This document summarizes best practices and frameworks for effective professional development (PD). It notes that while mentoring, peer coaching, hands-on activities, and other strategies show promise, the field has not agreed on what makes PD truly effective. The document discusses frameworks like TPACK that emphasize teachers understanding content, pedagogy and technology, and knowing when each is appropriate. It also contrasts linear one-time PD with cyclical PD that incorporates reflection, collaboration, observation and ongoing evaluation. Finally, it questions how to ensure high fidelity of PD implementation and encourage adoption of innovations.

1. Presentation of
PD Articles
Alyssa Berry
Fall 2011

2. “… The Field of Professional Development has not
yet reached a level at which we can term a
particular strategy or method effective, by
measuring rigor or intensity.” (Hirsch & Killion, 2009)

3. Best Practices
› Mentoring
› Peer Coaching
› Hands on Activities
› Learning Circles
› Set clear goals prior to
designing a PD
› Clearly defined Methods
of Evaluation
› KASAB
› TPACK

4. Comparing PD Practices
I find it challenging to
measure the difference
between PD practices.
They are interrelated.
There is not one
particular practice
that trumps the other,
rather each practice
much be integrated
with another to make a
unique professional
development tailored
towards the needs of
each audience.

5. Technical Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)

6. TPACK (Technology Pedagogical Content Knowledge)
Teachers need to know, not only
what to do to improve student
achievement but also
understand the how, why, and
when. Professional development
is not just about learning new
information and implementing
strategies. Learning new
strategies play a major role as
well as evaluating the
effectiveness and using transfer
to apply skills in other areas of
the teaching practice.

7. Contextual
Knowledge
Teachers must
Understanding
when to use the
knowledge or skill

8. Declarative
Knowledge
What teachers need
to know. Teachers
need to see the
benefit of the new
knowledge or skill
demonstrated.

9. Procedural
Knowledge
How teachers use the
knowledge of perform
the skill. Ample time
must be provided for
teacher to explore the
knew knowledge or
tool with the allocated
time of the PD

10. Two Types of ETPD
Linear PD Cyclical PD
1. Reflection on needs of
1. One day of direct audience.
instruction with tools 2. Inquiry based instruction
and reading material
provided. 3. Collaboration with peers
2. Teachers are sent out while learning
to implement the new 4. Sharing with students
tool or innovation. 5. PD facilitator observes
3. Test Scores are instruction of Audience
Analyzed months later. member implementing
4. End of PD- Decision in context
made if Innovation 6. On going Evaluation
was effective. 7. Reflection of success o
implementation
8. Repeat steps 1-7

12. ETPD Frameworks

13. Diffusion of Innovations
Professional developers have learned that adoption of innovation is
dependent of several interrelated models of change. Teachers fall into
various categories that describe their comfort level and attitude
towards the uncertainty of newness (innovations, typically technology)

14. Evaluation Strategies
“… We cannot expect results from students from a staff
development program that is unlikely to produce them. And
we cannot expect an evaluation to produce useful results
when the program being evaluated is poorly conceived and
constructed…” ( Killion, 2003)

15. Questions and Further Research
› Levels of Fidelity
› Changing Attitudes towards
innovations
› Encouraging PD to become
a cyclical process
› Energy of PD facilitator