Alternate PL - Call to Action
Presentation
Growing Teachers, Growing Schools
The Power of Meaningful PL
My Why
This presentation was created to address a long-standing issue in professional learning and how its disconnect from the realities of teaching. I teach Tech Apps and Robotics, and I also help other teachers with tech stuff, so I see all the time how PD just doesn’t hit the mark. We’re told to make learning fun and hands-on for kids, but then we sit through trainings that don’t really help or stick. Being in both roles—teaching and supporting—has really pushed me to speak up for a different kind of professional learning. One that actually makes sense, feels useful, and lasts longer than just the session.
This work also ties directly into my innovation project, School Sphere. One of School Sphere’s goals is to streamline communication and make ongoing support more accessible for teachers. As I began preparing to lead my first district-wide PL session on AI in the classroom this summer, I wanted to model exactly the kind of professional learning I believe we need—job-embedded, supported, and built around real classroom challenges.
My What
The presentation, titled Growing Teachers, Growing Schools: The Power of Meaningful PL, is a call to action aimed at my campus and district leadership. It highlights the shortcomings of traditional PL, introduces the five key principles of effective professional learning as outlined by Gulamhussein (2013), and emphasizes the need for a coaching-based, relevant, and active approach. It also touches on The Mirage (TNTP, 2015) and Daniels’ (2013) TED Talk to show that the issue is not a lack of investment, but a lack of alignment with how adults learn best. While the presentation does not dive into the full PL plan (that comes later), it establishes the foundation for why change is needed now.
My How
I developed the presentation using Google Slides to allow for flexibility and future updates. I started by laying out the five principles from Gulamhussein and tried to tie each one to stuff I’ve actually seen or done while teaching and coaching robotics. I followed Duarte’s setup to show what we’re losing by sticking with the old way and what we could gain if we actually change. I also added full speaker notes to each slide just to make sure the message came across how I wanted. The presentation ends with a brief mention of School Sphere as a forward-looking solution, giving context to the work I’m building throughout this course and beyond.
I designed the presentation to be shared at a department or leadership meeting, where it can open a conversation about rethinking our current PL structure. By keeping the design simple and focused, I aimed to make the message clear and the next steps actionable.
References
Duarte Inc. (2009, December 16). What are some tips for presentation design? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/hT9GGmundag?si=oZA5W3KCgu0YMpVV
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Center for Public Education.
Daniels, K. (2013). What if we redesigned professional development for teachers? [Video]. TEDxBurnsvilleED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndjd4sL0fH4
TNTP. (2015). The Mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED558206.pdf