Have you thought about investing in your professional development as a teacher, but have excuses about why you haven’t made it happen yet? The truth is professional development is one of the best things to invest time and money in as an educator. It can help you find more meaning in your job, expand your career opportunities, and boost your confidence. If you’re curious to learn more about professional development for teachers and how it can benefit you, read on!
Topics on this page:
– What is Professional Development For Teachers?
– Benefits of Professional Development For Teachers
– It Improves Student Learning
– It Expands Your Career Opportunities
– Network With Other Educators
– It Accommodates Your Teaching Schedule
– Invest In Your Teacher Professional Development With The Professional Training Institute
What is Professional Development For Teachers?
Professional development can be defined as any kind of teacher continuing education that helps you be a more effective educator, particularly when working with students with learning disabilities. Professional development can include classes, seminars, and workshops—either in person or virtually—to acquire these new skills. It can range anywhere from attending a one-off conference to receiving accreditation in a teaching method such as Orton-Gillingham.
Many students with dyslexia benefit from having teachers who have invested in their professional development and can apply new ways of learning how to read and write in their classroom.
Benefits of Professional Development For Teachers
As mentioned, there are many benefits for teachers who take professional development courses and programs for teachers. They include the following:
It Improves Student Learning
Good professional development training puts the students’ needs first and foremost. After all, you want to apply the techniques you learn to the classroom so you can begin making an impact as soon as possible. For students who have dyslexia and other learning disabilities that make reading and writing challenging, a teacher who is up-to-date on the latest teaching methods can make all the difference to their academic world.
And when you’re a teacher, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a student’s confidence and grades rise because of your teaching skills.
If you need further proof that professional development helps students, research conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences found there is a link between student achievement and teachers who participated in a professional development program. In fact, a student’s performance can improve by as much as 21 percentile points when their teacher receives professional development.
It Expands Your Career Opportunities
Professional development makes you a better and more effective teacher. You’ll learn new skills that you can apply in your daily curriculum, boosting your confidence in your ability to do your job. And no matter where you are in your educational career, you’ll benefit from professional development. It improves your marketability and image when you’re looking for a new position, and can also increase your chance for promotion.
Many professional development programs offer personal development points and graduate credits that you can use to advance to the next level licensure.
Network With Other Educators
Professional development can provide opportunities to meet and network with other teachers and share insights on what you’ve learned, as well as hear about job openings. By socializing with other people in your industry, you’ll gain knowledge about possible career directions
It Accommodates Your Teaching Schedule
Professional development for teachers has to take place when it won’t interfere with their classroom schedule. Many classes and workshops are held on evenings and weekends to accommodate an educator’s working hours. And with many professional development programs being taught online via streaming video, this means you won’t have to spend precious time physically commuting to a location.
Invest In Your Teacher Professional Development With The Professional Training Institute
Now that you know a bit more about what professional development can do for you, be sure to check out the Professional Training Institute’s schedule for upcoming courses and programs for teachers who work with students who struggle with reading and writing.
