More than 100 teachers and Student Services Professionals who are completing Professional Development Units this year gathered in February to share their experiences and offer suggestions for how PDUs should be proposed and completed in the future.
Supt. Michael Bennet thanked the teachers and specialists for participating. Attendees completed a written survey on their personal experience working on a PDU. They then gathered in focus groups to discuss what worked and what needed to change as the PDU moves from a pilot to larger scale implementation next year.
When asked what they had gained from the PDU experience, many expressed an enthusiasm for studying a topic of their choosing or the opportunity to collaborate with peers.
“I like that it forced me to read articles I want to read, but don’t always find time for,” wrote one respondent. “Demonstration – nice to have a strong focus and audience.”
“The studying we did as a collaborative group was powerful because we were all from different schools,” wrote another. “There was synergy in this.”
Barriers that people reported included a lack of time to work on the PDU or challenges scheduling meetings. Others mentioned changes in their job descriptions or uncertainties about their programs.
Many asked for support as they completed the PDU and more clarification of what is expected in the PDU process. “People were glad we held a meeting to hear more and meet others,” said Connie White, teacher lead on the PDU Work Group. “They wish it had been offered earlier in the year.”
In the focus groups, participants had several suggestions for providing support, including having a panel of contact persons instead of a single liaison and tying in with the district mentoring program. Those who had completed PDUs could mentor others and earn a PDU themselves.
Others asked for “friendly reminders” about deadlines and the ability to edit their PDU if the number of students they teach changes dramatically. They recommended that rubrics be used to assist in determining completion of PDUs and asked for guidelines on the artifacts.
Those completing the survey included 40% working individually on a PDU, 30% in collaborative groups, 5% in departments and 22% in whole-school efforts.