Resources for Educators

Teaching Tip

From the Teacher’s Aide Newsletter

2019 November

Collaboration is Professional Development

Professional development is an important part of an educational career, and is often required at accredited institutions. (This month’s 60-second survey asks how you get your professional development credits.) We find, in talking to educators, that most professional development activities are faculty in-service meetings. Some activities include taking courses or workshops at other institutions or online. And a few educators are getting their professional development credits by attending conferences where educational issues are specifically addressed.

Remember that professional development should actually help you develop your professional skills. And for educators, your professional skills are in the areas of teaching and learning. One effective way to strengthen your professional skills as an educator can be one of the most fun —collaborating with your colleagues.

We recommend getting together regularly with other educators, either in person or in an online platform, to talk about what is working and not working in your classrooms. Discussion, and the sharing of best practices, can be excellent learning activities.

Also, even though teachers are notorious for having very busy schedules, you should try to fit in an opportunity to observe another teacher or two, especially if they have different styles of engagement than you. As you know, we often learn the most when we are exposed to ideas, concepts, and strategies that we hadn’t considered before. We can do that by observing each other, offering support for each other, and through ongoing collaboration.