10 Things Teachers Dislike About PD
As someone who delivers a truckload of PD each year, I would be wise to know what negatively triggers my audience to want to throw a shoe at me. Thankfully, I came across a tweet that asked educators what they wanted in PD and the replies were golden. Thanks to Val for getting people talking!
What are your expectations for professional learning? Not your hopes, but what are your assumptions when you are walking into the door or logging onto a virtual PD? Honest answers, even if they sound harsh. Thanks!
— Val Brown (She/Her) (@ValeriaBrownEdu) July 12, 2021
Yes, plenty of people answered the question as asked…but many others were very clear of what they disliked about PD experiences. So here’s a compilation of some that stood out to me. May they guide and help others who are tasked with teaching teachers.
PS: It was slightly painful going through this list because I am my very best critic and know that I have made many blunders while designing and delivering PD. In a way, writing this blog served as PD for me.
10 Things Teachers Hate About PD
- Irrelevance – that’s why personalized options and choices are important. If the audience is broad, the topic will need to be broad as well.
I expect to learn whatever the summary said I would learn and be able to take the learning back to my classroom and apply it.
— Dawn🍎Texas SpEd Teacher🍎 (@dfteach) July 12, 2021
I'm in a 2 day training right now and I'm still waiting to learn something I can use in my classroom.
2. Lack of Collaborative Opportunities – If in a room with real-life humans, let them do human things and talk to one another. If it’s just a one-way talk, perhaps it should have been asynchronous.
Meaningful interaction. Pre-recorded lectures just don’t do it for be. The people in the room with me matter even more than who they speaker is.
— Gretchen (@offgridteacher) July 12, 2021
3. Death by Powerpoint – This one came up MANY times. I was surprised that this is still a go-to choice for PD for many presenters.
Experiences:
— Becky Lattof ⚙️ she/her (@STEAMcultivator) July 13, 2021
Printouts give and a rushed presentation bc admin went over time on other business. Presenters monotonously speed reading massive paragraphs on PowerPoint slides, or skipping them. 🤷🏻♀️ Most in lecture format. Inadequate collab time to read & discuss, brainstorm, etc.
4. Feeling Lost/Insulted – Clarity prevents chaos. Educators want some order to the madness. And nothing kills a session like handing out insults publicly.
I'm afraid to say it but PD seems like an hour of guessing frantically between taking notes or listening intently since any questions I ask will be answered with a cursory "this question has already been answered"
— Nazreen with a s (@nazreenwithans1) July 12, 2021
5. Feeling overwhelmed, not empowered. – This can happen when the agenda is too long and too technical. Most of my audiences do not want to know the ins and outs of OBS broadcasting software. Know your audience. Everyone in attendance needs a win. So make it practical and empowering.
If I leave a PD feeling the weight of the world and unsure what to do with it it can be hard to process alone. If I leave reflecting and also with tools to make practical change – Im ready to make moves. I don’t mean in the fragility way & maybe I say this bc I’m a deep feeler.
— Mary Griffin (@Ms_GriffinK) July 13, 2021
6. Disorganization – There should be a flow and time-limits on aspects of the PD. Go old school with an egg timer if needed. I like Rebecca’s recipe for good PD: Engage, Teach, Practice Time.
Music Conferences and PD: start with a warmup song to sing or play, teach me, and then let me try the new things. For school PD, told we will start in 5(ha!) minutes, hem and haw around, never get to the main points. I do not need accolades for 20 minutes….
— Rebecca Ludwig (@MusicLudwig) July 12, 2021
7. Boring – Mr. D has been to a few snoozers in his lifetime. Regardless of what the topic is, be purposeful about engagement and interaction.
It will generally be boring. A staff member reading a paper with poor audio and/or video quality (and should have been done by a professional voiceover artist)
— Mr. D (@MrDuaneFitzhugh) July 12, 2021
8. Ice Breakers – Ha! So many EDU’s really hate ice breakers. If doing an ice breaker, be sure that it’s a vital part of your mission.
They’ll be ice breakers and I hate those
— Josie (@JosieGL) July 12, 2021
9. No Proof Or Examples of Implementation – Pat needs to see the pudding…you know, the proof’s in the pudding. If you want people’s eye’s to light up and really pay attention, showcase a teacher actually using the product/strategy. Better yet, show student responses.
Proof that it works for kids. Show me real-life outcomes. I don’t have time for the buffet of over-priced, under-vetted resources.
— Pat Hynes (@PatHynes2020) July 12, 2021
10. Just Checking Boxes – Unfortunately, this is a real thing happening all over the place. Most people would refer to it as compliance training. If a district/school is requiring this type of PD, it needs to be genuine.
Depends on the topic and who is providing it. Lately most PD around equity/diversity is nearly all performative and "box checking". PD around best practices and instruction are often too broad to be applicable on a daily basis.
— Josh Stumpenhorst (@stumpteacher) July 12, 2021
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