Professional Standard #7
“Educators engage in professional learning.”
A fitting standard to write on the day after a professional development day. This standard is to say that the teaching profession is not static, it is always changing and evolving and requires us as teachers to change and evolve with it. Professional development days are one of the most obvious ways to do so, giving teachers and other educators a chance to learn about new developments in learning, school culture, psychology and a host of other topics. They are also good chances to network, making connections that will keep us engaged in the discourse around education and educational topics.
The fist Pro D day I ever attended featured Shane Safir presenting on her book “Street Data.” This was a great first key note as it focused on data, how we collect it, and what we do with it. Traditional large scale data is referred to as “satellite data,” which is our standardized tests, our district level studies, meta trends, etc; all the data we would traditionally cast as “robust.” As was noted in the talk, using exclusively this level of view leaves a lot of blind spots and leaves a lot of assumptions unchallenged. The other levels presented were “map view” (which is at the school or community level) and the eponymous “street view,” the subject of the talk. The key idea is that when we choose to only value the broadest data sets we blind ourselves to many relevant observations.
The talk reminded me of the scientific method, the reality that any amount of intellectual activity is no substitute for direct observation. At the same time, we cannot afford to ignore the observations of others or to not question our assumptions and interpretations of what we observe. I look forward to engaging in professional development with excitement and intellectual curiosity that I apply to puzzles and scientific pursuits.
As a post script, I can imagine some temptation to skimp on professional development in order to find time for prep and marking. Ultimately I would like to make time for professional development, and that may mean deprioritizing other things. Professional development is not only about adding more things to our plate, it can also mean a reduction.