Page 9 - The Architecture of Professional Development

Defining Professional Development

Teacher professional development, once referred to as an “educa onal step‐child” (Smiley, 1996) and
cri cized for beingfragmented, incoherent, and ineffec ve (Sparks and Hirsch, 1997), currently enjoys
a favorable reputa on among policy makers and prac oners in educa onal reform circles. Research
reports, policy statements, and legisla ve mandates provide convincing evidence that professional
development is seen as a cri cal component in school improvement efforts around the world.

(Bredeson and Johansson, 2000). Notwithstanding the current fervour around professional
development, there is some ambiguity in terms of what we mean by professional development. For
instance, some mes we use the terms in‐service, staff development, con nuing educa on, training,
and self‐improvement interchangeably with professional development with li le regard for any
conceptual and/or prac cal differences. To avoid being caught up in a seman c diversion and provide
clarity to the reader, I define professional development as learning opportuni es that engage
educators’ crea ve and reflec ve capaci es in ways that strengthen their prac ce. (Bredeson, 2002).
Thus, regardless of what the ac vity is, or what it is called‐‐a lecture, ac on research, reflec ve journal
wri ng, or a workshop ‐‐ if it conforms to three criteria in this defini on, I consider it to be professional

development.
The defini on highlights three interdependent concepts — learning, engagement, and improved
prac ce. Professional development is first and foremost about learning. Thus, the design for
professional development begins by thinking about the learner—needs, preferences, mo va on, prior

knowledge, and experience. Unfortunately, much of what is called professional development in
schools today focuses more on ac vi es and events than on explicit learning outcomes linked to
par cipants’ needs, school goals, and student learning. There are many learning opportuni es for
teachers and principals in schools. What makes professional development a unique experience is that
it engages the learner’s crea ve and reflec ve capaci es. Teachers and principals must transfer new
learning (knowledge and skills) to situa ons of prac ce in ways that fit the demands of daily work and
meet their personal styles. Thus, it is important that the learning ac vi es provide opportuni es to
learn new content and skills as well as occasions to reflect on their rela onship to prac ce and
integrate the new knowledge with exis ng professional habits and prac ce. All of this takes me,

resources, and support. Lastly, the purpose of professional development is to strengthen individual
and collec ve prac ce. This purpose is anchored in the belief that the investment of huge sums of
money, billions annually in the United States, will contribute to enhanced professional prac ce leading
to improved student learning outcomes.

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