Teachers require time for professional development so that they can grow in their practice and continue to meet the changing needs of students. But time for professional development is difficult to find. Teachers are paid for the time that they spend in front of students—the time that they are teaching. If teachers are lucky, they will have time during the day to prepare lessons and grade assignments, but much of this work is done before and after school hours. A teacher's regular day does not include time for professional development; these opportunities occur during the summer or after school hours.
Recent research, however, says that professional development is most effective when it is embedded in the teacher's practice (Ball & Cohen, 1999). Studies have shown that the transference of skills from workshops to the classroom is limited at best. More appropriate and effective professional development occurs when teachers are investigating and learning about their practice while in practice (Loucks-Horsley, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Putnam & Borko, 1997; Stein, Smith, & Silver, 1999). But how can schools find time during the day for this type of professional development?
The Usual Way: Release Time
The usual—and seemingly logical—way to make time for teachers to engage in professional development during the school day is to bring in a substitute teacher. But this approach creates more work for the teachers. Teachers must plan for the day that they will be gone by providing a detailed lesson plan and assignments, and they must plan for how they will catch up on the extra work that this day has produced, such as grading the assignments.
Another typical way to provide professional development time is to schedule late-arrival or early-release days; some districts have gone to a late-arrival schedule once a week. This arrangement has advantages for teachers: time for professional development and no extra work created. But it has significant disadvantages for parents, who often must find day care or another form of supervision for their children, and for students, who receive less instructional time.
The New Way: Friday Forums
At Kellogg Middle School in Shoreline, Washington, we have found a way to make time for professional development during the school day without creating more work for teachers, taking time away from students' learning, or imposing a burden on parents.
During Friday Forums, held six times a year, students attend an assembly and a specialty class of their choice. The Forums are centered around such topics as careers, technology, substance abuse, diversity, and sexual harassment. Community members, nonteaching faculty, and parents supervise the assembly and teach the specialty classes. For example, airline pilots talk to students about what it is like to fly a plane, manage a crew, and deal with passengers. Representatives from the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington, create laboratory experiences in which students learn scientific principles. Self-defense instructors demonstrate personal safety techniques, and members of the local fire department teach CPR and basic first aid skills. Assemblies have included a presentation of various cultural dances, a show about verbal and physical abuse, and performances by the school's jazz band.
A part-time Friday Forum coordinator recruits the community and parent volunteers and arranges for guest speakers and assembly presentations. The students register for the classes in advance and are scheduled in two alternating schedules so that half the students are in the assembly while the other half are in classes.
Everyone wins with the Friday Forums. Students have an opportunity to explore issues of interest to them that may not be covered in the regular school curriculum. Parents do not need to find day care for their children, and they appreciate the learning opportunities that the Friday Forums provide. Community members share their talents and establish a meaningful connection with the students. Teachers receive time for professional development—with no strings attached.
Challenges
The Friday Forums have many advantages, but they also present challenges. One of the great challenges is finding presenters and parents to help supervise. People often shy away from coming into a middle school and are wary of the social and emotional needs of the students. Once the community members engage with these inquisitive and energetic students, however, they find that adolescence is a fun age to be around, and many volunteer again.
Friday Forums do incur some expenses, including the salary for a program coordinator and the cost of assemblies and guest speakers. Community members conduct most of the classroom presentations for free, but some of the assembly speakers charge a fee or an honorarium. At Kellogg, the Associated Student Body's annual fundraiser pays for many of the assemblies. The total program costs for six Friday Forums is approximately $7,000. To provide the same 12 hours of professional development time for 50 teachers, however, would cost up to three times as much through release time or paid staff development time.
Making the Time Count
While the students are in the Friday Forums, the teachers pursue professional development activities through Critical Friends Groups. Each group includes 6–10 teachers who develop an action plan to guide their professional development and then meet for at least two years. In their meetings, the teachers look seriously at their own classroom practices and make changes on the basis of the group's comments.
Through the Critical Friends Groups, the teachers at Kellogg have added such tools as Socratic Seminars to their lesson repertoire to engage students in substantive conversation and in the use of higher-order thinking skills. One group examined how to differentiate the curriculum to meet all students' needs; another group investigated the rubrics that they used to assess student work and developed more comprehensive rubrics. Some groups shared reading and writing strategies that could be used across the curriculum areas.
One Critical Friends Group decided to focus on improving students' higher-order thinking skills. They wanted the students to be able to engage in analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and other critical thinking skills. The teachers read research on how to engage students in critical thinking and examined student and teacher work. During the Friday Forums, the group members looked at lesson plans, rubrics, and student work to evaluate whether these items were improving higher-order thinking skills. The teachers discussed the research articles that they had read and used the articles to suggest new strategies.
Teachers who participate in professional development are better prepared to provide appropriate learning activities for students. The Friday Forums program is just one way in which we can provide teachers with professional development time that is embedded in their work and ensure that we are all lifelong learners.
