By Pauline Zdonek

As I prepare for another afternoon of district-provided professional development activities, I always make sure that I bring plenty of work to do (papers to grade, lesson planning, etc.). This isnt because I have a bad attitude and hate professional development (PD). A great PD event can really energize me to improve my classroom instruction. However, the sad fact is that the majority of PDs I attend are repetitive, simplistic, or downright boring. I bring other work to do so that I dont get irritated when I feel that my time is being so carelessly wasted.

Wasted Opportunities

I am not alone. According to the Center for Public Educations Teaching the Teachers report (PDF), almost all teachers participate in PD throughout the year. However, a majority of those teachers find the PD in which they participate ineffective.

via Why Don’t We Differentiate Professional Development? | Edutopia.