The idea of professional development is something that reminds me of a statement in Lewis Carrols sequel to the classic Alice in Wonderland.
“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
The Red Queen
All the regular work that is done to work on lessons and develop oneself can be insufficient because what works in one class might not in another therefore your work is only to maintain your position.
Then we get the Professional development. It is working on purpose in areas that are not necessarily going to help you in the immediate future, but will build your skills and understanding so you can “get somewhere else”. If you are always focused on the immediate future then the larger things that can cause greater issues, such as report cards, will become a near insurmountable obstacle. Pro-D gives you a slightly different day that can prepare you to get ahead of things, and you also learn things that you can use too. These things are also more applicable than could be at first as well.
Earlier in Block 2 when I had my Pro-D day I went to the Early Learning Conference. Whilst there I learned a few things about the development of writing and reading that were interesting and tailored to at most a grade 3 class. I ended up thinking once I was placed in a grade 6/7 class that what I had learned in the Pro-D event would not be applicable.
A fortuitous encounter in the Pro-D meant that I had taken a class with a teacher from the same school I had been to the same pro-D event and shared the efficacy of the books they had their students make. With some time left I figured I would use this with a small writing project I had my students do with them creating a book to be their ‘good copy’. Due to general unexpectedness the project had to be finished on the final day and I think that this was effective in investing students interest since many of them asked that I bring the books back to their class after I had marked them, so I stayed longer after school to make sure they would get back to their makers. That which is applicable to younger grades can be adapted for older ones and I would not have properly understood that without my experience at the Pro-D event to start my journey.
Through the Looking-Glass. (2024, April 1). https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12/pg12-images.html
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