Best Practices for Online Professional Development

Online professional development is certainly here to stay (regardless of the pandemic). It offers convenience, access, connections, and community without the same limitations of time and space.

 

At a recent NWP “Connecting the Network” event, we discussed Hanover Research’s ‘best practices’ for online PD and what challenges people face:

 

We then went over a step-by-step guide for how to deliver online PD:

 

PD Cycle of Instruction

Survey to teachers (determine technology) Create Synchronous/Asynchronous presentation a.              TCs record demo lessons using Loom, Zoom, Screencastify, iMovie, etc. b.              Collaborative documents embedded into demo (Jamboard, shared Google Docs, Padlet, etc.; polls like Mentimeter and Polls everywhere), interactive slides (move to breakout rooms, Save the Last Word, chat, Flipgrid, forms) Teacher Consultants Record Classroom Model Lessons  .               Face-to-Face or Virtual classroom lesson recorded a.              TC works with tech facilitator to refine video lesson (Storyboard) b.              TC writes lesson plan to accompany model lesson c.              TC provides slideshow for lesson and student samples Schedule Thinking Partner Session with TC and partner teacher(s)  .               Review and reflect on PD a.              Review student data (UST) b.              Plan for next cycle of writing c.              Share Model Classroom Lesson links

Synchronous Online PD

3-hour synchronous delivery with teachers present via Zoom Slide show presentation PD Facilitators guide the presentation and discussion Embedded PD demonstrations by Teacher Consultants Students samples included Opportunities for collaboration Breakout Rooms for small group Chat is utilized Opportunities for reflection (Exit Slips) Thinking Partner one-hour Zoom meeting

 

Asynchronous Online PD

Teachers view on their own time Slide show presentation Teachers are guided by instructions within presentation Embedded PD demonstrations by Teacher Consultants Student samples included Collaborative documents Opportunities for reflection (Exit Slips) Thinking Partner one-hour Zoom meeting