5 Reasons Teachers Skip Professional Development Sessions – And How to Bring Them Back!

​At the beginning of the academic year, you looked ahead, scheduled Professional Development days, worked hard to line up speakers and resources…. And you are noticing that participating is dwindling. Teachers are electing to stay in their classrooms to catch up on grading or reporting. Making the sessions mandatory improves this, but you haven’t had 100% participation in these sessions since early September.
 
As an administrator, you understand that developing your teachers is as important as supplying the correct classroom materials. Providing engaging PD sessions can have a measurable impact on teacher satisfaction (and ultimately student performance), as long as teachers are attending and benefiting from the resources you share. Teachers skip when they are over-committed with classroom duties, or don’t think the session will benefit them. We’ve compiled a few tips to help you make the most of your Professional Development time and dollars.

1. “The subject matter doesn’t pertain to my classroom.” Great PD transcends subject matter; English teachers can take tips they learn in STEM PD and apply it to their classrooms because it is about bringing subject matter to life. Great PD drives creativity, and helps teachers bring their subject matter to life for their students.
2. “The session is being put on by a teacher I work with every day.” If teachers aren’t sure if they would learn anything new from their closest peers, consider bringing in an expert. Pitsco Education supplies experts that will join you on site for half day, full day or two day PD sessions. Sessions are customizable – they can present on the subject matter of your choice. They are all classroom experts, and can provide a fresh perspective for all attendees.
3. “The session is on policies and procedures. It’s not developing me as a teacher.” Look, Policies and Procedures are important – we get it. But, if you are using PD time for subject matter that can be explained in an email, you’ll lose your audience. Keep topics relevant to enhancing the skills of your staff.
4. “Instead of feeding me information, I want to be engaged in the process.” So often, we forget to make PD sessions interactive. Teachers learn the same way their students do: by getting hands on and engaging. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make it effective. (Pitsco Education provides all supplies for PD sessions they offer, and provides memorable and engaging content.)
5. “We are learning to use equipment or technology that I will never use.” Are you looking to instruct teachers on how to use technology (like a zSpace or 3D printer)? If so, make it relevant to attendees – demonstrate how this technology could be used in their classroom. Not sure how to do this? Check out this blog post about the unlikely ways 3D printing is being used in classrooms for ideas!

 
​Making Professional Development engaging and worthwhile is a challenge most administrators face. We can help you make PD something that your teachers look forward to with Pitsco Professional Development. You don’t have to have a Pitsco STEM lab to benefit, either. No sales pitch – just great content for your teaching staff, tailored to your needs. PD sessions are standards based, so you can rest assured you are providing the right content at the right time.

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Learn More: Download Pitsco's Guide to PD