What have Educational Leadershipreaders been talking about? This month's comments appeared on Inservice, the ASCD blog (www.ascd.org/blog).
Brain-Friendly PD
In response to "Brain-Friendly Learning for Teachers" by David Sousa (June, online-only):
Good professional development is exactly like a good lesson. It has to be interesting and relevant. There must be follow-through and feedback over an extended period of time, and it must provide effective tools for teachers to increase student learning in a collaborative manner. Teachers are more than willing to participate in professional development that is focused, planned, and well implemented.
Working in grades K–2 for many years, I have tried to present learning in such a way to spark interest. I now find myself in a leadership role where I present information to teachers. Brain research in regards to children has always been interesting, but I never really thought about applying brain research to professional development. Thanks for the info.
It was refreshing to see that teachers' brains are also being considered when planning professional development. Most articles focus on the student brain and how we can tap into what research has discovered. I can't wait to share this article with the administration. Thank you for thinking of our brains, too.
The use of the CFG (Critical Friends Group) model in my previous school utilized the brain-compatible approaches in Sousa's article. Our high school used this program to implement useful professional development that could be applied immediately to our teaching. It addressed the emotions of the educators through providing them with opportunities to bring specific concerns to the table. It also provided immediate and useful feedback. I'd like to know of any approaches other schools have used that were effective for professional development.
