Making time
Page 154 emphasises the importance of making time for the deep learning needed to achieve sustainable change but adds that it is increasingly difficult to find that time. Guskey (1999) believes that we can gain more time by dispelling three myths that diminish the effectiveness of professional development and by following specific guidelines for success. The myths are:
- It’s new, so it must be better. Guskey recommends that educators demand evidence of the effectiveness of new programmes and approaches before attempting to implement them and that they check their validity and relevance to their context. Elsewhere, he outlines guidelines for evaluating professional development (Guskey, 2002).
- “Need assessments” will guide us to best practices. Guskey maintains that many need assessments are misnamed because they identify the symptoms of needs, such as information about educators’ current problems and concerns, rather than determining their actual needs.
- Planning at the local level is always best. According to Guskey, the most effective initiatives are those that bring together the experience, expertise, and resources of both internal and external leaders.
The guidelines for making wise use of professional development time are self-explanatory. They are:
- Focus on learning and learners.
- Engage in rigorous self-analysis.
- Study the history of new ideas and proceed gradually.
- Continually evaluate progress.
- Previous item
Using data in PD > - Next item
Suggested activity >
