Are you dreading pre-service week yet?  I always did.  I knew there would be so much I had to do... but that I'd spend much of that week stuck in PD that wasn't always helping me achieve it.

Don't get me wrong -- I love professional development!  I always enjoyed working in schools that dedicated so much time to my growth, and have been fortunate to attend many PDs that made profound positive impacts on my life and work.  But too often, the sessions I was asked to attend just missed the mark.

Why?  I think the first reason was that the PDs I attended were often not aligned to my needs.  My colleagues and I all had different experiences, strengths, and areas to improve -- so one size didn't fit me, them, or anyone else!  The other reason was that I usually spent too much time listening, and not enough time doing.  I'd leave PD with plenty of interesting ideas, but nothing concrete to show for my time or attention.

I wasn't alone, by the way: despite billions of dollars spent each year on teacher PD, the Gates Foundation found that only 29% of teachers feel highly satisfied with their current PD opportunities.

So we have to do better.  But how?

Here are three principles that I believe will make for better PD for all:

★ The best PD is personalized.  Educators have vastly different abilities, interests, and needs.  Good PD must offer something useful for everyone: the first-year teacher and the twenty-year veteran; the AP teacher and the remediation teacher; the technophile and the technophobe.  This isn't easy, but it is essential. 

★ The best PD is efficient.  Educators don't have time to waste -- at school or at home.  Good PD delivers information to teachers in a direct fashion, and is accessible both wherever they are and whenever they need it.  Prioritize what's easiest and most effective for the educator, not for the person delivering the PD. 

★ The best PD is actionable.  Educators should walk away from PD with something they can actually use.  Good PD has clear objectives and, more importantly, clear deliverables.  Participants should walk away knowing what they can do better tomorrow. 

Our goal at the Modern Classrooms Project is to create the best teacher PD on the planet.  Are we there yet?  That's for you to answer, not us!  But we're going to keep doing our best to embody the principles above.