Teachers' Professional Development
So it’s back to school time, and what better way to start than to focus on your professional development? For some us we've seen the best and the worst of professional development - take a look at EdWeek's video for some (humorous) examples.
I’m sure we have all at one stage in our career sat in a lecture hall listening to someone discuss practice in a way that we don't engage with. Or putting so much data into their presentation that we lose track of the message. Or training us on a topic that we don't see the relevance of. In order for us to leave that training and actually change our behaviour, we need to make a connection to the learning whether it is emotional, academic or practical.
The most meaningful professional development is that which we see the relevance of - did you watch the video? Some of the examples perfectly exemplify this point and I'm sure you have examples of your own.
So how does this apply to your use of NAU? A lot of teachers have stated that the best form of professional development they have encountered was to go online and put themselves out there. This could be sharing resources and ideas, collaborating with other teachers or asking your peers for criticism.
As an NAE teacher, you are one step ahead, all you need to do is log in and find out what resources are already available for you! If you wanted to take our tutored courses, all you have to do is sign up. Not got time? Try our workplace and personal skills courses, where you can improve on your skills and gain new ones in as short a time as your tea break!
One of the most important things about NAU relates directly to the idea of collaboration for better learning: our forums. Here we have teachers from all over the world discussing different topics each day and learning from one another’s insights.
We encourage you to watch the above, then head over to NAU to share anything valuable you may have to say; someone on the other side of the world is very likely to reply!
David Docherty
Programme Officer for NAU
Education Team