Question: "How can PD be helpful in improving the teaching and learning process?"
In my view, the primary goals of professional
development [PD] are to promote professional learning, create a community of
practice, and, ultimately, enhance learning outcomes for students and programs.
PD can provide educators with new techniques, strategies, and evidence-based
practices to elevate the teaching and learning experience. PD can also create
conditions that support educators holistically on social and emotional levels,
which is important because—arguably—a well-balanced, fulfilled educator has
greater capacity for engaging learners through meaningful instructional
practices.
Among TESOL’s
6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners®, Principle
6 is “Engage and collaborate within a community of practice” (CoP).
For me, community is a driving force in my life, both personally and professionally,
so I seek out opportunities to learn with and from others. As humans, we’re not
meant to live and work in isolation, so we inherently seek out relationships
that enhance our lives.
 In many ways, PD can provide us with the personal and
professional connections that help us sustain motivation and a sense of joy in
the work we do, which extends to the students we share learning spaces with. A
CoP can provide the socioemotional support that fuels us when we’re feeling
isolated, frustrated, or simply burned out. Of the PD options that foster
deeper connections, some of my favorites include study circles, lesson
study, peer
coaching, and collaborative sessions at conferences (e.g., workshops,
discussions, and poster sessions).
Study circles (my top choice for teacher-led,
inquiry-based PD) are great because they intentionally infuse research into the
professional learning experience so that participants can connect their
day-to-day practices with scholarly work in their respective fields. The
research can be explored in a format that resembles a book
club; individuals can take turns leading discussions on articles of
their choosing; or, sessions can be more structured (e.g., see this study
circle facilitator’s guide from the National Center for Adult
Learning and Literacy).
I have to sing the praises of our colleagues in
Minnesota, USA at ATLAS
ABE and Hamline University who have created several study circle
facilitator guides that anyone can download and use (see guides linked at the
end of this column). They provide all the resources you need to explore various
topics within adult education. As with any form of PD, you’ll want to adapt the
materials to fit the teaching and learning context and the needs of the
participants, which may mean finding different research articles to read or
adapting certain activities in response to available resources. But don’t try
to re-create the wheel—adapt what these amazing colleagues of ours have already
created!
PD—whether it be in community or an independent
endeavor such as an asynchronous online course or webinar—broadens our skill
set as educators and administrators so that we teach, lead, and mentor using
evidence-based, high-impact practices. In our CoPs, we can find inspiration
from one another. We can debrief failures and explore “blue sky” ideas. We can
gain confidence from the validation and feedback of our peers. And if we’re
fortunate, our colleagues become more than collaborators—they become
friends!
Study Circles from ATLAS ABE
& Hamline University
Do you have a question for the TESOL
leadership? Email your question to tc@tesol.org
with the subject line “Ask a TESOL Leader” and it could be featured in this
column!
Do you have a question for the TESOL leadership? Email your question to tc@tesol.org with the subject line "Ask a TESOL Leader" and it could be featured in this column!
Raichle Farrelly is an associate teaching
professor and director of the TESOL Program at the University of Colorado
Boulder. She offers courses on principles and practices in TESOL, teaching L2
oral skills, pedagogical grammar, and introduction to linguistics. Farrelly
coedited Educating
Refugee-background Students: Critical Issues and Dynamic
Contexts, the Handbook
of Research on Cultivating Literacy in Diverse and Multilingual
Classrooms, and Continuing
Professional Development of TESOL Professionals: A Global
Landscape. | 
