Five Professional Development Models

Professional Development Models

Below are 5 Professional Development Models for Adult Learners. Click on each one to learn more about it.

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Target Profesional Development

Whole Group Delivery

Small Group Delivery

Peer Learning

Individually Guided Development

FiveModels

Megan Ouellette

Small Group Delivery

• Description: Small group professional development model is most effective for groups who have common goals, classroom needs, and/or subject areas. In small groups the teachers dive deep into the learning process while learning a specific topic that is relevant and applicable to their classroom. Similar to the Targeted professional development model, teachers engage in a professional development opportunity with other teachers with commonalities. These small groups can be a group of teachers with commonalities from the same school or from other schools in the area. This allows for sharing ideas, understanding differing or similar perspectives, and collaborating on new instructional strategies.
• Effectiveness with Adult Learners: Adult learners comprehend information best through relatable experience and relevant topics (Pappas, 2023). During small group instruction models, adult learners are given opportunities to collaborate with other teachers, share ideas, experiences and connect with a new instructional method that pertains to their classroom.
• Advantages: Teachers focus on a specialized topic with other teachers that have similar goals and classroom needs. Teachers have the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers while expanding their knowledge in a new concept. Teachers who attend small group professional development training can then share their knowledge with their faculty and fellow teachers.
• Disadvantages: Professional development training in small groups are limited and spots fill up quickly so teachers need to plan ahead. Similar to Targeted PD, the small group delivery model can be an extra cost if not supported by the school’s budget due to its limitations and small group setting.
• Activity: Subject area breakout group for collaborating, planning, and implementing new strategies to improve/ enhance instruction and student understanding. Breakout groups can be from the same school or teachers of different groups in order to connect and network with other teachers. Everyone in the group can learn from one another and therefore share, question and challenge each other’s ideas and views.

Peer Learning

• Description: Peer Learning professional development model includes peer observation and learning from other teachers in action during the school day. This needs to be structured and organized effectively to allow teachers participating in the peer learning PD to observe one another. This can then lead to expert teachers in a specific instructional method the opportunity to coach or mentor another teacher who is participating in the PD and wants to learn the new strategy and see it in action (Hopping & Stevenson, 2014). The Peer Learning PD model is beneficial for new teachers developing their instructional methods.
• Effectiveness with Adult Learners: Adult learners expand their knowledge through hands-on experiences and opportunities. Peer learning allows adult learners to mentor and help one-another through instructional coaching and peer observation. This is effective to improving their profession because adult learners are self-directed, meaning they want to discover new things for themselves (Pappas, 2023). This can be accomplished by observing and being mentored by their peers.
• Advantages: The Peer Learning Professional Development model allows teachers to work one-on-one with other teachers to improve or enhance their teaching. They learn through observation and collaboration. Teachers learning new skills have the chance to ask questions, create goals, plan, and work together with a more expert teacher. This can be a casual setting for teachers to work together and support one another. This model is also free for the teachers involved. Lastly, Peer Learning can occur during the school hours which makes it easier for teachers to participate in.
• Disadvantages: Instructional coaching and peer learning can be intimidating for the new teaching. In addition the expert teacher must know how to effectively coach or mentor another teacher by understanding how adults learn and how to approach the mentorship.
• Activity: Peer observation and post observation debrief. This leads to a mentorship between the expert teacher and the other teacher wanting to learn a new skill. They will form a partnership where the mentor teacher helps support the other teacher in growth and developing through collaboration and planning together.

Whole Group

• Description: The whole group delivery model is when the entire staff needs to receive the same message or be trained on the same goals/ standards required by the school and/ or Diocese. These include opportunities designed to be presented at faculty meetings or teacher in-service days to focus on one topic for the whole group. During the whole group delivery model, the professional development session needs to follow up with/ include other activities such as small group breakouts, pair/share, mind mapping, and graphic organizers to collaborate and expand the knowledge gained during the whole group delivery (Hopping & Stevenson, 2014).
• Effectiveness with Adult Learners: The whole group delivery model allows adult learners to collaborate with other teachers while learning new instructional methods from professional development. This model includes opportunities for the adult learners to deepen their understanding while having further discussions during activities and small group breakouts during the PD session.
• Advantages: The administration can inform the entire teaching staff of new instructional methods or ways to improve the classroom environment as a whole. Topics that are imperative to the betterment of the school are able to be taught to all teachers. Teachers are then able to work as a whole to improve the school and classroom environment while setting school wide goals.
• Disadvantages: Teachers may have a difficult time connecting to the topic if it does not support their needs or is not relevant to their classroom. In addition, teachers may feel distant and not as engaged due to the large environment of professional development.
• Activity: During the Whole Group Delivery model, the presenter would have teachers fill in a graphic organizer that connects to the presentation during the PD meeting. While filling in the graphic organizer, teachers pair-share with other teachers seated around them. They share their thoughts and views based on prompts on the graphic organizer.

Target Professional Development

• Description: Targeted Professional Development (PD) is organized and presented to teachers who have common goals around the professional development topic. For example, a Jr. High Math teacher would not benefit from a professional development training on primary reading instructional strategies. These Targeted PD's are geared towards teachers with common needs, subject areas, and/ or classroom goals in order to be beneficial. It is "important to match the type of PD to the needs and mindset of the educators involved" (Hopping & Stevenson, 2014)
• Effectiveness with Adult Learners: The founder of the Adult Learning Theory, Malcolm Knowles, concluded in his core principles that adults need to be involved in the planning of their instruction (Pappas, 2023). This Professional Development Model, targets skills and concepts that individual teachers need to improve or enhance their instructional practices to best support their class. Therefore, the adult learner is involved in their learning which increases their learning and the effectiveness of the PD on the teacher's instruction.
• Advantages: Teacher involvement and aligns with the goals the teacher has for their classroom. Teachers are more engaged when they are able to choose their targeted PD or attend one that supports their needs.
• Disadvantages: Limited amount of Professional Development opprotunities geared towards very specific needs. Teachers may not be able to find a wind range of PD trainings that meet their needs. The cost could be more expensive because the school may not be able to provide each teacher with their own specific targeted PD.
• Activity: Teachers would work with the other teachers during think, pair, share, to create a mock lesson implementing the instructional strategy or skill into their classroom.

Individually Guided Development

• Description: Teachers set goals for themselves as educators. They then find professional development opportunities that can help them achieve these goals. Teachers, individually guide and are responsible for their growth and development. They reflect on their teaching and what they need to better their instruction and help personalize the learning for their students. Then, they do their own research on new instructional methods that can help support their goals and their students (Cetin & Bayrakci, 2019).
• Effectiveness with Adult Learners: Adult learners are self-motivated and self-directed therefore seeking their own professional development opportunities gives them the flexibility and choice in their learning that they can benefit from. The adult learner is empowered to have responsibility and control over their growth.
• Advantages: Individually Guided Development model is flexible for teachers participation. Teachers can make any PD work with their school and personal schedule. In addition, they engage in PD opportunities that they find relevant and important for their classroom goals. Teachers feel empowered to find the solution to a problem they may be facing in the classroom (Cetin & Bayrakci, 2019).
• Disadvantages: Even though adult learners benefit from self-directed learning this can also be a disadvantage for some. This model is internal, self-directed and the responsibility of the teacher therefore, teachers may not find the time to search for their own PD opportunities or instructional methods.
• Activity: Setting measurable goals and then researching professional development opprotunties is the activitiy involved in self-guided development. Once the goals are establish and clear action plan is created, the teacher finds resources or attends a PD of their choice that support the acheivement of these goals.