Follow AAE on:

Subscribe to RSS Feed:

PD That Really Works: Have We Finally Found the Golden Ticket?
posted by: Melissa | May 02, 2014, 04:36 PM   


Ask any teacher, and they’ll tell you that professional development is a waste of time.  Ask an administrator the same question, and after talking for a while on the necessity of good professional development, they’ll grudgingly admit that there’s little actual research showing what does or does not make good PD.  Despite these often negative stereotypes, a new research report published in the Teachers College Record may be the beginning of changing long-held views.  The research report, “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Professional Development for Interdisciplinary Civic Education: Impacts on Humanities Teachers and Their Students,” tested one particular professional development program against a control group of teachers who did not receive that PD. The results were ground breaking.


The PD program itself, Facing History and Ourselves, combined several PD practices that might be familiar to teachers on an individual basis.  Like many PD programs, it included a seminar.  While the seminar was longer (five days in length) and more in depth than most, organizers didn’t stop at a classroom-style seminar.  Teachers were engaged by combining their initial instruction with specific curricular materials. There was also follow up coaching and workshops as teachers developed a specific curriculum unit.


As teachers in both the experiment group and the control group progressed through the trial, they were examined in the areas of teacher self-efficacy, professional engagement, job satisfaction, and burnout. They were also evaluated by the academic achievements of the students in their classes.


The group of teachers receiving the Facing History and Ourselves professional development showed clear advantages over of the control group in these areas.  Their students also showed greater academic achievement.


While PD programs have been put through randomized trials before, the results have shown little, if any advantages, playing into the common wisdom in the educational world.  What is the difference this time? It’s Facing History’s ability to involve teachers intellectually and push them to greater professionalism.


If you’re interested in participating in a Facing History Seminar yourself, you can learn more about their professional development offerings on their webpage. Are you worried about the price?  Apply for an AAE Teacher Scholarship!  Our next deadline is October 1st!

Comments (0)Add Comment

Submit a comment
 (not published)
smaller | bigger

security code
Write the displayed characters


busy