We just came across a fascinating editorial piece in Education Week that addresses the need for professional development as part of the new shift toward the common core standards.
The commentary, entitled Common-Core Work Must Include Teacher Development and written by Stephanie Hirsh, cleverly asserts that ”the dramatic shift in teaching prompted by the common core will require practical, intensive, and ongoing professional learning—not one-off “spray and pray” training that exposes everyone to the same material and hopes that some of it sticks.”
In addition, she reminds us that new technology resources make professional learning all the more accessible via shared learning platforms and “emerging tools such as classroom video capture, earbud coaching (in which teachers receive real-time coaching via an earpiece while they work), virtual classroom simulations, and online tutoring.”
Hirsh sites the state of Kentucky as one to watch — having recently claimed to be initiating improvements to professional development as part of the commitment to the common core standards.
What about your schools? As the 2013-14 school year approaches, (and it will be here before you know it) what is the buzz in your hallways about preparing staff for the shift to common core?
More Common Core topics:
- Common Core: Emphasis on Complex Text
- Using Genre to Teach Informational, Narrative and Persuasive Texts
