2-Short+History



There seems to be little research/history that we could find regarding Professional Development prior to the 1990's when electronic technology (computers, etc.) was just making an appearance on the scene.

Between 1990 and 2000, teachers were traditionally receiving professional development in one-shot experiences that were generally designed in the same fashion. The district would hire an outside consultant/presenter to come to the school/district and present to a group of teachers/learners. Unfortunately, these sessions were isolated, non-cohesive, and did not support how adults learn.

Starting around 2000, technology itself changed the way that teachers received professional development. Teachers were able to receive courses online and through "webinars". Learning has become more self-directed/local level selected. In fact, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills lists the following skills as a requirement for Professional Development:

• Ensure educators understand the importance of 21st century skills and how to integrate them into daily instruction • Enable collaboration among all participants • Allow teachers and principals to construct their own learning communities • Tap the expertise within a school or school district through coaching, mentoring and team teaching • Support educators in their role of facilitators of learning • Use 21st century tools

As professional development continues to advance, morph, and change, only time will tell what it will look like in the future. With education funding dwindling, administrators and districts (urban, suburban, and rural) will have to find more creative ways to use their in-house experts and learn to use more on-line resources to provided the needed training for teachers and staff.

__**sources:**__ http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/professional-development/ http://www.p21.org/documents/ProfDev.pdf