≡ Menu

What is the Importance of Professional Development for a Teacher?

What is the Importance of Professional Development for a Teacher?

As I am sure you are aware, professional development for a teacher is critical to career success.

Professional development for anyone is necessary, as new teaching information, techniques, and methods are continually being updated and changed. Your education and experience alone will not be enough to serve you throughout your whole career. To revitalize your teaching career, you need to take passionate action steps.

Never Stop Learning

Professional development is about life-long learning and growing as an educator. You always have the potential to progress and refine your teaching skills. There is always more to learn and new skills to attain. Professional development is important to teaching success and can help you figure out why you make certain decisions and examine how you think about and deal with certain situations.

You can take courses and seminars (sometimes free, sometimes at a cost) that you can incorporate into your resume or bring up during the conversation at an interview. Your willingness to take the initiative to learn new things will impress a prospective employer. Network with like-minded professionals, engage online and in-person and find out about your area’s learning events. If you’re currently employed, many employers will be happy to send you to seminars such as these on the school district’s dime.

Set Professional Development Goals

Professional development and goal setting go hand-in-hand. It can seem hard to schedule the time to devote to courses and seminars, but the extra time is worth it to become the best teacher you can be. Setting teaching career goals that are both realistic and attainable can help you achieve what you want. Goals need to be measurable by setting a timetable. Reflect, and celebrate how much you’ve grown professionally and personally.

Reflect, plan, prepare, and take action are the key to moving your career forward.

Setting goals on a schedule will give you focus and a timeline. For example, make a goal to attend a professional development talk or seminar every quarter (3 months).

Even if it’s something as small as a one-hour webinar, choose a topic that you’d like to learn more about or are unfamiliar with, and document it. Take notes, absorb the information, and put your newfound knowledge to good use. Repeat until you’ve hit a calendar year, and then evaluate your progress.

Have you expanded your professional network as a result of your efforts?

Have you learned new information?

Are you a more well-rounded professional (and individual) than you were a year ago?

If so, consider maintaining your calendar for another year. If you’ve fallen behind, it may be time to reevaluate your goal or the way you’re going about achieving it.

When you achieve your goal, it will give you a sense of greater accomplishment.

Professional Development Can Help Overcome Failures

Think of failures as an opportunity for improvement. If you’ve had past failures in your classroom, for example, with classroom management, these issues can be hard to overcome. Through professional development, it is possible to learn how to overcome these challenges. Embrace career transformation goals by taking the steps necessary.

Professional development for a teacher is about improving and moving forward. Taking these courses is how you learn to overcome the challenges you are facing in the classroom. It is about acquiring new skills and becoming a better teacher. You will gain confidence by learning new methods and information about your field.

Professional development for a teacher is important for both new teachers and veteran teachers. Life-long learning will keep you motivated and thinking positively and will help you gain the confidence to overcome any obstacles you face in the classroom. Professional development is about becoming the best-equipped teacher you can be, and so it should be an important part of your career development.

If you need help coming up with a professional development plan (or any aspect of your job search), reach out to Candace today via email or call toll-free at 1 877 738-8052!