I attended quite a few "back to school" staff development sessions this week. I decided to get some feedback during and after the sessions to get a feel for the general attitude prior to beginning my research project. I, of course, had my own opinions on the set up and delivery of the staff development. It was in a large auditorium with a speaker system that was on the fritz, as usual. We viewed about 100 power point slides, read several articles, and reflected with our table.
Sound familiar? I have attended sessions like these my entire teaching career and always find I learn more about the people I sit next to then what the session is about! The feedback from the session was on par with my feelings: sitting for too long, went through the slides too quickly, could not hear, etc.
After the session, I decided to call a friend who led a similar staff development the week before. I wanted to get an honest opinion for the reasoning behind this set-up. I explained to her the kinds of activities we did, and how the learning did not transfer this way. She was so surprised, because she did not do any of those things and had a very successful staff development! I was very curious now.....
She integrated Pinterest, team planning, lots of music throughout the day. It sounded like a blast! Of course, she is a veteran kindergarten teacher and is a master at entertaining. However, all these things were in line with the new generation of teachers and engaging. This gave me a great starting point for my research. Although I cannot follow both groups back to their classrooms to see if they implement their learning, I can predict what types of staff developments will most likely promote this action.
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