Sunday 26 July 2015

Professional Development For Teachers Who Care

By Francis Riggs


It is very important for instructors to be always informed of what is going on in their chosen field. Many school districts provide professional development for teachers who want to better themselves and their teaching methodology. This will help them become very well prepared to pass on their knowledge to both students and other teachers.

Most of these courses are held after school on a weekday but some are hosted on Saturday mornings. The more important ones such as the core courses of English, math, social studies and science may be held on one or even more actual school days during regular class time hours.

During these courses, instructors get involved in a variety of learning exercises such as lectures, hands-on activities, and group instruction. It helps the educator get a realistic feel for how to conduct her class of regular students. The content will be taught as well as the proper method of teaching it. New methods of presenting materials, adding coursework, and engaging the attention of students will make the learning environment much more effective.

For example, a science teacher could attend sessions in physics, natural science and biology. She could possibly be taught the content in exactly the same way she would be expected to teach her students. The routines, supporting materials and presentations would all be same as for your students. It is fun and exciting to be immersed in the very same activities as the kids in your class as it helps develop empathy and gives a new perspective to the subject.

Many times these courses are held so instructors can learn how to use new software or technology. It may be new ways of taking attendance or recording grades, innovative resources for subjects, educational websites that the class can utilize, aligning lesson plans with testing, evaluation or assessment tools, or how to operate new equipment. These are all examples of topics and training that instructors can learn and take back to their respective schools.

Some may focus on family involvement. Keeping parents immersed in their child's path to success can be difficult and keeping them informed, asking for their input, and inviting them to participate in school activities can be difficult. Keeping lines of communication open is the key to a successful parent/teacher relationship. A seminar on this subject can be especially helpful to teachers who work in low income areas or who are first-year instructors.

Behavior issues can also be an important topic. How to improve the environment and provide fewer distractions, handling behavior issues, and dealing with accommodations are great issues to feature at a conference. These are very helpful to those who may have transferred to a school with more issues or a newly hired instructor. How to effectively discipline, arrangement of classroom, tools for better learning, and collaboration may all be covered during these classes.

It is extremely important for all instructors to keep abreast of all changes, improvements, and additions in the educational world. Attending any workshops, seminars and conferences that assist with this will help her immensely. She will be a more effective and much stronger instructor which will filter down to her students and help make them the best that they can be.




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