PD Colleagues:
Thanks again for the many suggestions regarding how to address the range of 
teacher experience in PD. At the end of this email is a short list of 
suggestions that I've noticed so far (subject to change).

I'd like to learn of some more specifics regarding the list below. What are 
some specific strategies professional developers have used successfully in 
each of these areas? David and Duren, Janet and others have given us a start. 
Janet, when you mention that you try to build in an ongoing assessment piece 
throughout the session, would you -- or others -- offer an example of how that 
might be done? Chris, you mentioned that you use your knowledge of the 
audience to open the dialogue. I'm wondering if there's a trick of the trade 
somewhere in that suggestion. Any specific examples of moments when that has 
been particularly successful?

I also noticed a great deal of emphasis on pre-assessments to tailor the 
session to participant needs. Is that the most important thing professional 
developers need to do to ensure a range of teacher experience is addressed? 
Are there other "content specific" strategies (like technology or teaching 
math, reading, writing, language, etc) that others use to address the wide 
range of expertise of teachers who attend the session?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"What strategies do you use to ensure that the teacher new to adult literacy 
or ESOL doesn't leave feeling overwhelmed or confused, while the experienced 
teacher leaves with new ideas, even feeling 're-charged'?"

1 Be transparent with session goals
2 Identify participant goals for the PD
3 Utilize the expertise of teachers
4 Utilize the expertise of teachers: Pair Work
5 Keep the PD flexible
6 Understand your audience
7 Open the dialogue
8 Base PD upon a needs assessment (Pre-Assessment)
9 Build in an ongoing needs assessment
10 Write careful/clear session descriptions
11 Tech-specific strategies
12 Others?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks! Jackie


>===== Original Message From Janet Isserlis <Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu> =====

>Jackie and all

>

>I try to be clear in describing the workshop/session/activity from the get

>go.  Inevitably, though, no matter how clear I might think I've been, there

>will be a range of expectations and points of readiness/experience among

>those who participate in the session.

>

>I try to build an ongoing assessment piece throughout the session/s and try,

>too, to model ways of including various degrees of expertise by hardwiring

>the sessions to include many places for participants to share their

>experience and to pose questions to one another, as well as to me.  I also -

>especially in multi-sessions workshops, keep the agenda flexible so that we

>can take more or less time along the way and so that after the first

>workshop I can make changes to remaining sessions in order to accommodate

>both strengths and needs.

>

>others?

>

>Janet Isserlis

>

>> Hello everyone,

>> Sometimes teachers leave professional development offerings feeling like 

the

>> session or workshop was geared more for teachers new to the field. Teachers

>> new to the field may find that the materials discussed are very 

challenging.

>> (Can any teachers on this list attest to either of those points?) Session

>> evaluations might reflect comments such as 'this was more appropriate for

>> beginning teachers' or 'I feel like I've had this before, why can't the

>> materials be covered in a way that affords experienced teachers new/more

>> challenging information?'

>>

>> How do you deal with the issue of offering professional development to 

groups

>> of teachers in attendance who have a wide range of experience teaching 

adult

>> literacy or ESOL? What strategies do you use to ensure that the teacher new 

to

>> adult literacy or ESOL doesn't leave feeling overwhelmed or confused, while

>> the experienced teacher leaves with new ideas, even feeling 're-charged'?

>>

>> Thanks,

>>

>> Jackie

>>

>>

>>

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>

>

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