am sure you all have heard or read that professional development (PD) is critical to
every educator’s ability to be effective in his or her role, so I am not here to preach to
the choir and try to convince you why you should engage in it. I am here, however, to
convey my belief in why PD can be the most powerful tool for an educator.
Professional development is the process of improving and increasing
one’s capacity through access to education, training, collaborative learning, or
observation. In this year of the Summer Olympics, liken PD, if you will, to the
training of a world-class athlete preparing for the grand stage in Brazil. With the
goal in mind to be the absolute best in the world, careful planning, preparation,
and training become the formula for success.
The same formula can be applied to the teaching profession, with even
greater results.
How can a teacher outperform an Olympic athlete, you may ask? A winning
athlete comes around once every four years for just a few moments in time; a
By Stephen Sye
AN UNSEEN POWER
Why you should never let the potential of PD
go untapped
Stephen Sye
(ssye@reading.org) is the
associate executive director
of ILA.
OUR VIEW
6
March/April 2016 | LITERACY TODAY