At a glance
- Understand and use the existing structure and practices for offering professional development.
- Set up an infrastructure, if necessary.
Steps
Steps for this include:
- Identify a person to provide leadership and accountability for all professional development (PD) efforts.
- Work within your organization to ensure that there are policies and procedures for effective PD.
- Secure financial and human resources to support PD and collaboration.
- Set up a clearly defined process to support PD providers.
- Set up a system to record and manage your data.
Sustaining a PD infrastructure
Sustaining a PD infrastructure relies on a clearly defined plan and high standards of practice. Steps for this include:
- Establish and use a PD plan that includes required PD activities and professional development practices (PDPs).
- Ensure the PD plan aligns with state and local PD policies and practices.
- Have a process for recruiting, developing, and assessing qualified PD providers. You might use external or in-house consultants.
- Have skilled PD providers who can implement the results-based PD plan.
- Confirm that PD providers:
- Apply the fundamentals of effective training design and delivery.
- Have content expertise and experience.
- Apply adult learning principles.
- Meet the needs of diverse learners by using a variety of teaching and learning strategies.
- Create a safe and functional learning environment.
- Are skilled at managing conflict or controversy.
- Apply the fundamentals of effective training design and delivery.
- Offer ongoing assistance for PD providers—to foster continued growth.