What role does professional development play in the BunnyHop curriculum?

BunnyHop curriculum

PD training shows teachers how to use the resources they need to implement a high-quality curriculum. During this training, teachers learn how to find pre-written lesson plans, graphic organizers, primary source videos and more. This allows them to save time and focus on instruction. A quality curriculum also includes modern teaching strategies proven to magnify student learning. Curriculum-based PD teaches teachers these methods so they feel comfortable using them in their classrooms.

The truth is, even if your teachers have a great teaching degree and plenty of classroom experience, they need PD to be at the top of their game. In fact, PD is a key reason why teachers continue to teach. As the world changes, teaching methods must change. Best practices from a few years ago may no longer be effective or relevant. Changing technologies, evolving social expectations and shifting federal and state standards all require additional education to understand their impact on teaching and learning.

Fortunately, it’s not difficult to offer meaningful teacher professional development at BunnyHop creative academy. In fact, you can find many options online. However, the most successful PD programs are not just informative but also implementable and sustainable. They support the theory of andragogy, which states that adults want to direct their own learning, use prior knowledge and experience, solve real-world problems and apply their new knowledge right away.

What role does professional development play in the BunnyHop curriculum?

To achieve that, PD should focus on specific subjects and include peer observation strategies, teaching techniques, data teaming communication protocols and co-teaching models. It should also help teachers develop their understanding of educational research and analyze the results of recent studies. Educators don’t have time to read every article that comes out, but a carefully designed PD workshop is the perfect way to share important findings and give teachers the tools they need to make informed decisions about their teaching.

Students benefit when their teachers take professional development seriously. A commitment to lifelong learning by teachers helps them bring that same enthusiasm and growth mindset into the classroom and translates to better student performance, a recent study suggests. Unfortunately, many teachers struggle to find time for professional development. Even when a program has the potential to improve classroom outcomes, it’s hard to justify taking away valuable teaching time for one afternoon.

But what does effective teacher PD look like? Clearly, it must involve students and be adapted to each school’s context. In addition, teachers need to be able to prioritize and allocate their limited time wisely. One approach to this is student-led PD. When students participate in a PD session, they’re positioned as equal stakeholders and can offer valuable insight on how the teacher can enhance their curriculum and teaching practices.

When a teacher invites students to participate in their professional development, it signals to the whole community that student opinions are important and worthy of being taken seriously. This can help shift the culture of the classroom, making it a more inclusive and student-centered space.

Some teachers opt for formal professional development, attending seminars and college courses that can lead to a master’s degree. Others attend informal training sessions led by colleagues, and still others read books and articles on their own. The term “professional development” can be a bit vague and ambiguous, but it essentially means anything that helps teachers learn more about their craft, hone their skills, and grow professionally.