Abstract: Two important details should not be overlooked when taking a trip. Preparation for the journey is essential to success, but just as important, is to unpack and reflect on the memories. The same can be said about professional development opportunities. To get the most out of a professional development opportunity, it is necessary to prepare or pack for optimal learning, just as when planning a trip. When arriving home, we must unpack the experience to ensure implementation of what we learned. Life-long learning is a culture in the agricultural education profession. Motivated agriculture teachers take advantage of the many professional development opportunities to keep current with the dynamic changes that take place in education and the agriculture industry. Fortunately, there never seems to be a shortage of professional development opportunities in our profession. Professional development insures that teachers have the content, process, knowledge, skills, dispositions, and accountability to help all students achieve high standards. The challenge is to make a concerted effort to unpack the learning and put it to use in our program. Professional development can be a deceptive term in agricultural education. To some, the term conjures images of tedious, mind-numbing inservice days and workshops. To others, it is a process where we work to enhance our professional practice, whether it is technical, pedagogical, or total program development. Professional development is not a one-shot, one-size fits all event, but rather an evolving process that yields growth in professional practice, our students and our programs. Packing for the Professional Development Experience Before you spend a week or few days at a professional development conference, you prepare: pack your bags, book the rooms, and make any other needed arrangements. But do you prepare yourself? Whether we're headed to a week-long event or just an hour, the mindset we walk in with is critical to learning. It is important to approach any professional development program with a positive attitude. There are teachers who walk into a professional development opportunity with the attitude that the program is a waste of their time and they are only there because it is a requirement. There are also teachers who no matter how many professional development opportunities they attend, they are determined to take something from the program. Which teacher do you think will learn and grow from the experience? We've all participated in sessions that include people who clearly don't want to be there. They are either the person who a) doesn't bother to pay attention, b) is full of reasons the subject doesn't apply to them, or c) actively disputes everything stated. At best they're wasting their time; at worst, they are wasting your time. Has this been you? We don't always choose the professional development we attend. However, we do have the choice to be positive and look for ways to effectively use the information. At the very least, it will be a chance to reflect and evaluate what you are currently doing. Many teachers also appreciate the opportunity to network, share ideas, and meet with other professionals to discuss common goals. Don't forget to pack a positive attitude to learn and grow. While You're There Think about your best students. What characterizes them? Typically, they pay attention, contribute to discussions, and often go beyond the learning in their thinking. And they don't text under the table. Are you the same way in professional development? Be here and now. Put the e-mail away, silence the phone, focus on the task at hand, and be an active participant. It's our time to use or lose, so why not do our best in learning. As a leader, your attitude can have a big impact on the outcome for yourself as well as others. If we are always asking ourselves the question How does this apply for me or my classroom? …
Publication Year: 2011
Publication Date: 2011-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
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