Well-designed professional learning opportunities can effectively empower teachers to do their best work, but not all teacher trainings are made equal.
Whether you’re searching for professional learning programs to bring to your school or planning your own training sessions, keep these key drivers of effective professional development in mind:
- Focus on relevant topics
- Tailor professional learning to different needs
- Promote collaboration
- Engage teachers with hands-on learning activities
- Provide ongoing support
Read more about what successful PD looks like and see how IXL’s research-backed professional learning services are designed to help you maximize impact!
Focus on relevant topics
An effective workshop of any kind should start with identifying your audience’s specific needs and interests.
Do your teachers want training on subject-specific teaching or grade-level learning? Are they interested in workshopping instructional strategies or deepening content knowledge?
To ensure that your professional development sessions effectively cover relevant content, take the time to conduct a survey or hold group discussions to understand the daily challenges your staff face and what they hope to get out of the training.
Tailor professional learning to different needs
As you conduct your survey, it’s likely that you’ll receive varying responses. If you recognize that your teachers have diverse levels of experience and different needs, consider personalizing your professional development options.
For example, newer teachers who are unfamiliar with your existing technology platforms are more likely to find foundational training for the implementation of these programs more meaningful than your seasoned staff members.
Promote collaboration
If your teachers are mostly spending their day-to-day planning lessons and teaching alone, providing an opportunity for collaboration and social connection can be deeply valuable. Research shows that when schools promote collaboration, whether that’s through co-teaching, coaching others, or problem-solving together, they see a positive impact on instructional quality and student outcomes.
Engage teachers with hands-on learning activities
Educators know that active learning is the most effective way to engage students, yet this aspect of professional learning is often overlooked.
Instead of delivering a presentation on why formative assessments are useful, consider modeling how to use a formative assessment item in the classroom. Through immersive workshops or simulations, teachers can gain practical insights that they can directly apply in their classrooms.
Provide ongoing support
Effective professional learning shouldn’t end when the workshop ends. Check in with your staff after the training to see if they would like additional support in implementing new teaching techniques or if they are interested in a particular topic.
Following up with your teachers to see what went well and what can be improved can make it easier to plan future PD! Plus, listening to your staff and incorporating their feedback demonstrates your commitment to their professional growth.
Provide the best for your staff with IXL PD
IXL offers engaging, personalized, and customizable PD packages that are designed with these best practices to help you achieve your goals. From virtual sessions to our teacher-favorite full-day IXL Live workshops, we offer flexible delivery options to help teachers make the most of IXL.
Plus, IXL’s professional development programs are proven to work! Research shows that schools saw higher scores on state assessments and an increase in student engagement when they utilized IXL PD.
Start investing in your staff and bring IXL PD to your school or district.