Crafting Transformational Learning for Educators
We’ve all sat through professional development that felt more like a compliance exercise than an opportunity to grow. But what if PD could be energizing, engaging, and truly transformative?This multi-part professional learning series designed to transform the way instructional leaders design and facilitate professional development. Across multiple sessions, participants will dive deep into adult learning theory, instructional best practices, and dynamic facilitation techniques to create PD that is truly engaging, meaningful, and sustainable. Each session builds on the last, ensuring leaders walk away with practical tools and a strategic approach to redefining professional learning in their schools and districts. Get ready to shift PD from passive to powerful!
Participants will walk away with actionable strategies to design, deliver, and sustain professional learning experiences that are interactive, purposeful, and aligned with real classroom needs. Whether you’re an instructional coach, administrator, or curriculum leader, this session will give you the tools to redefine PD so that it mirrors the best of what we expect for students—engaging, differentiated, and immediately applicable. Are you ready to disrupt the status quo and design PD that actually works? Let’s make it happen!
Session 1: The PD Dilemma—From Compliance to Commitment
Explore adult learning theories, principles, and models that should drive effective PD.
Examine traditional PD structures and what educators really want from professional learning.
Situate PD within instructional best practices and shift the mindset from passive to active engagement.
Session 2: Backwards Design for Professional Learning—Start with the End in Mind
Define clear, bite-sized learning objectives that align with instructional priorities.
Identify key content and tailor experiences to diverse educator needs.
Design high-impact activities (Power Plays) that drive authentic learning.
Session 3: Facilitation Magic—From Presenter to Engager
Explore facilitator dispositions and how to lead with purpose and process.
Learn how to engage adult learners through multiple modalities and differentiation.
Master the art of observing and responding to participant needs in real time.
Session 4: The Heavy Lifting—Maximizing Engagement and Application
Shift the cognitive load so that participants are doing the thinking, talking, and applying.
Design activities that foster collaboration, problem-solving, and authentic learning.
Integrate real-time feedback loops to ensure immediate application and reflection.
Session 5: Beyond the Session—Sustaining the Learning & Impact
Develop a plan to sustain PD impact beyond the initial session.
Explore structures and routines to reinforce learning in day-to-day practice.
Address the logistics of managing space, timing, and processes to maximize engagement.
Who Should Attend?
Instructional leaders responsible for designing and facilitating professional learning—administrators, instructional coaches, curriculum directors, content facilitators, department chairs, and instructional leadership teams.
Why This Matters?
Professional learning should feel purposeful, relevant, and engaging—just like great teaching. This session will empower you to transform PD from a checkbox to a catalyst for real instructional change.