Focus on Professional Learning

Many of us educators have been in a professional development session, either as a participant or a presenter, only to hear the comment from another participant that "we had this last year". As an system, educators are constantly looking for and expecting the latest and greatest idea in education, sometimes at the expense of other, current initiatives, programs or ideas. Why is this so often accepted in our profession, when it would be scoffed at in so many others? Can you imagine a professional athlete telling their coach that they did these drills / exercises the year before or a doctor saying that they learned about cataract surgeries two years ago, so they don't need any more about it? Despite the fact that we have the understanding that 'drill and kill' is a terrible thing for our students, it has been shown countless times that skills are developed with deliberate practice. Think of the  concert pianist, elite athlete or current music star and you can imagine the hours of practice that each of these individuals did to hone their skills.

I'm not advocating for drill and kill as a way for students to learn the curriculum, however, it is to illustrate the importance of focus for professional development. Ainsworth's (2003) work with teachers and administrators in improving assessments found that years of practice on the same area of focus in professional learning yielded vastly superior professional work and student results. The more focus, the better the results. If one's focus is spread over too many areas, the results are also diffused. I for one, can say that my classroom lessons and assessments, as well as discipline improved as I practiced more. In fact, I wish I could apologize to the students that I taught in my first few years of teaching, when I look back on how much I have improved as an educator.

Educators should not use this concept as a crutch to hold onto something that research shows as unsuccessful, but to grasp this concept for their own professional development or growth plans and understand that it is not only permitted, but should be encouraged to have the same focus from year to year.

Ainsworth, L. (2003). "Unwrapping" the standards: A simple process to make standards manageable. Englewood, CO. Advanced Learning Press.
Reeves, D. (2010). Transforming professional development into student results. Alexandria, VA. ASCD