Episode Details

Brad Gustafson, principal of Greenwood Elementary School, explains how his staff moved to personalized professional development. Sessions follow a monthly theme, teachers choose among two or three options they planned themselves, and attendance is optional. The one rule is that everyone engages with the school goals, in the way that fits them.

Gustafson also describes flexible parent teacher conferences. Instead of fixed conference days, teachers custom schedule every family, sometimes over a month, and reached 100% attendance. He shares what went wrong with an online forum session he planned himself, and how a budget line for mobile makerspaces backs teacher ideas.

What you'll learn

• Set a monthly PD theme, then offer two or three sessions that teachers planned and choose from.
• Make the school goal required and the way each teacher meets it optional, such as a book study or a Twitter chat.
• When a session flops, say so, ask for feedback and change the format, as Gustafson did by adding a face-to-face option.
• Carve out a budget line for innovation so a teacher's idea can start right away.
• Replace set conference dates with custom scheduling for each family if you want 100% attendance.

Chapters

• 0:00 Why this episode asks for your biggest struggle
• 2:10 How optional, teacher-led PD works
• 4:09 When a PD session fails and what to change
• 10:32 Trusting teachers to find the PD they need
• 13:15 A teacher-led Chopped PD session
• 18:43 Budget and connections that back teacher ideas
• 20:21 Flexible conferences and 100% family attendance
• 25:19 Invest in digital connections to extend learning

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Questions this episode answers

Can professional development be optional for teachers?
Gustafson makes PD sessions optional at Greenwood Elementary. Teachers still have to engage with the school goals, but how they do it is their choice. A teacher who misses a session can read a book, join a study class or take part in a Twitter chat on the same topic.

How do you get 100% attendance at parent teacher conferences?
Gustafson says Greenwood teachers custom schedule a conference with every family instead of using fixed conference days. Teachers might meet two or three families a night, come in before school, or stay until 7 PM for one family. Conferencing can take a month.

How do you build trust with teachers as a principal?
Gustafson points to transparency. He admits when something fails, listens when teachers say it was hard, and builds a culture where it is okay to fail. He also funds teacher ideas and connects teachers with people from his professional learning network.

About Brad Gustafson

Principal of Greenwood Elementary School, author of the Adjusting Course blog and host of the 30 Second Take podcast.

Links and resources

• Brad Gustafson on Twitter
• Adjusting Course blog
• Sphero balls
• Engaging Students: Working on the Work
• Click to Tweet quote
• Rate on iTunes

• Listen Now