Flexible, Asynchronous Professional Development is My Jam

Recently, thanks to YouTube TV, my children discovered the magic Space Jam. While the echoes of pre-2000s jock jams ruminate in my brain, I find myself reflecting on the fleeting nature of time. Yes, time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping beyond my grasp. It's October, and the school calendar is already approaching the end of the first quarter. The most precious of all commodities, time, remains in short supply. When does a teacher have moments to grade and also reconnect with family? How does one balance daily duties, coaching, and still have enough hours in the day to sleep? Nearing the end of the grading period, the answers to these questions are unclear.  

As technology and district initiatives continue to evolve, teachers are seeking more professional development opportunities. Unfortunately, the time to add one more formal meeting to their schedules is nonexistent. The challenge becomes how does a district provide meaningful and targeted professional development experiences to teachers when their schedules, family life, and personal needs make it nearly impossible to add another meeting to an already abundantly full calendar. How can professional development be planned to intentionally reach a group of diverse learning with varying levels of expertise who also happen to teach different disciplines? 

This year,the instructional coach colleagues across the district and I have worked toward alleviating some of the obstacles and roadblocks to active professional development by designing asynchronous experiences. Moving professional development opportunities online can open a world of possibilities for teachers who are trying to find time amid the fast-moving frenzy that occurs each day. This format can provide tech-savvy teachers with efficient access to research while being mindful of their time, prior knowledge, and needs of the moment. 

Designing these opportunities takes careful planning and thoughtful timing. Resources need vetting, and learning styles need to be accessed to create a course that provides positive experiences and the appropriate amount of rigor for all learners. My focus has been finding a range of informal ways to provide support to more traditional graduate-style course experiences for teachers. How do we connect the appropriate professional development experiences with teachers? 

1. First, get teachers interested in professional development experiences is by providing routine and repeated opportunities to discuss the latest instructional strategies or technology tools. To keep the conversation active, I have used quick two-minute videos about a variety of tips, tricks, and technology that can make learning more engaging, grading more efficient, or classroom practices more effective for a diverse pool of learners. These videos are published habitually every Monday at 7 AM when a teacher is most likely to shift through his or her email inbox.  
2. The second way to meet teachers' professional development needs is to provide them with scheduled time in which they know that I am available for them. While I am available any period besides the ones that I teach all week, Monday seems to be the day in which teachers want to reach out to either have a meeting or schedule one. I have worked on advertising that I am available during lunch hours on Mondays for drop-in meetings with colleagues who may need one-on-one support. Being reminded that I have drop-in time seems to encourage teachers to ask more questions and schedule follow-up meetings. It's almost as if we need to set aside time to schedule a more targeted time for professional development. After carefully examining my instructional coaching log, the logging and recording of professional development preparation time is extensive! 
3. The best way to promote professional development is by creating face-to-face connections. When seeking professional development is challenging or remains number 12 on a to-do list, it is easy to follow-through and participate. To help encourage people to remember that I am here to support them, I take a daily lap or two through the faculty office. I tend to get more business when I am visible and accessible. A quick question about setting up a tech tool often leads to more in-depth discussions about how we might transform an entire lesson or project. The best professional development is personal and occurs when a teacher needs support. Fast and immediate help, in this case, can open the door to a much more meaningful experience for that teacher.
4. Follow-up visits, like visibility, also encourages teachers to keep thinking about their professional development. Asking teachers how a lesson went or how a tool enhanced their students' experience can lead to further questions about instructional practices. Showing teachers that they are valued in follow-up visits validates their work and encourages them to continue to take risks - thus seeking out more professional development. Growth is a continual process for us all, and when we feel like others are growing alongside us, we are far more likely to flourish. 
5. While the aforementioned experiences are critical to creating a school environment that values professional development, it is important to provide formal experiences in addition to the personalized, informal ones. Creating courses for teachers to take face-to-face, blended, or online can create a sense of camaraderie. When we learn together, we create a common language, can share best practices, and are far more likely to collaborate. As my district seeks to incorporate more blended learning experiences for students, the instructional coaches wanted to inform teachers on what blended learning is and what it can look like within the walls of a traditional classroom. This first official asynchronous experience will help to create a common language, pool of resources, and allow teachers a chance to share how they will use blended principles. Ensuring that this experience is a valuable use of time while being convenient for teachers is a priority as we seek to honor our most precious commodity - time. 

I believe that meaningful professional development can help teachers soar. I must admit that it seems like I am dreaming about professional development every night and day, and as I dream, I will continue to find ways to support my colleagues. While I am still grappling with work-life harmony and finding more time within a day to accomplish the never-ending to-do list, I am hopeful. Providing options for professional development that aligns with teachers' schedules can lead to more efficient, effective, and engaging learning for all, and that's my jam. Now more than ever is the time to take a chance on asynchronous learning.