Page 28 - The Architecture of Professional Development

Messages and Meaning in

the Architecture of Professional Development

The issue of autonomy suggests another important meta‐message in the architecture of professional
development. There is a natural tension between individual responsibility and control over
professional growth and development and organiza onal priori es and needs. Architects find ways to
deal with compe ng forces in buildings to give them structural integrity and support over me.
Similarly, professional development designers look for crea ve ways to link staff learning to school im‐
provement priori es while dealing with the natural tensions between the countervailing forces of indi‐
vidual teacher autonomy and organiza onal impera ves. For instance, school districts may
provide a menu of professional development ac vi es, ones that specifically are linked to district
goals. Based on self‐iden fied interest and needs, teachers select professional development opportu‐
ni es. Thus, the district sets priori es and provides opportuni es of learning while teachers con nue
to
exercise both autonomy and choice.

The design and delivery of professional development also communicates important messages about
the nature of teachers’ professional knowledge. To illustrate, let’s examine some of the messages in
three common professional development designs — professional workshops / conferences,
convenience courses, and collabora ve ac on research.

Workshops and conferences are major contributors to teacher professional development. They
provide important venues to increase awareness of issues, exchange ideas, and establish meaningful
networks among professional educators. Notwithstanding these benefits, the design and delivery of
workshops and conferences may also communicate that professional knowledge is a commodity—a
marketable economic product‐‐that can be quickly picked up, taken back to school, and used
immediately. Workshops and conferences offer “nuggets of knowledge” (Bredeson and Scribner
(2000) and ”informa on showers” (Bredeson and Johansson (2000). For instance, it is not an
uncommon experience for teachers and principals to a end a conference that is ostensibly a
trade‐show for the educa onal consultants and vendors who, like midway sideshow barkers, stand in
front of gaudy displays and hawk their wares. Pre‐packaged, ready‐to‐use professional knowledge
(e.g., instruc onal prac ces, curriculum designs, and assessment tools) are offered as solu ons to
complex problems of prac ce. This message distorts the reali es of teachers’ and principals’
acquisi on, refinement, and use professional knowledge.

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