Some Approaches to Professional Growth

Setting our hearts on life-long learning as disciples of Jesus and as professionals is one thing… but how can we go about this?  What approaches can teachers take to their own professional growth?

Just like with our students’ learning, a “one size fits all” approach to professional learning would be inadequate. Teachers are individuals with different needs, preferences and learning styles.  The good news is that there are plenty of options out there!  The following is not an exhaustive list by any means, but presents you with a few ideas to get you imagining the possibilities…

• Professional Learning Communities.  This structure is being implemented formally in many schools, but can be initiated by teachers informally too. The idea is that you recognize a challenge to be faced or a problem to be solved in your specific context, then gather a small group of colleagues to research the problem, develop and test a possible solution, then assess the results.  The advantage of this approach is that the learning is highly relevant to the teachers’ work, results in immediate benefits to students, and builds collegiality among teachers.
• Online Learning.  An increasing number of courses are now being offered in an online format. The ACSI Europe team is working hard to develop and present a wide variety of such courses in response to the needs we hear from teachers.  Flexibility is the main benefit of this approach, as you can organize your study according to your own schedule.  Online learning also allows you to collaborate with teachers who are working in different cultural contexts and learn from their experiences and perspectives.
• Blended Learning.  This is a “get the best of both worlds” approach!  Why not join an online course with a group of teachers in your own school, then invite a speaker to come to your school to run some on-site professional development on the same theme/topic or one that develops what you have been learning online further?  Blended learning can also work in the reverse order – have a speaker first, then follow up with further exploration of the topic online.  You get the benefit of interacting with people from other places online, but also the benefit of working through these ideas face-to-face in order to apply them to your own context.

What other approaches to professional development have you experienced, or are curious to try?  Share your thoughts by commenting below.