In my role as Technology Coach I often provide various training and professional development presentations for staff. Today I had the opportunity to sit on the other side of the projector as a participant in a CS6 training session. The session focused namely on Photoshop and Flash. These are two programs I have limited experience with, so I found myself fully engaged in the experience. I walked away from the full day session feeling like it was a very worthwhile session. It got me thinking about the qualities of an effective PD session. The aspects of today that I enjoyed included:
- Instructor demonstrated deep knowledge of the material
- Presentation was organized and included an outline for participants
- Explanation of WHY to do things as instructed or HOW to use in class
- Support documents and links were provided
- Step-by-step instructions provided (and repeated)
- Individual exploration (play time)
- Opportunity to ask questions
- Humour and Fun
Have you attended any great PD workshops lately? Why were they great? What are the qualities of a great presentation?
They 'why' has always been one of my favorite aspects of PD, and often lacking in PD sessions. This TED Talk by Simon Sinek helps to demonstrate the importance of the why. http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Dean!
Thanks for the suggested video ALec. I found it to be quite inspiring. It has forced me to reflect on PD sessions I have given or participated in. The most meaningful (and inspiring) have always answered the "why". In discussing the rollout of new technology as a school division we have recognized the fact that there are early adopters of technology. Before this video I never really considered why that was. When introducing change within our school division inspiring teachers to understand and believe in they "why" should lead to a higher rate of success and hopefully an increase in the number of early adopters.
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