Once settled in a classroom, how do teachers learn about new methods of teaching that come along? One approach is through district-sponsored staff development programs.
Glenbard Township School District 87 feels strongly enough about staff development that the district has hired a full-time administrator to do the job.
Mike Warner, coordinator of staff development at Glenbard, said that the district offered 46 courses to staff this fall and received more than 800 registrants.
”We offer our programs to our entire staff,” Warner said. Teachers, administrators, secretaries and custodians are all included. Courses cover such topics as new technology, planning for retirement or classroom management.
”Our understanding of the educational process is constantly changing and growing,” Warner said. ”Research over the past 10 years has given us a lot more knowledge about what good teaching looks like compared to 20 years ago. We feel it`s important for our educators to keep abreast.”
Kay Hachten, a nationwide educational consultant who recently conducted a workshop for new teachers at Glenbard, agrees.
”Teachers are learners, too,” Hachten said. ”It takes time and training to learn new strategies. Just as a doctor must constantly review medical journals and study research, so must a teacher have opportunities to reflect and analyze different approaches to student learning.
”Even champions need coaches,” Hachten said. ”Teachers have the right to continue to learn about their craft.”
