Developing Effective
Professional Leadership
Professional learning should be designed to provide ongoing, technology-integrated professional development that reflects the increasing role of technology in today’s world. Research shows that one-time, passive training sessions—where teachers simply sit, listen, and take notes—are ineffective in creating lasting changes in teaching practice (Gulamhussein, 2013). Instead, professional learning should emphasize continuous learning, hands-on support, and real classroom application, as studies indicate that sustained coaching and active engagement significantly improve implementation success (Joyce & Showers, 2002)
Professional learning must evolve from isolated, one-time sessions to an ongoing, interactive, and technology-driven approach that fosters real instructional change. Research confirms that effective professional development is sustained, collaborative, and directly applicable to classroom practice (Gulamhussein, 2013; Learning Policy Institute, 2017). Without continuous learning opportunities, teachers struggle to implement new strategies, and technology remains an untapped resource in many classrooms (Garet et al., 2001). Joyce and Showers (2002) highlight that coaching and follow-up support significantly improve implementation, yet many educators lack access to these critical components.
Call
to
Action
What does this mean?
Professional Learning must shift from passive, one-time training sessions to an ongoing, collaborative, and technology-integrated model that provides real classroom support. Effective professional learning should be sustained over time, offer ongoing implementation support, engage teachers in active learning, include modeling of best practices and be tailored to the specific needs of educators (Gulamhussein, A. 2013). Without this shift, teachers will remain underprepared, and students will miss out on the full potential of high-quality early education.
(Gulamhussein, A, 2013)
The Story Behind the Story
The What, The Why, The How
This recording is a short five-minute video explaining my story and the urgent need to transform professional learning for preschool teachers. Through my experiences in multiple districts, I realized that professional learning has been consistently ineffective, relying on passive, one-time sessions that fail to provide ongoing support or real classroom application. After starting the ADL program and diving into research, I recognized that this is a systemic issue, not just a district problem. To advocate for change, I created a Canva presentation that highlights research and emphasizes the five key principles of professional learning—continuous learning, implementation support, active engagement, modeling, and content-specific training.
The
Masterpiece
For my Call to Action video, I focused on the infographics in hopes of truly targeting the heartstrings of administrators so that they can understand how teachers feel. Infographics have an emotional power because they can show an idea—or a relationship, or how something works—very quickly.
People respond to that immediacy. A persuasive infographic surprises the viewer, moves them in some way, and makes them want to keep looking at it or show it to others (Ovans, 2014). By using infographics, I aimed to make the message more impactful and evoke empathy, encouraging administrators to take meaningful action in support of teachers.
I typically begin by entering a specific phrase or word into the search bar, as seen on the left side, and then review the graphics that appear. I explore a variety of search terms to gather inspiration and subsequently create custom graphics, as demonstrated in the example below.
This is also an example of a graphic I created through canva. I searched, "sketch of eye," then, "teacher teaching"
The purpose of the use of infographics in my presentation is to try to say more with less words.
Before selecting my infographics, I conduct thorough research to ensure the information I present is well-supported. I then compile all relevant materials into a Word document to maintain clarity and coherence, ensuring that I stay organized and on track throughout the process.
Initially, I planned to record audio, which is why the document includes a script for voice recording. However, I later decided to revise my approach and instead included only the key points that would be addressed in the notes.
The second screenshot illustrates the elements I used in my presentation. I based my infographics on the specific words I selected, focusing on those that resonated most with me. By identifying these key terms, I was able to determine which infographics would have the most impact and effectively convey the message in my presentation.
After completing this process, I began assembling my presentation using Canva. The example below demonstrates how I incorporated the elements I had gathered to create a cohesive and visually impactful presentation.
References
Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/effective-teacher-professional-development-report
Desimone, L. M. (2009). Improving impact studies of teachers' professional development: Toward better conceptualizations and measures. Educational Researcher, 38(3), 181–199. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X08331140
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Learning Policy Institute. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Effective_Teacher_Professional_Development_REPORT.pdf
Garet, M. S., Porter, A. C., Desimone, L., Birman, B. F., & Yoon, K. S. (2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 915–945. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312038004915
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Center for Public Education. https://www.nsba.org/-/media/NSBA/File/cpe-teaching-the-teachers-2013.pdf
Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through staff development. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Corwin Press.
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Ovans, A. (2014, April 22). What makes the best infographics so convincing? Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2014/04/what-makes-the-best-infographics-so-convincing