Domains
Numerous literature reviews have found that, for professional development to be effective, it must include opportunities for the participants to actively engage with the content (Archibald et al., 2011; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Trivette et al., 2009). Participants must have opportunities to acquire, use, and evaluate new knowledge and relate it to current understanding. Each of the indicators in this domain helps to ensure that professional development providers plan opportunities for participants to clarify their knowledge and skills, connect to the new knowledge and skills, and tie the new knowledge and skills to their workplace settings.
Small-group discussions asking participants to compare and contrast critical concepts to existing practices could be one way to start participants on the journey of engaging with the new knowledge and skills. Participants should have the opportunity to engage with the content at a state of higher-order thinking. For example, participants may analyze how the new knowledge and skills will impact student outcomes. While they are doing that, participants should also have a chance to make the learning personal by connecting it to their own context. Throughout the acquisition and learning process, participants benefit from collaborating with others. Finally, within this domain, professional development providers should be planning opportunities for the participants to apply their new learning in a meaningful way. By engaging in learning, participants expand buy-in and self-efficacy, increasing the likelihood that they will apply the learning in their contexts.
To ensure adequate engagement, the local provider and presenter need to discuss what is reasonable in the given time period. For example, in a 1-hour webinar, it is not likely that participants would have enough time to practice four critical concepts. It is important to schedule adequate time for engagement, even if that requires a reduction in the number of learning targets.
The presenter should:
- Share learning targets/objectives for each critical concept, written at a level of higher-order thinking.
- Structure the agenda/time to allow for practice of each critical concept.
- Work with the local provider to connect the new knowledge and skills to previously learned material (in other words, the presenter should have knowledge of local initiatives and previous professional development that participants are likely to have participated in).
- Ensure that practice opportunities promote collaboration among participants.
- Assist with the development of follow-up activities that allow participants to apply the new knowledge and skills (if not completed during the initial professional development, these activities can be led by a local provider after the session).
To support participants’ engagement, the local provider should coordinate with the presenter to:
- Ensure that there is a learning objective for each critical concept and that it is written at a level of higher-order thinking.
- Share content-related initiatives with the presenter (for example, past districtwide professional development on phonological awareness if the presenter is providing a workshop on early literacy). Share information with participants to help them connect new learning to prior learning.
- Brainstorm with the presenter, as needed, to design activities that guide participants to practice each critical concept.
- Schedule a follow-up session in which participants can practice the new knowledge and skills if there is not enough time to practice during the professional development event.
Indicator 9. Builds on or relates to participants’ prior learning.
Comprehension of new material can be improved through the activation of prior knowledge. Creating connections between what is known and what is about to be learned helps establish a context for learners and may make the content easier to understand and apply to new and unique situations. Building on prior learning also happens when the participants make decisions about learning and have choice over the content and context of learning (Knowles, 1988; Loeng, 2020).
Indicator 10. Engages participants in higher-order thinking to learn each critical concept.
Professional development providers must clearly identify each critical concept (usually as a learning objective) and then actively engage the participants in complex thinking to practice and learn each critical concept. Learning targets/objectives that engage the participants in complex thinking about the practice, beyond the basic levels of understanding and explaining the concept, are more likely to provide the participants with the ability to generalize the learning to their situations or apply the content when addressing challenges (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001; Miri et al., 2007; Moore, 2010). See the section Begin With the End in Mind for a discussion on the characteristics of quality learning objectives.
Several frameworks can be used to design activities that engage the participants in complex thinking. For example, Bloom’s (1956) taxonomy and the revised taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) provide a hierarchy of cognitive rigor: remember, understand, apply, analyze, create, evaluate (Forehand, 2010; Krathwohl, 2002; Synergis Education, 2018). Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DoK) framework categorizes learning activities based on the depth of cognitive engagement: Level 1, Recall & Reproduction; Level 2, Skills & Concepts; Level 3, Strategic Thinking; and Level 4, Extended Learning (Synergis Education, 2018; Webb, 1997). Research suggests that providing opportunities to engage in complex thinking about the content allows the participants to process the information and apply the content in complex situations (see the discussion in Cañas et al., 2017).
One way to engage participants in critical thinking is to focus on questioning techniques. Carefully worded question prompts can extend thinking beyond explaining into analysis and synthesis (Katsara & De Witte, 2019; Nappi, 2017; Snyder & Snyder, 2008). Quality, thoughtful, open-ended questions can promote critical and creative thinking, initiate problem solving, and support generalization. The agenda should be purposefully planned to ensure time for this complex thinking.
Indicator 11. Prompts each participant to relate the content to their context.
Quality professional development engages participants in describing and planning for the application of the content to their setting. Effective professional development which is aligned with the teachers’ context has been shown to impact student achievement (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017).
Indicator 12. Facilitates opportunities for participants to collaborate related to the critical concepts.
Adult learners benefit from the opportunity to interact, express their personal perspective, and engage in dialogue to increase both their individual and collective understanding of the content and process. Learning experiences that require the participants to work with each other and actively engage in discussion, joint decision making, and collaborative problem solving are highly productive and advance both individual and group understanding and learning (Benedict et al., 2021; Castillo et al., 2024; Mercer & Littleton, 2007). When professional development embraces collaborative problem-solving structures, or collaborative inquiry, during which teachers learn and practice together, student outcomes improve (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; DeLuca et al., 2017).
Indicator 13. Facilitates opportunities for each participant to practice applying the critical concepts.
Effective professional development involves opportunities for the participants to practice the skills being proposed (Bayar, 2014). Active participation includes, for example, implementing the content to a specific criterion, analyzing data, or making a presentation as opposed to passively receiving information (Desimone, 2011). Teaching is a practice profession. To help ensure that the participants will be able to implement the newly learned skill or practice, they must have time to practice applying each critical concept.