  Jackie O'Toole thought of a different idea:  PD on a Plate. You can see her creation here!

How Creative Can We Get??  Here's a list to help spark your creativity:​

• PD in a Pumpkin​
• PD in a Christmas Tree
• PD on Stage
• PD in a Cup
• PD on a Platter
• PD with a Plant
• ​Orange You Pumped for PD

• PD in the Gym
• Walking PD
• PD in Your PJs
• I (HEART) PD
• Putt Putt PD
• Gamified PD
• Potty PD​
• PD in a Basket

• Scavenger Hunt PD
• Collaborate at the Copier
  
• Door Dash PD
• Coffee Shop PD
  
• PD and Tea
  
• PD on a Bookmark
• ​PD on a Sticker
  

While the preferred method of delivering PD is face-to-face with multiple staff members, this is another method that can prove beneficial.  When implemented strategically, you can get that face-to-face time and promote collaboration between and among colleagues.  

What would you like to try?  What other create ideas can you share that get your teachers on the path of continued learning and improvement?!