What are the Benefits of Teacher Professional Development?

Posted by admin on May 20, 2011 under education | Comments are off for this article

Whether you are brand new to the academic world or comfortably tenured, it’s never a bad time to think about teacher professional development programs. Educational theorists contend that an instructor’s development never really stops, instead spanning an entire career. While that is undoubtedly true, there’s also merit to accelerating the developmental process by entering into specific programs designed to help you became the best at what you do.

One of the great advantages of the time we live in is the unbelievable amount of resources available for free online. Thanks to simple searches, you don’t have to go blindly into any decision. English teachers can make sure they’re providing reasonable interpretations of Hamlet and math teachers can understand why mnemonics may not be the best trick for helping students to remember equations. My apologies if you’re a math teacher and that last tidbit just undermined your lesson plan.

My point is that while most educators think of development as attending yearly conferences or workshops, perhaps by mandate, there are online alternatives that are just as fruitful and discipline-specific. Science teachers can stop worrying about when they’re going to find time to figure out graduate schools with the best biology departments, and instead start coming up with better and more interactive ways to work with students. It’s sad to think that these kind of resources are underutilized simply because so many people are unaware they’re out there. Even graduate school can be done online and usually for a lot less money than traditional enrolment.